Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1841-07-23
THE GREAT SANDWICH ISLAND
VOLCANO,

of the unprecedented eruption last year of
the great crater kilauca. MIR. Coan, an
Emerican Missionary on the island, has furn-
ished the Missionary Herald for the present
month fuller account, from which we quote
the following description. l, must have been
one of the most grand and terrific volcanic
eruptions on record:
On the 3Oth of May the people of Puma
observed the appearance Of smoke and fire
in the interior, a mountainous and dcsolatc
region Of that rct.-Thnking that the
fire might be the burning of some jungle,
they took little notice of it until the next day,
Sabbath, when the meetings in the different
villages were thrown into confusion by sud-
den and grand exhibitions of fire, on scale
so large and fearful as TO leave them no room
to doubt the cause of the phenomenon. The
fire augmented during the day and night
but it did not seem to flow of rapidly in
any direction. All were in CONSERVATION.
as it was expected that the molten flood would
pour itself down from its height Of four thou
sand feet TO the coast, and no one knew to
what point it would flow, or what devasta-
ton would attend its fiery course. On Mon
day, June LIST, the stream began TO flow of
in a northeasterly direction and on the fol-
lowing Wednesday, June Sd, at evening,
the burning river reached the sea, having
averaged about half mile an hour in its
progress. The rapidly Of the flow was
unequal, having been modified by the in
CAPABILITIES of the surface, over which the
stream passed. Sometimes it is supposed to
have moved five miles an hour, and at other
times, owing to distractions, making no APP
parent progress, except IN filling up deep
valleys, and in swelling over or breaking
away hills and precipices.
But will return to the source of the erup-
tion.-This is in forest, and in the bottom
of an ancient, wooded crater, about four
hundred feet deep, and probably eight miles
east from Kilanca. The region being unin-
habited and covered with thicket, 1t was
some time before the place was discovered,
and up to this time, though several foreigners
have attempted it, no one, except myself,
has reached the spot. From kilauea to this
place the lava flows in a subtcrrancan chan
mel, probably at the dept of thousand feet
but its course can be distinctly traced all the
way, by the rending of the crust of the earth
into innumerable assures, and by the ennis
sion of smoke, steam, and gases. The crup-
ton in this old crater is small, and from this
place the stream disappears again for the
distance ola mile or two, when the lava
again gushed up and spread over an area OF
about fifty acres. Again it passes undc,
ground for two or three miles, when it re.
appears in another old wooded crater, con.
suming the forest and partly filling up the
basin. Once more it disappears, and flow
ing in a subterrancan channel, cracks ant
breaks the earth, opening assures from 81,
inches to ten or twelve feet in width, and
sometimes splitting the trunk of a tree Sc
exactly that its legs stand asridc at the fs.
sure. At some places it is impossible tc
trace the subterranean stream on account o.
the impenetrable ,hicket under which it pas
SEES. After flowing under ground scvcra
miles, perhaps six or eight, it again broke
out like an overwhelming flood, and sweep
ing forest, hamlet, plantation, and every
thing before it, rolled down with rcsistlcs.
energy to the sea, where, leaping prcci-
pice of forty or fifty feet, it poured itself in
one vast cataract of fire into the deep belew
with loud detonatons, fearful hissings, and a
thousand unearthly and indescribable sounds.
Imagine to yourself river of fused min
erals, of the breadth and depth of Niagara,
and of a deep CORY red, falling, in one en-
blazoncd sheet, one raging torrent, into the
ocean! The scene, as described by eye
witnesses was terribly sublime. Two NIGH
" agencies in collision Two antagonist:
and gigantic forces in contact, and producing
effects on a scale inconccivably grand Tho
atmosphere in all directions, as filled witt
ashes, spray, gas"s, ETC., while the burning
lava, as it fell into the water, was shveret
into millions of minute particles, and, being
thrown back into the air, fell in showers o.
sand on all the surrounding country. Tho
coast was extended into the sea for quartz
of mile, and a pretty sand beach and
new cape was formed. Three hills of scor
and sand were also formed in the sea, ant
the lowest about two hundred and the highes
about 300 feet.
For three weeks this terrific river disgorg
ed itself into the sea with little abatement
Multtudes of fishes were killed, and tn
waters of the ocean were heated for 20 mile
along the coast. The breadth of the stream
where itfell into the sea, is about half mile, b,
inland it varies from one to four or five mile
in width conforming itself, like river, t
the face of the country over which it flowed
Indeed, if you can imagine the Mississippi
converted into liquid fire, of the consistenc
of fused iron, and moving onward, sometime
sluggishly; now widening into sea, an
anon rushing through narrow deiilc, wind
ingits way through mighty forests and ancer
solitudes you will get some idea of the spec
tacle here exhibited. The depth of the streal
will probably vary from ten TO two lundre
feet, according to the inequalities of the sur
face over which it passed. During the flow
night was converted INTO day on Easter
Hawaii. The light rose and spread like tn
morning upon the mountains, and its glar
was seen on the opposite side of the islant
1t was also distinctly visible for more tina
one hundred miles at sea !; and at the di,
lance of forty miles fine print could be rea
ut midniuht The hrlliancv of the liyI