40 CRUISE OF TUE STEAMER CORWIN. 



The temperature of the nir at the base was 44° and iit the highest point reached 60°. A ther- 

 mometer buried in the sand at the foot of the cone registered 44°, halfway to the top, 191°, and 

 in a crevice of the ramparts of the crater the mercury rapidly expanth'd and lilh-d the tube, when 

 the bulb burst, and shortly afterwards the solder nswl in attaching the suspension ring to the 

 instrument was fused. We estimated the temperature at this point to be 500° Fahrenheit. The 

 temperature of the water around the island was the same as that of the sea, as observed on board 

 the Coricin at the time, was 40°. 



On all sides of the cone there are perforations through which the steam escaped with more or 

 less energy. I observed from some vents the steam was emitted at regular intervals, while from 

 others it issued with no perceptible intermission. Around each vent there was formed a thick 

 deposit of sulphur, the vapor arising from which was sutfocating and nauseating in the extreuie. 



An examination of the interior of the crat«r was not satisfactory on account of the clouds of 

 smoke and steam arising and obscuring the view. On the northwest side the surface of the cone 

 is broken into a thousand irregularities by masses of volcanic and metamori)hic rock. On all 

 other sides, however, the accumulation of ash and dust has almost entirely covered the rocks and 

 the sides appear moreeven and less precipitous. 



A curious fact to be noted in regard to this volcano is the entire absence, apparently, of lava 

 and cinder. Nowhere could I find the slightest evidence of either of these characteristics of other 

 volcanoes hitherto examined in the Aleutian Islands. Small quantities of rock-froth consisting 

 of unfused particles in a senii-lused mass were seen, but the heat of distliarge has evidently never 

 been sufQcient to produce firm fusion. Specimens of dust collected from one of the vents was 

 compared with volcanic dust which fell in the village of Ouualaska October 20, 1883, and fountl 

 to be identical in character. 



Descending to the beach on the east side I found it to be much the same formation as on the 

 west side, with perhaps the exception that the line of sand here ajjproaches nearer the water-line. 

 The pebbles seen on the island are universally of a dark-gray color, with small black spots and 

 worn surface by attrition. 



I saw no shells and but little sea-W€ed. Kelp in considerable quantities, however, was observed 

 close inshore. 



A walk of a third of a mile brought me to old Bogoslov, where the beach abruptly termi- 

 nates. The northern end of this rock rises almost perpendicularly to a distance of some 325 feet. 

 Its face is deeply indented at the base, forming a cave-like recess which gives the rock the appear, 

 ance of leaning toward the north. 



Probably nowhere can there be found a better example of the disintegration of stone into 

 soil by the action of the atmosphere. The compositiou of the islet was originally of slate or shale. 

 It is now breaking down on all sides and crumbling to dust. The central portion seemed to be 

 composed of a more enduring substance, but a close examination was impossible on account of the 

 loose, crumbling nature of the rock forming the sides and the precipitous ascent. 1 fired a rifle-shot 

 into a Hock of puffin, myriads of which were perched in tbe clefts and niches of the rock, and when 

 they rose small pieces of stone were detached and in luin displaced larger i)ieces of stone until a 

 perfect avalanche of stone came down the declivity, scoring great ruts in the hillside and tearing 

 up great masses of stone, which were dashed to pieces on the shore below. 



Specimens of outer rock were found at the base of the old Bogoslov, on the southern side, 

 which, being struck with a hammer, crumbled to dust, in some cases deeply tinted with red, show- 

 ing the presence of iron. 



Hard bowlders of some hard, smooth stone fringe the bases of both the old and new Bogosloft, 

 but a careful examination of the surrounding waters, both in snuill boats and on board the Concin, 

 failed to show any outlying dangers. A spot of sand and pebble formation extends from the south- 

 ern end of old Bogoslov four-tenths of a mile in a southeasterly direction, and, like the isthmus 

 connecting the two islands, is ]>robably submerged at times of highest tides or during se\ere 

 storms. The depth of water arouud the island is shown upon the chart accompanying the rei)ort. 



Puffin in great numbers were seen on old Bogoslov, and it is probable they make this isolated 

 spot a breeding i>lace. 1 also saw numbers of harlequin ducks, gulls, and kittiwakes. A dead 

 albatross was picked up on the bi-acli, but it is probable it was washed ashore, as its presence in 



