The Trinity journal., 1856-06-28
The Lake of Fire.


The following description Of a lake of fire,
in the crater of volcano of the Sandwich
Islands will be read with interest:
"But the whole has not yet been seen
Not having been able to reach the lake from
below we resolved to approach and look
upon it from above. In the face of a cold,
driving rain storm, Mr. Hussey, (my very
agreeable travelling companion the guide
and myself set out on foot for walk of five
miles to distant point. The whole body
of the crater was full Of steam and smoke,
and doubts were expressed whether we could
get view of the bottom but on we went
trusting for better things, in which we were
not disappointed
Before reaching the bank while it was
hid from view, we could distinctly hear the
sound of its sparkling waves, so like, and
yet so unlike the breaking of the surf upon
the oceans shore There was the mingling
of the sound of rushing waters with its own
dead, heavy, Kissing tone. A moment more
and we stood upon the brow of the perpen-
dicular wall Of thousand feet, and directly
above the lake, and there we sat ourselves
silently upon the rocks to look down upon
it, 1t differed from all we had seen before.
The lurid light Of the previous night was
gone and beautiful pictures which helped
to make up that scene were absent but in
stead were others more appalling and full
Of terror Here in close proximity and
plain sight was q lake burning with fire,
may be unquenchable, and it only required
the walls of the tormented to complete the
dread description of hell.
The lake was some half a mile in diane
ter, and one-and-a-half in circumference,
nearly round its surface was raging with
great violence, and was, when unbroken
black and dark but when agitated violently,
as the center was continually, its color was
blood red Every few moments the lava
would be thrown up at least fifty feet in jets,
and then, as it, lashed into fury, great waves
would chase each other, boiling and foam
ing red with heat, if not inanger. Strange
sounds saluted the ear, as well as strange
sights to the eye. Occasionally loud reports
were heard then the peculiar sound of
escaping steam, as if a thousand boilers
were blowing off their pent up steam at once,
and the dead, heavy sound Of the disturbed
lava was continuous. Take it altogether it
was decidedly the most startling scene ]
had ever witnessed
Just beyond the burning lake was the
great cone, now black as night, from which
the intensely brilliant light had shone the
night before. Fit chimney, indeed, for the
fire beneath. Itsproportions were gigantic
its capacity immense, and it was belchine
forth at intervals vast volumes of smoke and
steam, made up grand but awful picture
impossible to describe but never to be fer
gotten.
On our return from the view of the lake
we passed the sulphur banks. They are To-
Gated about a quarter Of mile from the
upper bank Of the crater, on a slightly de-
pressed plain or valley. They are less than
half mile in length and are full of holes,
through which beautiful crystals of sulphur
are hanging. In securing some specimens |
burnt my fingers in the steam. The natives
call this bank of sulphur Pele's Dunghill.
All along the banks, and in some places
half mile distant from the crater, are holes
and assures in the rocks, from which steam
is constantly issuing burning hot. The
ground near the crater is strewn all over
with Pele'S hap-a fine thread of glass or
melted sand thrown up from the volcano
and blown into minute attenuated threads
by the wind. They are in color brown and
much resemble "auburn" hair and hence
the name. They cover the ground like cob
webs but are very brittle and it requires
care to gather them up.