116 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



through the generosity of the Hoard 

 of Managers of the National Geo- 

 graphic Society, funds for another 



expedition were provided, and dur- 

 ing the sninmer months of 191 7 we 

 were able to continue the explora- 

 tions of the previous year.* 



Till-; TEN THOUSAND SMOKES A 



VAST SAFlvTY-VAIATC 



When we reached Katmai Pass, 

 in June, 1917, I saw at once that 

 everything was just as it had been 

 the previous year. There were the 

 two little fumaroles which we had 

 first found, steaming away exactly 

 as they had been the year before. 

 This was decidedly reassuring, for 

 I had been tormented with the fear 

 that after all the time and effort 

 spent in preparation for the expe- 

 dition I might find that we had seen 

 only a passing stage in the declin- 

 ing activity, and when we arrived 

 we would find the valley dead, with 

 all its volcanoes a thing of the past. 



When I got back to camp and re- 

 ported the conditions, I found that 

 some other members of the party 

 had been secretly entertaining the 

 opposite fear — that the whole val- 

 ley was likely to blow up suddenly 

 while we were in it ! 



On the contrary, all that we have 

 seen indicates that the activity of 

 this district, like that of the Yel- 

 lowstone Park, has reached a stable 

 stage, which will continue without 

 much change for a relatively long 



* This was the fourth expedition sent 

 by the National Geographic Society to 

 investigate the stupendous eruption of 

 Mt. Katmaj. The first was in 1912, led 

 by George C. Martin, of the U. S. Geo- 

 logical Survey, Mr. Martin's report, with 

 57 illustrations, being printed in the Feb- 

 ruary, 1913, number ; the second was in 

 1915 and the third in 1916, both directed 

 by Robert F. Griggs, of the Ohio State 

 University, whose report was printed in 

 the January, 1917, number of the Na- 

 tional Geographic Magazine, with 52 

 illustrations. To appreciate the number 

 and magnitude of the discoveries made 

 by the National Geographic Society ex- 

 peditions, members should read again 

 these reports. Extra copies of these in- 

 teresting numbers may be obtained at 2$ 

 cents each. 



