The Eruption of Katmai
The recent eruption of Mt. Augustine recalls that of Mt. Katmai in 1912. Katmai's explosion was one of the most powerful to occur in recorded history. Fortunately, its remote location on the Alaska Peninsula, far from major population centers, prevented loss of human life. An eruption of such great force would have buried a nearby city and destroyed its inhabitants.
Residents of Kodiak, 100 miles from Katmai, were among the first Alaskans to observe the eruption phenomenon. A heavy fall of volcanic ash blanketed the town and created considerable apprehension. Initially, no one knew what caused the ash to fall. It was June 6, yet by 6:30 p.m., the town was obscured in total darkness. At the time of the eruption, lightning struck the Kodiak radio station. The station burned down and all communications with the outside world were severed.
On the morning of the third day after the eruption, the people of Kodiak still groped around in darkness. Ash continued to fall during the day and frequent seismic disturbances were felt. By afternoon, Captain K. W. Perry of the U.S. Revenue Cutter "Manning", decided to evacuate the townspeople. Perry feared that the darkness would hinder his passage through the narrow ship passage leading out of the harbor, but the risk of grounding seemed preferable to remaining to face possible destruction at the hands of nature. Several hundred people crowded aboard the "Manning". Conditions were uncomfortable, yet the passengers felt more secure in abandoning the town. Everyone remembered the disaster of ancient Pompeii which was buried by the eruption of a nearby volcano.
Kodiak was spared further calamity, and life in the attractive fishing port soon regained its normal momentum. The cataclysmic event caused little serious property damage, but in the awesomeness of its force it ranks with the 1964 Alaska earthquake among the region's great physical disruptions.
Visitors to the Katmai area today see lasting reminders of the eruption in the steaming Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes--a national monument created by presidential order in the aftermath of the blowup.
