The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1859-05-26
The Great Eruption Of Manua Loa.

From the February fle Of the Pacific
Commercial, published At Honolulu, H.
/. BY an eye witness
| The actual sire and form Of the era.
ter can only be obtained by visiting ita
immediate vicinity, which We were
not prepared to do. From the distance
u which We observed it, sbout ten miles
and from various points Of observation
it appeared to be circular, its width be-
ing about equal to its breadth, and per-
haps 500 feet across the mouth. This
may b. too moderate an estimate, and i
may prove to be 500 or even 8UO feet
across it. The rim Of the crater is sur
rounded Or made up Of cones formed
scoria thrown out, theses cones constant
y varying in extent, now growing in
size and again all tumbling down. The
Java does not simply run out from the
side of the crater like water from the
side Of bowl, but is thrown up in con-
tinuous columns, very much like tho
Geyser PRINCESS represented in school
biographies. At times this spouting ap-
peared to be feeble, rising but little
above the rim Of the crater, but gen.
raIlyas if eager to escape from the pent-
up bowels Of the earth, it rose to a
height nearly equal to the base Of the
crater. But the columns aud nesses Of
lava thrown out we're ever varying in
form and height. Sometimes, when
very active, spire or cone Of lava would
shoot like rocket or in the form Of as
huge pyramid to q height nearly double
the base of the crater. If the mouth OF
the crater is fve hundred feet across,
the perpendicular column is eight hun
dred to one thousand feet in height
Then, by watching it with spyglass,
the columns could De seen to divcrge
and fall in al manner Of shapes, like a
beautiful fountain.
This part Of the scene was one Of true
granduer--no words can convey full
idea Of it to our readers. The molten
fiery iedncss Of the lava, ever varying
ever changing its form, tho simple
gurgling Of spring to the hugest foun
tain conceivable, is a scene that to be
viewed will be painted, in all its splen
dor aud magni6cence on the memory
of the observer till death. Large boul.
ders Of red hot lara stone, weighing
hundreds, If not thousands, Of tons
thrown up with inconceivable power
high above the the liquid mass, could
be seen occasionally falling outside OF
on the rim Of the crater, tumbling down
tho cones and rolling over the precipice,
remaining brilliant for few moments
then becoming cold and black. were
lost among the mass Of surrounding
lava. So awfully grand, SO beautiful
was this ever varying scene, that the
observer who sees it from good position
cannot help watching it with intense
delight and increasing excitement
for hours together; the only drawback
being the severe cold which is found in
the night, against which the travellers
should be provided.
A densely heavy column Of smoke
continually rose cut from the crater
but always on the north side and took .
northeasterly direction, rising in one
continuous column far above the noun
tains. to the height Of perhaps 10000
feet from the crater. This smoke hovers
over that island, and indeed all the
islands, and must at times, when all the
trade wind lulls, obstruct the view. Du
ring our stay, however, it passed Of
from the mountain leaving the lower at
mostphere quite cloar. We watched
closely TO observe whether any steam
could be seea issuing either from the
crater Or from any Of the streams Of Laws
but could not sec anything that could
be called steam or vapor, unless occas
sionaliy very small indications along
some Of the lava streams. None rose
from the crater itself-only : dense
heavy smoke, which came up out Of the
mouth itself. Considerable vapor rose
along the stream as the molten Laws
came in contact with trees and vegata