Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1859-04-06


. few weeks
Your old and sincsre friend,
-.
SANDWICH ISLANDS.
GREAT VOLCANIC ERUPTION.
We have dates from Hondula to the |
18th Of February. The main items
of news is that the volcano of Mauma
Loa, on the island of Hawaii, the lafg-
est Of the Sandwich group, has
broken out in an eruption Of unparal-
leled grandeur. On the mountain
side, 10000 feet above the level Of
the sea, and 1000 below the snow
covered summit, the lava bursts out,
squirting up like fountain in jets
sometimes 500 feet high, never less
than 25O-and then runs in stream
of liquid fire, half mile wide, 80 miles
to the sea, sweeping everything before
it.
All accounts represent it as the most
magnificent that has occurred in our
islands within our present memory
The heavens are fully Illuminated for
miles around, and the sea is lit up with
long slanting beams. The smoke has
been sensibly preceptible here, at .
distance oftwo hundred miles to wind
ward, and the light discerncd. Out at
Maui, distant half way to Hawaii, the
illumination was splendid. As spec
tator informed me, it was like the blaze
of a thached house within stones
throw.
The Mauna Loa, on the Hawlan,
the most modern island Of the group
is the latest formed of Hawaii's noun
talns, and is yet incomplete. Viewing
it from Hi!o, it presents the outline Of
bow slightly bent, and at that dis
lance, go regular an arc does its really
rugged outline appear that an artist
who should truly represent it would be
thought not to have copied nature. 1t
appears to be long, hence its name
Loa. But viewing it from Walmea,
on the right from Kau, on the left Of
H,lo, our mountain presents nowhere
its end, and then you conceive that it
is an immense dome. That seemingly
low arch is the highest of Pacific
Ocean Mountains. But it is yet in its
giant youth. Every new eruption &C.
cumulates new masses upon it's broad
crown, So that the process Of erup-
ton Is not depicting one by which
the mountain throws out it's own bow
els bnt one Of building up, from depths
80 deep and reservoirs 10 vast, that this
vast base OF a mountain is but nipple
on the outlet Of it's discharging vent.
A gentleman who visited the volca-
no on the 18th of Feb. writes as fol-
lows:
Our path was rocky and steep, and
we had time to see all these things.
So ascending with varying scene
and climate we reached camping
ground at distace Of perhaps six
teen miles from the beach, ten miles
short of the orifice of the volcano
and some thirty miles from where it
discharges into the sea, and near to
the flowing lava. Night was the time
for observation. The before black
and smoking masses then shone out in
hundreds of fiery Examinations, and
the fountain head disclosed itself by y
jet de Eau varying from 200 to 500
feet, in height, and in diamer of base
800 feet, as we conjectured from an
examination at the distance, through
our glasses.
The front Of the flow is about 5000
feet in width, and slowly, and irresist-
ably pushes forward its high, red wall
of fire, rising over hills and falling over
precipices with q calm, irresistible
power, which humbles and bellies all
human efforts. Above the crater rose
continually dense column of smoke
to the height Of perhaps 10000 feet.
There was not, however, with this as
with eRuptions of Ktna and Vesuvius,
discharge Of cinders, nor perceptibly
even of steam. The discharge was
confined to the dense, pure and per-
fectly fused heavy lava, and to heavy
boulders projected far above the foun-
tain, and falling sometimes back again
into the caldron. aud sometimes with
out the rim, down which they rolled,
for time glowing and visible, soon
turning black and lost to sight More
like an Icelandic Geycer, as represent
ed in our Biographies than anything
else, wss this election 1t the source.
now rising, now falling, in columns,
uniting, dividing, and letting in spires,
pyramids, cones and columns. Next
the crater the flow il not visible from
below, being in valley, after which it
divides itself into numerous streams
occupying Ave or six miles In breadth,
and the descent being precipitoas, the
aow i rapid ; but it soon reaches .
surface Of light descent, and here the
dow i slow and the streams manly
concentrated into one. Occasionally
. eaacade IVES to be observed. Con-
ceive Trenton Falls metamorphosed
into . fall not Of sp1rklns, foaming,
white water, bot Of fluid iron, going
over with ; sullen pitch, bearing aloae
cakss Of blask, soaeaalsd lava = q
lieA - TIN l4one a1n1net ~ Kreag
- - .pseetaiA 4 - slgAA.