The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1864-12-28
'McGREGOR, IOWA, WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28 1864

lOO4.
A visit to the Great Volcano OF Kilaues
Among all the objects Of natural scener
in the world the one pre-. eminent for its tel
/ rible grauduer is the great crater Of Kilaue,
Although this lake Of molten lava, with ii
clouds Of sulphur and bllows Of hre, ha
been repeatedly described, its constau
charges make it an object of ever renewe
interest. 1t was recently visited by Waite
n. Laman, an old Californian, who gives
stirring description Of its present appea,
ance in the San Francisco Bulletin, OcI
18th, Of which the following are extracts
THE CRATER.
The crater is of gigantic dimensions. I
is OF an oval form, upwards Of three mile
in length, by two and half in breadth
with perpendicular walls of from 600 t
900 feet in depth, paved with blacl
flooring Of lava. In its centre is the livin
lake Of FIRE the surface Of which canno
at present be seen from the outer ruin O
the crater, and which in the day time, from
that position, shows only slumbering pi
surrounded by jagged walls Of dessola
ton, from which the smoke slowly ant
continually ascends and rolls off, general,
to the northwest. To the right hand ar,
the sulphur beds, native deposits contain
ing thousands Of tons of sulphur. Ir
front and on each hand are innumerabl,
riffs and chasms in the earth known a.
steam holes,' from which vaper continually
AZ nd in h;ok> hn hon % oc
degrees, from moderately warm to scalding
The pheDomsna exhibited by the action o.
this escaping steam on the atmospheric all
ON moonlight nights-is said to be won
derful aud grand. A jagged pathway, q
short distance from the house, leads down
into what may be termed the first bench o.
the crater, where stunted trees and ferns
contend for foothold on the very borders
of eternal fire and ruin. Here also the
ohelo, ajuicy berry, hangs abundant On
the bushes, and the strawberries ripen in
the sun.
DOWN IN THE ABYSS.
The weather on this and the succeeding
night was inauspicious for visit to the era.
ter; and not until the 9th was our party
favored with nieht.visit to the burning
lake. At 81 p. IN, our preparations being
completed, We started, intending to remain,
1t circumstances favored US, until the fol-
lowing morning. The weather was dubious,
for thick mist commenced falling as we
began the descent. Following our guides,
we scrambled down at the first bench, and
moved along over the trodden path, care.
fully avoiding the gaps and steam cracks
In looking from the upper bank one does
not realize the depth and dimensions of this
bowl in the earth, but the descent
and consequent fatigue remind him Of It.
A walk of some halt or three quarters Of a
mile, sometimes ascending and sometimes
brings you to the lava ti,or OF
the crater An impressive sight, as if mol
ton iron had rolled up in huge billows, and
cooled upon the gravelly shore, from which
you step upon their adamantine surface
What from the upper bank appears a COM
parative level, proves to be rough and
jagged and rifted into thousand fantastic
and tortuous forms, changing with every
step. Deep chasms occur fire.
quently, caused by the cracking Of the
lava, of from six inches to four feet in
breadth, varying in depth to forty feet or
more. Across this rugged and awful pave.
ment you advance towards the Stygian lake
in th= centre, passing cones and pinnacles
OF lava rock, sometimes thrown up in
ridges like mountain chain, at other timrs
in isolated singlencss. Several Of these
are miniature craters Of themselves, 80 to
80 feet high, expelling fame and sulphur
Gus vapors with the noise Of an iron fur
mace. One remarkable manifestation Of
this kind bears strong resemblance to a
chapel in ruins. with its towers and pima
cles and battlemented walls still standing
and looking as if scared and blasted w fire.
To this has appropriately been given the
name of 'Pcle's Church. By direction, our
guides diverged from the direct path, de.
fecting TO the left hand, in order to show
us the caves as they are called. These
are Immense chasms in the lava hoor down
which We clambered from 80 to SO feet, and
thence under the overhanging roof Of bro
ken lava for distance Of l5O or 200 feet
further to the great peril of life and limb.
We were preceded by our guides with Ian
terms. Spiracles Of lava incrusted with a
species Of gypsum, are here obtained, and
stalagmites Of most curious and beautiful
sometim0 reward the patience
and danger Of the explorer. But the caves
themselves are very pits Of Erebus, from
which. after an hour or more expended in
their dark mysteries, we were
glad to emerge once again to tho light.
THE BURNING LAKE.
Resuming our path toward the Burning
Lake, as the day declined, with careful step
we Chamber down the inequalities and
mount the congealed waves Of lava for about
. mile and quarter; but long before we
come to the brim Of the abyss We are made
aware Of its activity Ly the noise of the
terrible cauldron. 1t is quite impossible to
convey an adequate description Of this ter.
rible scene. The reader is apt to think the
relater carried away by the enthusiasm Of
his feelings. and fears he may be listening
to the language Of hyperbole and exaggera
ten; but no language can truly describe
what is absolutely indescribabie. For the
last half century travellers have at various
times visited the crater of Kilahea, and
ha, dly any two visitors have agreed in their
description. This is not strange, either,
for this ever-burning and unqaenchable
lake-this awful valve for the pent up
flames OF earth's centre, is ever changing
its aspect, ever grand, mysterious, ter
rible
The surface Of the lake, on the occasion
Of our visit, appeared to be abou, 40 feet
below the rim upon which We stood, Of
which rim or bank is composed of different
strata of calcare0us and other earths Of ex.
ceedingly irregular formation. A depress
ion in the shores Of this pit appeared on
our right hand, as we stood facing the north.
west. from the riffs and the chasms of
which sulphurous vapors arise, and were
swept of to the north, along with the
clouds of smoke from the burning lake.
On the left hand, the bank rose to cliff
some 80 feet higher than the level or the