The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1859-04-09
Great Eruption on Mauna Lon.

The volcano on the island Of Haeaii Zone
Of the Sandwich lslandsj has just eKpsuen-
red one Of its grandest sruptiona. II com
meneed on 23d Of January, without any Of 1
the usual premonitoy symptoms Of earth
qunkes and subteuanean noitts, pouring O.
rapid stream Of lava from an opeHug about
10000 feet above the level Of the sea The
stream Of burning lava reached the sea In
the space Of five days, flowing forty miles,
filling up an immense valley 10 the noun
tains and sending of many side streams, II
Is supposed that the lava has covered about
thousand square miles Of the surface Of the
island, A. Lahaina, distaEos,of over one
hundred miles from the crater, on Saturday
night, the 2aih January the volcano was dis
timely visible Illuminating one-third Of the
heavens like that u an immense aud
neighbodng eonaagralon aud from oloya'
ted positions, il IL asserted that the shoots Of
liquid fame could be seen az intervals a. the
immense Enuldron boiled and bubbrd The
sea was lighted up with the reflection Of the
fame everywhere within one hundred mile,
Of the crater, and the eoasling yesses enjoy
ed the advantage without the presence Of a
foil moon, Lots Of dead fish we're observed
floating about IN the neighborhood Of tho
islands, both before aud since the commence
ment Of the eruption, and the inference H.
that they we're killed 10y the submarine fires
or heat connected with tho volcano,
A party who visited the mountsiu describe
the scene "a inezpressbly grand, but LAM
guago cannot be found 10 convey Oh adequate
conception Of its imprssi,uuess, The erup-
lion il on the west side OF Mnuna Loa, a new
crater. estimated NJ fye TO eight hundred feet
across, having form ed there from which the
liquid mass was momeutarily elected Ia in
mense jets Of thousand to luevn hundred
feet nigh, aud falling over the s.dcs, poured
down towards the sea, Before entering the
ssa Il destroyed q native village aud ine
grove Of eoeoanut trees, aud pouring into the
bay, completely filled UP the hItle harbor Of
Wainoualai. The inhabitants Of the hamlet /
were aroused at midnight, and had hardly
time TO escape, leaving their property to des- I,
truetion. One young explorer OF the noun F..
tain met with a sad fate, falling down a jog .
ged ehasm thirty feet in depth and fatal, IN |
juhng his spine. IA witness Of the sub
lime spectacle writes TO the New York Trib.
= unei
THE front Of the loor is about 5000 feet
IN width, and slowly, irre,istibly pushes for
ward is high, red wall OF Ere, rising over
hills and falling over preeipiees With calm,
irresistible power, which humbleS and BELT .
ties all human efforts. Above the crater rose
continually dense column Of smoke to the
hight OF, perhaps, 10000 feet. There was |
not however, With this as with the eruptions .
Of A.tna and Ncsuyius, n discharge OF Sin,
5crs, not |pcrccptbly even Of steam. The
discharged was eonGncd 20 the dense, pure
and perfectly fused, heavy lava, and to heavy .
houlders projected far above the fountain,
aud falling, sometimes back again into the /
eildron, aud sometimeswilhout the rim, down
which they rolled, er a time glowing and ,i,.
ible, soon turning black, aAd lost TO our sight .
More like an lcelundtc geyser, as represent.
ed IN our biographies than anything else was
this election at the source-uo rising, now .
fdllng, in columns, uniting, dividing, and jet. .
ting in spires, pyramids, cones and columns. \
Next the crater the now il not visible from
below, being in valley, after which il d- /
Nides itself into numerous streams, occupy
Ing five or six miles In breadth, and the de-
-Lcrni hang prccipitousi the flow IN rapid /
but It soon reaches surfucc OF light descent,
and here the flow is slow ard the streams
mainly concentrated into one. Occasionally
q cascade was to be observed. Conceive u
Trenton falls metamorphoscd into fall
not Of sparkling, foaming, white water, but
of 0uid iron going over with sulcn pitch
bearing along cakes Of black, eongcalcd lava
as of ice. Set this scene against the great
side Of the mountain, in the night, only ligh..
ed BY its own fires, wrenthcd by its own
smoke. and you have what we saw that night .
from our mountain camp. No, lar below the
crater. one of the new side streams had been
damned up until lake had accumulated he
hind the obstruction, and the Weight broke
it down, and the released mass rushed down
with tremendous noise and fury through the
thick jungle, cutting down the trees, rolling
of hugh houldcrs from its front of twenty
five feet high, resembling a pile Of burning
GOALS"