CURIOUS ISLANDS.

Northern Advocate, 26 January 1922, Page 7

CURIOUS ISLANDS.

ALL OVER THE WORLD

Many remarkable islands exist in different parts of the world. In a small lake called the Lake of Floating Islands, at Yamugata, Japan, there are said to be as many as sixty is,nnds that constantly change their portion. The islands, which move first one way and then the other, start from | masses of vegetable debris that are carried to the surface by bubbles of gas; reeds soon grow on these masses in such quantity that they sometime become topheavy and overturn. 1-r that case the reeds grow on the newly exposed side, until the islands have become so deep and wide that they will no - ionger turn over. Prof. Kusakabe, of the Tolioku Tm perial University, and "several nsso ciat.es have investigated the mysterious movements of these floating islands. By placing wooden floats in the lak? to show the situation and direction of the various currents these gentlemen found that the combined action of currents air and water is what makes the islands move.

About ten years ago a new is ; :*nd was reported in that curious Bugoslof Group among the Aleutians off the western extremity of Alaska. This one suddenly rose through seventy fathoins of water and far above, and its rise was accompanied by an earthquake that shook Unalaska and Dutih Harbour. TOTALLY DISAPPEARED. One of the most remarkable, events in the history of this mysterious cluster occurred in 1917. On July 4 of that year officers of the revenue cutter McCulloch made a survey of a mountain, then smoking and fuming as though from its exertion in rising volcanic ally from the sea among the A l eu tian Islands. It is reported in the survey that the peak was 2,000 feet through its base and 495 feet high. One of the surveying party, it is said, wanted the mountain to be named "Independence Mountain" in honor of tho day the survey was made, but it was christened "McCulloch Peak." A little more than three months later the McCulloch again visited the place and found that the peak of the same name had totally disappeared.

The region in which this extraordinary event occurred has Kng engaged the attention of scientists and is in fact one of the strangest localities on earth. There seems be proceeding a sort of continuous performance of ilie character of a geographical vaude\';d<; show, in which Nature nss.nnes the rob of quick change artist. These startling changes are said to be uv.<? to tin action of the Bogoslof Volc/ia), in tha Aleutian Islands. This volcano was discovered about 1790 by a Russian a;l miral of that name, and it then cor. stituted a single island now called Castle Island. It is now conjectured that these islands were probably thrown up by a deep sea volcano, which may thus be regarded, both literally and figuratively, es at the bottom of all weird natural phenomena in this region. Surveys msde by revenue cutters show that the islands must have come from great depths, the thousand fathom curve being less than four miles to the northwest. Duirng the winter of 1905-1906 there oppearcd a new peak about halfway between the old islands. When this peak developed it formed connection with Fire Island, and left a passage between it and Castle Rock in which the least cepth of water was five fathoms. This peak was surveyed by officers of the revenue cutter Perry in June, 1906. and was named Perry Peak. The mysterious island surveyed on July 4, 1907, by the McCulloch's officers was then, as has been said, giving forth sulphurous fumes, showing its tccent volcanic origin. This peak had absorbed in its uplift about half of Perry Peak and had filled in the space to Castle Rock, thus making practically one island of the group. It is thought that this peak exploded on September 1, 1917, as at 5 o'clock p.m. a dense black cloud passed over Unalaska Island, covering the land with ashes.

Some years ago the revenue cutter Eush visited this island and found groat changes, Perry Peak having disappeared. A high ridge of land extended from Fire Island to Castle Rock, having an elevation of three hundred feet at its highest point; the entrance to the harbor near Castle Rock hod filled in; high land was formed to ilk' west-northwest, near Fire Island. The navigator of the Rush made a j survey of the harbor as it then existed and found it to be one mile across, with from four to twenty-five fathoms of water. The shore to the south wa* steaming. Although the reports of these surveys read prosaically enough, cne can easily picture the danger of surveying a locality likely to break out in a destructive eruption at any time