316 



MERRIAM 



and piled in irregular masses and appeared to be under- 

 going movement; at all events, huge blocks had only re- 

 cently toppled over and some were covered with a light 

 deposit of grayish dust which we took to be volcanic ash. 

 The new volcano was enveloped in steam, which issued 

 from thousands of small cracks and crannies and poured 

 in vast clouds from a few great fissures and crater-like 

 openings, the principal of which was near the northeast 

 corner, only a few feet above high water mark. From 



FIG. 25. IN THE STEAM, NEW BOGOSLOF, AUGUST II, 1891. 



this opening, the shape of which we could not see, it rushed 

 out with a loud roaring noise. The place is shown on the 

 right in the photogravure at the beginning of the article. 

 So great was the quantity of steam that it completely con- 

 cealed the upper part of the island except when wafted to 

 or fro by violent gusts of wind. Professor Mendenhall 

 and I walked from the roaring hole where this steam es- 

 caped, around the east, south, and west sides of the volcano, 

 but it was impossible to pass around the towering cliff at 



