The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1859-04-08
VOLUME X. NO. II.
Great Volcanic Eruption on the Sand.
wich Islands Destruction Of
a Village.

1IeR NOlCdulC LiuptlOh uh Nuo odHO'
wich 1slands-Total Destruction Of
Village.
By way Of the San Francisco Herold.
Honolulu dates to the l2lh Of February
are received. A terrific volcanic eruption
had taken place on Manua LOa. On
January G3rd the whole mountain and
surrounding atmosphere we're lighted up,
and on the Goth the sight is described as
one OF the most awluiy sublime scenes
ever Witnessed. A person who visited
the scene oi the eruption gives the Homo.
lula AdcerciSer long account Of the state
Of the country aud appearance of the
crater. We quote -
On the afternoon OF our arrival at the
camping ground, new stream starting
some few miles below the crater, which
had evidently been damned up by some
obstruction, came rushing down with
Tremendous noise and fury through the
thick jungle which lay in It's track, burn
any tile cracking trees, and sending up
for time a thick smok ke almost as dense
AS that from the crater. This stream,
from the time it broke away from its en-
bankment, moved along two miles an hour
till it reached the vicinity os our camp,
when its progress was checked, and it
moved rot more than quarter of mile
an hour. But it formed grand sight
Here WAS a stream of lava running over
the pain, twenty TO twenty five feet in
height, and an eight Of Il mile in width,
though lis width varied great deal. II
was n mass or pile Of red.hol stones, re
sembllng pile OF Goals on FIRE, bornt
along by the liquid lava stream under
meath. A, It moved slowly along. large
red boudcrs would roll down tie sides,
breaking into thousand small stones,
crushing and burning tie trees which las
in the track.
1t is impossible to give true ooncep
zion Of the immense force and power 0
this lava stream, bearing along, AS itdoes
nn almost incOnccivablc mass. 1t remind
US most vlvidty of the breaking up Of III,
ice in large river only the imagination
must stretch the comparison, and suppos
the ice piled up thirty lert, and thus born
along by the current beneath, he who'll
width of the river moving ut The SAM
time, crashing, and breaking, and piIjn.
up cones and irregular masses on top
But even this comparison is far below til,
reality to be conceived it must be seen.
A correspondent writing from Waimea
Hawaii, February An, says the burnin,
crater seems 10 be constantly cnlargin
and throwing up its volumes OF liquid hr
above The mouth OF the crater, | will nC
venture to say how high. and the fer
stream rolled onward and onward, st
adding grandeur and terror as it proceed
ed, ill, about sunrise on the morning q
the 2lst, the stream was compelled, the
reluctantly, to stop, by meeting the water
Oi the ocean. Even then its resisll.s
and opposing energy carried it some dI'
tance into tie SEA.
The poor inhabitants Of Wainanalii Il
name OF The village where the tile reacht
the ocean, were aroused at the midnlgl
hour by the Kissing and roaring of Il
approaching fire, and had but Just Tin
TO save themselves. Some Of the hous,
OF the inland porlioR Of the village wei
partly surrounded before the inmates wei
aware of The Danger. Wainanlil is ne'
tbe northern boundary ol North Kon,
and about twelve or fourteen miles irol
kawaihae. is, of course, all desirose
apd its pleasant little harbor is filled u
with lava. The whole distance Of Il
flow from the crater TO the sea is son
forty miles.
Last night February 81, the voca
was in full blast, and the burning strea
seems 10 have taken another direction.