3io 



MERRIAM 



walk of a third of a mile brought him to old Bogoslof, 

 which would give the spit a length of about 1,750 feet. 



On May 28, 1884, only a week after the visit of the 

 ' Corwin,' Lieut. George M. Stoney of the Navy arrived at 

 Bogoslof and spent three days in taking soundings around 

 the island. His report on the subject seems to have mys- 

 teriously disappeared, but an abstract of it was printed in 

 ' Science ' for November 7, 1884, and a brief memorandum 

 entitled ' Sailing Directions for Bogoslof Island and 

 Hague Island ' is on file in the U. S. Hydrographic Office. 



Lieut. Stoney also prepared 

 a chart on which fully 150 

 soundings are recorded. This 

 chart, through the courtesy of 

 Captain C. C. Todd, Hydro- 

 grapher U. S. Navy, I have 

 been permitted to reproduce 

 (fig. 19). Stoney states that a 

 thermometer inserted an inch 

 and a half below the crust 

 rose to 250 Fahr. in a few 

 seconds (the air temperature 

 at the time being 40), and 

 that a stick placed against 

 the hot rock blazed instantly. 

 Many earthquake shocks were felt on the schooner at 

 anchor, and once, when climbing the volcano, " a most 

 sensible vibration of the whole mass took place." " Rum- 

 bling sounds, and a dull roar similar to the discharge of dis- 

 tant cannon, were heard at intervals; and though flames 

 were seen only upon two occasions, yet this is believed to 

 have been due to the little darkness of the season at that 

 latitude." The summit was usually hidden by masses of 

 black and whitish smoke. " Near the base of the vol- 

 cano the water bubbled and broke, as if boiling, but no 



FIG. 19. 



STONEY'S CHART OF BOGO- 

 SLOF IN MAY, 1884. 



