Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1841-09-01


Thousand feet 10 The coast. aud no one
knew 10 what point it would flow, or what
devastation would attend lis fiery course.
On Monday, June lst, the stream began
TO flow of N il northeasterly direction,
and on the following "Wednesday, june
Sd, al evening. the burning river reached
Inc sea, havin. averaged about half mile
an hour lii lis progress. The rapidly OF
the flow was very unequal, being modl-
fed 5y the inequalities OF the surface, over
which the stream passed. Sometimes it
is supposed to have moved FIVE miles all
hour, an at other times, owing to obstruc-
tiuls. maxim. no apparent progress, ex-
cept IL filling up deep valleys, and swell
Ia over or breaking away hills and preci-
pices. " .=
Boz | will return to the source Of the
eruption. This is III forest, and in the
bottom OF an ancient wooded crater, about
Jour hundred feet deep, and probably
eight miles east from kllauea. The re-
gion being uninnabited and covered with
thlcket, it was some time before the
place was discovered, and up 10 this time,
thoug h several foreigners attempted it, no
one, except myself, has reached the spot.
From KIIauea 10 this place the lava
flows in subterranean gallery, probably
III the depth Of i thousand feet, but its
conrs" can be distinctly traced all the
! way, By The rendinr oil the crust of the
earth iuto iunumerable assures and bv
the emission Of smoke, steam aud gases.
The eruption in this old crater Is small,
! and irom This place the stream DISAPPEARS
J again for The distance of Il mie or two,
hen The lava again gushrd up and
spread over an area of about fifty acres.
Again II passes undtr gIound Eor two or
/ Three miles, when il re-arpear< ia anolh-
or old wooded crater, consuming The for
est, and parity filling up the basin. Once
! more il disappears, and flowing in d sub
terramean channel, cracks and breaks The
earth, opening ASSURES from six inches to
! ten or twelve feet in with, and sometimes
! splitting the trul,k Of lice sU> exactly
that Ils legs stand astrlde at the fssure
Ut some places it is impossible TO trace
The suberranean stream, OH acc QUIT oflhe
imper,trablc thicket under which it pass.
! rs. After flowing under ground several
miles, perhaps six or eight, itagaiE broke
out like all overwhelming food, aud
I sweeping forest, hamlet, plantation, and
every thing before it, rolled down with
! resIstless energy TO the sea, where, leap
lng . preclptce Of lorty or fifty Ieet, i
poured itself in one vas. cataract OF fire
'uto the deep below, with loud detona-
Z fIor riff II H.
uuearttiN and understandable sounds Ian
agile 10 Yourself !. river OF fused az mia
rails, OF the breadth and depth of Niagara,
and OF deep CORY red, falling, in one
eniblazoled sheet, one raging torrent, into
the ocean, The scene, as described bv
eye witnesses, was terribly sublime. Two
mighty agencies in collision! Two an
tagoni>t and gigantic forces in contact and
producing effects on scale inconceivalI,
grand! The atmosphere in all directions
was Tiled with ashes. spray. gases, ect.
while the burning lava, as il fell into The
water, was shivered into millions OF min
ute particles, and, being thrown back into
the air, fell in showers Of sand OH all the
surrounding country. The coast was OK.
lened into The sea for !; quarter Ola mile,
and Il pretty sand-Leach and - new cape
we're formed. Three hills Of scori;r and
sand We're also formed in the sea, the
lowest about two hundred and The highest
abou: three hundred feet.
For three weeks this terrific river dis
gorged Itself Into the sea with little abate-
ment. Multitudes of fishes were killed,
and the waters Of the ocean were heated
for twenty miles along the coast. The
breadth Of the stream, where it fell into
the sea, is abou: hall mile, but inland it
varies from one to four miles in width, con
forming itself, like a river, to the face OF
the country over which it flowed H.
deed, if you can imagine the Mississippi,
converted into liquid fire, OF the consSlrll-
cy of fused iron, and moving onward,
sometimes rapidly, sometimes Slnggishlv,
now widening into sea, and anon rush
ing through narrow de6le, winding It's
way through mighty forests and ancient
solitudes. you will get some idea of the
spectacle here exhibited. The depth of
the stream will probably vary from ten to
Two hundred feet, according to the inc
qualities oflhe surface over which il pass
et!. During the flow, night was convert
ed into day on all eastern Hawaii. The
light rose and spread like the morning
upon the mountains. and its glare was
seen on the opposite side Of The island.
Ii was also distinctly visible for more than
one hundred miles AT sea; aud at the dis
lance Of forty miles, fine print could be
read al midnight. The brilliancy of the
light was like blazing armament, and
the scene is said TO hay. been one of un-
rivalled sublimity.
The whole course o. the stream from
Kilanea to The sen Is about fnriu miles