San Andreas independent., 1856-09-24
TEe Eruption ON Hawaii.

ton on Hawaii was written by Mr.. Coan,
who visited the crater ii October, 1855:
Taking the channel of a stream which
enters Hilo Bay as our path, we advanced
with much toll through the dense jungle
along its banks, and rested at night at the
roots of an ancient tree-haying made
about twelve miles. The next day we
made about twelve miles more, for the
most part in the rocky bed of tie stream.
the water being low Volcanic smoke
filed the forest, and charrel.. leaves came
1Ioalang CD Us preeze, and falling into the
y ild channel pewere threading. Atnight,
when the shades gathered over these deep
so.itudes, unbaolen save BY the believing
of the mournain bull, the barking of the
wild dog, tie grunt of the forest boar, the
wing and Che note of the restless bird, the
chirping Of the insect, the falling of a
time-worn tree, the gurgling of the rll,
and the wild roar of the cataract, we made
our little bed of ferns under the trunk Of
PROSTATE tree, and here, for the first
time, we found that the molten stream had
passed US in the jungle on our left, and
was now many miles below us on its way
to Hilo. But we would not retreat, and
as the jungle was nearly impenetrable in
the direction of the stream, we pursued
our upward way in the bed of the river
till l. P. NJ. on the third day, when we
found ourselves out Of the forest, on the
high plateau at the base OF the mountain.
| cannot stop to describe the beautiful, the
romantic, the wild, the wonderful, in the
banks, the narrows, the widenings, the
rocks, the rapids, the cascades, the basins,
the caves and natural bridges Of this soli-
ltary stream. Nor can | speak Of the vel
bvet MOSES, the modest creepers, the rich
Ifestoons, the sweet wild flowers, the gi-
gantic ferns, the ancient forests, and all
the tropical glories which are mirrored in
It's limpid waters. We needed an artist
and naturalist to fix the glowing pano-
rama, to paint the fora and catch the
fauna Of these romantic solitudes.
I When we emerged from the upper
skirts of the woods, dense fog obstructed
our view Of ali distant objects, so that we
coald not see the summit fires nor trace the
moulten stream down the slope of the noun
tain. We encamped early in vast cave;
but during the night the stars came out,
and the volcanic fires played brilliantly
FROM their high source, down the noun
tain sides, over the scorifed plains, and
far down in the forest toward Hilo
! Early in the morning Friday, the 5th, }
we left our cavern, and at 7 J A. NJ. were
on that black and smouldering stream, for
which we had been searching for more
than three days Almost as far as the eye
could reach, these regions had been food
ed with seas Of fusion--noN, for sssBost
part, hardened, but smoking and eliag
with heat and escaping gases,
We passed several miles up II The left
verge of the stream, and finding a mar
row, well solidifed place, We crossed over
to the right verge-o.ir passage occupying
4 an hour and quarter. We now ascended
rapidly along the right bank of the stream,
sometimes upon it and again skirting it,
according to the facility Of travelling or the
directness Of It's course. The stream is
very tortuous, making ample detouls and
sudden zigzags, so that we saved much by
cutting of bends or following the bases of
the trianeles described in It's course.
All this day we came to no open fire.
The first oYeiaowings had stifened and
Isolidifed in contact with the atmosphere,
forming broad ebon pail.
Under this selsiaade counteTpane the
continuous stream has formed a vast duct;
and in this subterranean pyroduct it now
flows like oil, at the depth of from twenty
to one hundred feet, unexposed to the
stifening action Of the air.
At night we slept on the higher regions
of the mountains, beyond the line of veg
citation, with the Stag for our pillow, the
/ heavens for our canopy, the stars for our
watch-fres, md Israers Shepherd for our
guardian.
/ We were astir early on Saturday morn
ing, climbing over indescribable hills, cones,
ridges, and masses of hot and smoking de-
bris and scoria, scattered wild and wide
over those Plutonic regions We soon
came to line of jagged cones with open
orifces of from twenty to one hundred
feet in diameter, standing over the molten
river and furnishing vents for its steam
and gases
We approached the vents with awe, and,
looking down their fiery throats, we heard
the internal smgings and saw the mad
rushings of the great molten stream, fused
to white heat. The angle of descent
was from 81 to go, and we judged the
velocity to be forty miles an hour
The maddening stream seemed to be
hurrying on, as if on swift commission
from the Eternal to execute work of
wrath and desolation in the realms below.
Upward and onward we went-climbing
ridge after ridge, parched with thirst,
painting IN rare atmosphere blinded by