Polynesian., 1845-02-22

s f. l. f. G. II + ID :.
An Account of the Great Volcanic Eruption
of 1913, on Hawaii.
(Concluded.)
ASCENT TO THE CRATER.

ASCENT TO THE CRATER.
"Ihe next morning we rose early and mad'
our preparations for visiting the summit O
the mountain, distant about twenty miles
As we did not suppose it possible to reacl
the summit and return to our camp the sam,
day, we provided ourselves with caps, fan
nels, mittens, cloaks, comtortables, ETC., 70,
sleeping upon thr lava on the sides of tn,
mountain; and taking a little food and a Gala
bash of water, we committed our luggage
to two strong natives, leaving the rest Of ou1
company where we had encamped during
the night. Thus prepared, we set off, OK
pecting to spend two days upon the mountain
Our way at first lay over a field of scoria O
an indescrlbably sharp and Jagged character
and we had not proceeded more than half
mile before we found that the two native.
who carried our clothing fell in the rear, ant
followed us at the rate of less than a mile al
hour-the rode being so inconceivably rug
ged that they could not quicken their pac,
without being in danger ofstumbling at ever,
step, and breaking their calabashes, ant
tearing their flesh. We halted suddenly
held a short consultation, set down our Gala
bashes on the lava, took a little biscuit in oul
pockets, laid our cloaks and umbrellas or
our guides, and leaving every thing else be-
hind, set out again for the summit of thu
mountain. After passing this tract ofscoria
we came to a field of more compact AM
smooth lava, lying along the borders of tn,
new stream. Here we moved on rapidly
at the rate o fthree and a half or four mile.
an hour. AS we had left most of our cloth
ing and food, with all our water, behind, ant
as we clung to the hope ofreaching the origi
nal point of e%ruption-a vast, active crater
within a few hundred feet Of the highest par
of the mountain-we felt it necessary to pres.
hard and improve every moment, as we mus
return the same day, or probably perish will
cold amid those high regions Of snow ant
tempests.
"To describe our road would be tedious, i
not impossible. Sometimes we were on an
cient deposits and sometimes on the new
sometimes on broad fields of smooth, shining
lava, and sometimes crossing extended tract.
of the sharp spurry kind before mentioned
now we were climbing a high ridge of loose
scoria and Stag, and then feeling our way
down a ravine amidst poised and penden
masses that seemed to say, ''Touch us no
lest we bury you from the light of day"
cat ten o'clock we were fairly at the foo
OF the mountain proper, and began a more
regular and rapid ascent, though we hae
been gradually rising for an hour or two be
fore. The new streams of lava spread t.
the breadth of several miles over the side O
the mountain, for the most part were nearly
cooled; in many places, however, they were
burning hot, and emitting smoke, steam, ant
pungent gases.
cat noon we lost sight Of our native at
tcndants, who were unable to keep up will
us in our rapid and forced march, and W,
saw them no more during the day. w,
were now on the new eruption, and our as
cent became more and more steep; Will,
the rarity Of the atmosphere affected on
respiration, so that it was difficult to proceed
many rods without stopping to pant and re
cover breath. The lava on which we were
treading gave indubitable evidence Of pow
erful igneous action below, as it was hot AM
full of seams, from which smoke and ga,
were escaping. But we soon had %occula'
demonstration of what was the state beneath
us; for in passing along we came to al
opening in the superintendent stratum
of twenty yards long and ten wide, through
which we looked, and at the depth of ffty
feet, we saw a vast tunnel or subterraneal
canal, lined with smooth vitrified matter, an
forming the channel of a river of fire, which
swept down the steep side Of the mountain
with amazing velocity. The sight of thi
covered aqueduct-or, if ] may be above,
to coin a word, this pyroduct-flled will
mineral fusion, and flowing under our fee
at the rate of twenty miles an hour, wa
truly startling. One glance at the fearful
spectacle was worth a journey Of IA thousan'
miles. We gazed upon the scene with
! kind Of ecstacy, knowing that we had beel