The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1859-02-03
New Eruption on Hawaii.
MAGNIFICENT VOLCANIC DISPLAY

New Eruption on Hawaii.
MAGNIFICENT VOLCANIC DISPLAY!
Just as our paper was going to press last week.
we announced that a new eruption had taken
| place on Mauna Loa ON Hawaii. By several ar
rivals since. we have received further advices,
| and all accounts represent it to be the most mag
ni6cent eruption that has occurred on that island
for many years, lighting up the whole heavens
at night for a hundred miles around and making
the night like day. There can be no sight more
splendid than that of witnessing at night, ut
distance of thirty to fifty miles, the red molten
lava from an elevation of O,OOO feet, bursting
out from the side of the mountain and flowing
down like a river at the rate OF ten to fifteen
miles an hour. Yet such is the sight which the
inhabitants of that island have been favored with.
We have received several brief letters from
Hawaii, announcing the eruption as having taken
place at A p. NJ. on the Odd JAM, but no one at
the latest dates had yet been able to visit the
locality or determine the course OF the stream.
The outbreak appears to have been near that OF
1855. which was located near the summit and on
the north side of Mauna Loa. Passengers by the
schooners say that three or four distinct eruptions
could be seen on the northeast side OF the noun
tain. and from them several streams flow to the
] valley living between the three large mountains
which constitute the center of that island. Those
acquainted with the locality think that, II the
flow continues long enough, it must find its exit
to the sea through some part of the kona district.
But there is some uncertainty on this point.
We cannot learn that this eruption was accom-
panied by earthquakes or any premonitiono OF dis
turbance in the volcanic elements. 1t is now
evident, however, that the immense destruction
of fish, noticed in our last paper as having been
observed off Maui by Capt. Bows of the clipper
ship Henry Brigham, is attributable to this new
eruption, which probably broke out first in some
submerged portion of the island of Hawaii, thus
causing the death of millions of fish. We may
add here that these dead fishes were noticed off
Hawaii by passengers on the Manuoka'oni on
Thursday. the Goth.
The Rev. Able Pouzot writes, from Hilo, I'M
der date of the 25th January:
The lava has began to flow again towards Hilo,
from the place were it last flowed from. 1t was seen
for the first time ON the 23d, in the evening. Last
night it was beautiful, extending over n very large
tract"
Capt. Worth writes from the same place under
date of Goth
"DEAR SIR = VI no doubt will learn from other
sources that we are now witnessing one of the most
awfully sublime sights ever witnessed ON this island,
where volcanic eruptions are common sights. Night
before last, 1.-THE 3d. 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 of that, l can safely say, at no time was
there SO much fire as there is now to be seen. The
| direction of the stream rs vet we are unable to deter
mine, but it appears to be coming directly towards
u.s.
Mr.. VIM. F. Conway writes under date of the
25th January
sThe all engrossing topic here now is the lava
flow, which I must inform you is running from an
eruption on Mauna Loa, which took place on Sunday
last. The flow is evidently of an immense character,
and is running with fearful %rapidity, but in what
direction does not as yet appear to be correctly ascer-
tanned, though from all appearances l should imagine
it to be following the stream of 1855. The eruption
is in close proximity to the crater of 1893, and the
evening of its outbreak with such violence did the
lava flow that by midnight it had extended across
the plains almost to the base of Mauna kea- Mr..
Read informs me that he saw the light in the woods
last night. As l was up early this morning, however,
and had n view of the lava from the Waiolama before
the steam was disturbed by the mountain breeze, l
must beg to differ from him very materially. So far
back is the lava on the plains that defy any one
shape its course this way. Unless, however, some
inactivity occurs at the fountain head are long, we
shall soon be able to say in what direction 1t IS run
ing"
During the middle and latter part of last week,
the atmosphere about the islands was very smo-
ky. A singular phenomenon was noticed on
board of one Of the schooners running between
Lahaina and this port. Soon after dark, while
in the channel between Oahu and Molokai. a
storm-looking cloud rose up from the direction
of Hawaii, covering the heavens and indicating a
squall, but it passed over without any per-
ceptable wind and no rain, proving to be only a
heavy cloud of smoke from the volcano. Dur
ing the past few days the strong trade wind has
kept the atmosphere clear of smoke.
Friday and Saturday considerable anxiety was
manifested in Honolulu to visit the volcano, but
no vessel was dispatched till Tuesday last, when
the Kinooh sailed for Kailua with twenty-four
passengers, consisting of President Beckwith and
the tutors and scholars of Punahou College. On
Wednesday the Ka Moi sailed for the same port
with a few passengers, expecting to find some
eight or ten more at Lahaina ready to embark
The LihoKho ard Kalama will both leave for Ha-
waii about Saturday.
By advices from Lahaina we hear that on Sun.
day night the reflection of the light over Hawaii
was brighter than on any previous one, indicatr
ing that the eruption was on the increase. The
reflection on the water was like that of a full
moon. There appears to be no doubt now that
the flow is towards the western or Kona side Of
the island, and that the eruption is far greater
than ever before witnessed in the memory Of
those now living. We hope to receive further
advices by the Hilo and Kona packets now due.
NOTES OF THE WEEK.