noon before
This also gave an opportunity to relieve the suffering on Woody Island , and 104 persons were brought on board , making 486 people to be fed from the supplies handled by the _ Bear _ . It was incredible how so many could be accommodated , but the organization was perfect . The night was spent in great suspense ; but Eric , who had been relieved from duty , slept through it . It was noon before he finally wakened , to find a bright sunlit sky and a ship clear of ashes . In the afternoon , as the effects of the eruption cleared away , three expeditions were sent to Woody Island , to St. Paul , and to the neighboring islands . Eric was sent with the _ Redondo _ on the rescue party that was headed for Afognak . There it was learned that the eruption had come from Mount Katmai , on the mainland of the Alaska Peninsula , opposite Kodiak Island , and that there were people in distress in the region of the volcano .