The daily press. (Cincinnati [Ohio) 1859-1859, 1859-04-12
THE PRESS.
TUESDAY Y"""...".,.,. "......"...."""APRIL 12
The Great Eruption of Mauna I.oa.

1
on the Island of Hawaii. The present eruption
exceeds in grandeur and extent that of 1858,
and we are sure our readers will be interested
in a brief account of it. There are three great
mountains on the island, Hualalai, Mauna Kea
and Mauna Loa. Between these there is an
extended table-land, four thousand feet above
sea level, covered with small shrubs and grass.
Now for the eruption. A resident of Waimea,
a small village near the base Of the mountain, |
thus describes the first outbreak
On Sabbath, January %, volcanic smoke was |
seen gathering on Mauna L0a. In the even |
ing the mountain presented grand yet fearful |
spectacle. Two streams of fire were issuing |
from two different sources, and flowing, appa-
rently, in two different directions. The whole |
region, earth and heaven, were lighted up, and
even the interior of our houses received tho
lurid volcanic light direct from its source. In
the morning of the second day, we could dis
cern whore the eruptions were. One appeared
| to be very near the top of the mountain, but
| its steam and smoke soon after disappeared.
| The other was on the north side, further below
the top, and was sending out its fires in north
westerly direction. On the second and third
nights the dense smoke and clouds prevented
us from having fair view of Pele's doings;
| but on the four following nights we had a
view-and such scene! 1t seemed as though
the eye could never weary in gazing at it.. The
| burning crater seemed to be constantly enarg-
ing and throwing up its volumes of liquid fire
above the MOUTH will not venture to say
| how highland the fiery stream rolled onward
andonward adding grandeur and terror as it pro-
ceeded, till, on the morning Of the 3lst, about
sunrise, the stream was compelled, though
| reluctantly, to stop, by meeting the waters of
the ocean. Even then its resistless and oppos-
ing energy carried 1t on some distance in the
seq. The poor inhabitants Of Wainanalii, of
the village where the fire reached the ocean,
Alo Inso ~ 1,,l L.
ing and roaring of the approaching fire, and
had but just time to save themselves. Some
of the houses Of the inland portion of the viii
lage were partly surrounded before the inmates
were aware of their danger. Wainanalii is
near the northern boundary of North Kona,
and about twelve or fourteen miles from Ka-
waihae. 1t is, of course, all destroyed, and its
pleasant little harbor all filed up with lava.
The volcanic stream was one mile wide or more
in some places, and much less in others. 1t
crossed the Kona road, and interrupted the
mail communication. The whole distance of
the flow from the crater to the sea is some forty
miles. .t. .... .r-1 10.
The reporter of the Advertiser visited the
island on board schooner. Arriving at Kailua,
small seaport village, he took the old Aupuni
road the interior, over mountainous ridges and
thick forests, arriving at the camping ground
on the high table-land mentioned, after five
hours ride. He says:
On emerging from the woods, and entering
the plain, the first view of Mauna Kea is one
of striking beauty, which can not fail to arrest
the eye Of the traveller. At the moment it first
appeared to us, on emerging from the forest, il
| was perfectly cloudless, its bold outline tower
ing against the sky with its summit beautifully
,. capped with eternal snow. Mauna Loa, too
doomed up at the right in all its majesty, it
peculiar and smooth outline strongly contrast
: ing with the sierraed top of Mauna Kea
Would that we had an artist to do justice Il
some of our native scenery, than which NOR
] beautiful or grand is not found in any country
The eye delights to rest upon these nobl
: mountains, rising nearly $4,000 feet in high
Il above the sea, with their SUBMITS covered will
as vast fields of snow. To the eye, at the lonj
y, distance it lies from US, Mauna Loa's surfac
n looks as even as plank-road, and it seem
rs if it would be fine sport to take a sled an,
4 coast down its snowy sides. But close
al view reveals vast chasms and ridges.
The eruption is from new crater, on tht
lg northern slope of the mountain, 1000 feet lowe
J" than the crater Of 1855, and about twenty fou
IA miles from the harbor of Kailua. It's size an
n form are not yet ascertained. From the dis
ts tancc at which we observed it, says the re
i porter, about ten miles, and from various point
d; Of observation, it 'ppeared to be circular, il
." width being abe { equal to its breadth, an
perhaps three hundred feet across the mouth
or may prove to be five hundred, or even eigf
W hundred feet across it. The rim of the crate
is surrounded or made up of cones formed frol
n the stones and scoria thrown out, these cont
on constantly varying in extent, now growing
nc nc size, and again all tumbling down. The Law
ID. does not simply run out from the side of II
Or. crater like water from the side of bowl, bi
is thrown up in continuous columns, very muc
like the Geyser springs, as represented in scho'
biographies. AT times this spouting appeare
o. ~ to be feeble rising but little above the rim
by the crater but generally, as if eager to escaI
from the pent-up bowels of the earth, it rose
a hight nearly equal to the base of the crate
)r But the columns and masses of lava thrown ol
were ever varying in form and hight. Som
times, when very active, a spire or cone of lay
would shoot up like rocket, or in the form
a huge pyramid, to hight nearly double Il
ss base Of the crater. If the mouth of the crat
his is five hundred feet across, the perpendicul
ne, column must be eight hundred to one thousar
~ ~ feet in hight! Then, by Watching it with
red SPY glass, the columns could be to diver
Gs and fall in all manner of shapes, like beau
orr full fountain. .r ...r
This part of the scene was one of true gran
:. soa eur--no words can convey full idea of it
"a a. our readers. The molten fiery -redness Of [
. lava, ever varying, ever changing its forl
from the simple gurgling of a spring to
hugest fountain conceivable, is a scene tn
S. when viewed Will be painted, In all its splend
i be and magniRcence, on the memory of the O
nal server till death. Large powders of red-h
fh Iity lava-stone, weighing hundreds, if not tho
lub sands, of tuns, thrown up with inconceiyal
PS; Pa power high above the liquid mass, could
occasionally seen falling outside or on the r
set. of the crater, tumbling down the cones a
10 20 rolling over the precipice, remaining brillis
IT, for a few moments, then becoming cold a
in black, were lost among the mass Of surroundi
for lava. So awfully grand, so beautiful was d
SnD HlS, ever varying scene, that the observer "
late sees it from good position, can not h
Ired watching it with intense delight and
ti,ns ism, creasing excitement for hours togeth
ded, the only drawback being the severe c.
teSr of the night, against which travellers should
ilis- provided. A dense heavy column of smoke c.
ma. tinually rose out from the crater, but always
@ ver the north side, and took nOrtb-eGsterly dir
lses, tion, rising in continuous column far abb
SN Gsis' the mountain, to hight of perhaps ten tn
ales, sand feet above the crater. This smoke hov
the over that island, and indeed all the islands,
es must at times when the tradewnd luls, obstr
ard, the view. We watched closely to observe whe
w or any steam could be seen issuing, cit
. from the crater, or from any Of the streams