Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-04-07
Later from the Sandwich Islands
Great Volcanic Eruption-Total
Destruction of a Village.

Great Volcanic Eruption-Tota
Destruction of Village.
From The San Francisco Herald, March 4th. !
By the arrival of the bark Melita, las
evening, we have dates from Honolulu I
February l2th. A great volcanic eruption
had taken place on Manua Loa. Severa
vessels had left Honolulu to visit the spot
BY the arrival of the schooner Manuok
4 awai, from HiO, we are informed, says TIL
POiynssian, that on Sunday night, Januar,
23d, the scheoner being off East Mani, al
eruption from. the above volcano was dis
! tinctiy visible, lighting up the whole noun
tain and surrounding atmosphere.
Passengers by the schooner say tina
three or four distinct eruptions could b,
seen on the NORTHEAST side of the noun
tain, and from them several streams flow
to the valley lying between the three largt
mountains which con itute the center o
that island. Those acquainted with ths
locality, think that if the flow continue.
long enough, it must fnd its exit to the
sea through some part of.the Kona district
but there is some uncertainty on this point
| Capt. Worth writes from the same place
under dste of the Goth:
"You no doubt will learn from Other
sources that we are now witnessing one o
the most awfuliy sublime sights ever wi.
messed on this island. where volcanic erup.
tions are common sights. Night before
last, (the 2Sd) or rather that day, we per.
ceived that there had been an eruption in
the vicinity of the one which occurred three
years since. Having been a witness o.
that, can safely say, at no time was there
SO much fire as there is now to be SEEM
The direction of the stream as yet we are
unable to determine, but it appears to be
coming directly towards U.s." 81. o..
A persen who visited the scene of the
eruption communicates to TIE Commercial
Advertiser long account OF the state o.
the country and appearance of the crater
He says:
Son the afternoon of our arrival at the
camping ground, d new stream starting
some few miles below the crater, which had
evidently been damned up by some obstruc
ton, came rushing d1wn with tremendous
noise and fury through the thick Jungle
which lay in its track, burning the cracking
trees, and sending up FOR time thick
smoke almost as dense rs that from the
crater. This stream, from the time il
broke away from It's embankment, moved
along two miles an hour till it reached the
vicinity of our camp, when its progress
was checked, and it moved not more than
A quarter of a miie an hour. But it formed
grand sight. Here was a stream of lava
running over the plain, twenty to twenty
five feet in height, and an eighth of mile
in width, though its width varied a great
deal 1t was mass or pile OF red-hot
stones. resembling pile of Goals on fire,
borEe along by the liquid lava stream un-
derneath. As it moved slowly along, large
red boulders would roll down the sides,
breaking into a thousand small stones,
crushing and burning the trees which lay
in the track. D..
1t Is impossible to give true conception
Of the immense force and power of his
lava stream, bearing along, as it does, an
almost inconceivable mass. 1t reminds US
most vividly o. the breaking up of the ice
in large river, only the Imagination must
stretch the comparison, and suppose the ice
piled up tair'y feet, and thus borne along
by the curreAt beneath, the whole width of
the river moving at the same time, Crushing,
and breaking, and piling up cones and il
roc .!a- A.
parison is far below the reality; to be con
ceived it must be seen.
\ correspondent, writing from Waimea
Ha".ii, February 4'h, says the burning
crater seems to be constantly enlarginr
and throwing up its volumes of liquid fire
above the mouth of the crater, will not
venture to say how high, and the fiery
stream rolled onward and onward, still add
ing grandeur and terror Us it proceeded, till,
about sunrise on the morning OF the 3lst.
the stream was compelled, though reluc-
family, to stop, by meeting the waters of
the ocean. Even then its rcsstless and
opposing encrgy carried it some distance
into the sea.
The poor inhabitants OF Wainanalii, the
npme OF the village where the fire reached
the ocean, were aroused at the midnight
hour by the Kissing and roaring of the ap-
proaching fire, and had but just time to save
themselves. Some of the houses of the III
land portion of the village were partly sur
r0u, ded before the inmates were aware of
the Ganger. Wa;nana.ii is near the North
ern boundary of North KoLa, AMI about
twelve or fourteen miles from Kawaihae.-
1t is, OF course, all Destroyed, and its pleas-
ant little harbor is filled up with lava. The
whole distance of the flow from the crater
TO the sea is some forty miles.
Last night February 3 the volcano was
in full blast, and The burning stream seems
to have taken another direction. Parties
have gone out to- day to see and explore
Perhaps, on ;heir return, | shall have some
thing 0ddtiona! to communicate.
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