The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1859-05-26

the camps 1t was 80 extensive that tea
kettle could be boiled over it. But
this steam was undoubtedly caused
by the heat Of the lava stream, which
was about mile distant, coming in con.
tact with some pools Of water ia caves or
pits.
On leaving the crater, the lava streaa3
does not sppear for some distance, sSyi
an eighth Of mile, as il has cut its way
through deep rayine Or gulch, which
hides it from the eye. How deep this
gulch may be is ALA conjecture, as it is
impossible to get near enough to look
into it. The first then that We see Of
the lava after being thrown up in the
crater is its branching out into various
streams some distance below the foun-
tain head. Instead Of running in one
large stream, it parts and divides into
great number, spreading out over tract
Of five or six miles in width. For the
first six miles from the crater, the des-
cent is very rapid, and the flow Of the
lava varies from four to ten miles an
hour, according to the descent. But
after it reaches the plain, where it is lev
cl, the stream moves slower. Here the
streams are not SO numerous as higher
up, there being principal one which
varies and is very irregular, from an
eighth to half mile in width, though
there are frequent branches running off
from it. This principal stream reached
the sea near Wainaiia. or about fifteen
miles from Kawaiem, on the 3lst, after
a aow Of eight days from the time that
the eruption commenced on the 23d Of
January. This stream, on reaching the
sea, spread out to about half q mile in
width. The sight Of it as it poured in.
to the sea, forming clouds Of steam sew.
eral hundred feet high, is represented
by those who saw it, as very beautiful.
Some Of the finest scenes Of the flow
were the cascades or falls formed in it
before the stream reached the plain.
There were several Of them, and they
appeared to be changing ard new ones
formed in different localities as new
streams were made. One, however,
which appeared without change for two
days, must have been 80 to 100 feet in
height. First there was q fall, then
below were cascades or rapids. To
watch tais fall during the night when the
bright redhot stream Of lava was flow
ing over it at the rate Of ten miles an
hour, like water, was scene not often
to be met, and never to be forgotten.
In fact, the lava near its source had all
the characteristics ofa river Of water
flowing rapidly along, and gureling with
cascades, rapids, currents and falls.
On reaching the plain, where it is
more level the lava streams Of course
moves along more slowly and in one
general stream less divided than atove.
Tho stream which had run into the sea,
had apparently ceased flowing and was
cooled over, SO that We crossed and re-
crossed it in many places, and through
the 6s sures Ne could see the molten lava
with its red hot glow and intense heat
issuing out from them. In many places
the surface was so hot that the soles Of
our shoes would have been burned had
We not kept in rapid motion.
The length Of the lava stream from
the crater to where it enters the sea at
Waiuanalii, we estimated to be thirty
eight miles. For the first ten miles
from the crater, the fow is divided into
many streams-perhaps as many as fifty
but lower down, it is confined to one
or two principal streams with frequent
branches to heright and left.
On the afternoon Of our arrival at the
camping ground, . new stream started
some few miles below the crater, which
bad evidently been damned up BY some
obstruction, and came rushing down with
tremendous noise and fury through the
thick jungle which lay in its track burn
ing the cracking trees, and sending up
for = time thick smoke almost o dense
as that from the crater. The stream,
from the time it broke away from its en-