The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-15
a VISIT 10 THE GREAT VOLCANO or
KILAgEA.

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KILACEA.
Among all the objects of natural scenery in the
world, the one e.emineutfor its terrible grandeur
is the great crater Of Kiauel. Although this
lake Of molten lava, with It's clouds Of sulphur
and billows OF ire has been repeatedly described,
Its constant changes make 20 an object Of ever
renewed interest. II was recently visited by
Walter NJ. Laman, an old Californian, who gives
stirring description of It's present appearance in
the San Francisco Bulletin OF October %, from
which We take the following eNTacts:-
THE CRATER.
"The crater is Of gigantic dimensions. Il of
an oval form, upwards Of three miles IN length,
by two and half in breadth, with perpendicular
walls or sides from 600 % 1000 feet in DEPTH
paved with a black flooring of lava. In its centre
is the living lake Of fre-the surface of which
cannot at present be seen from the outer rim Of
the crater, and which in the day time from that
position, shows only asIumberinR pit-surrOuuded
by Jagged walls Of deSOlation, from which the
smoke slowly aud continually asCeuds and rolls
off, generally to the northwest. To the right hand
are the sulphur beds, native deposits containing
thousands Of tons of sulphur. la front and on
each hand are inuumerabie riffs and chasms in
the earth, known as steam holes from which
vapOr continually arises, and In which the heat
Is of various degrees, from moderately warm to
scslding. The phenomena exhibited by the
action OF this escaping steam on the atmospheric
air--on moonlight nights-are said at times TO be
wonderful and grand A jagged pathway, short
distance from the house, leads down into what
may be termed the first bench Of the crater where
stunted trees and ferns contend for a fOothod on
the very borders OF eternal fire and ruin. Here
also the ohelo, juicy berry, hangs abundant on
the bushes, and the strawberries ripen in the
sun"
DOWN IN THB ABYSS.
'The weather on this and the succeeding night
was inauspcious for n visit to the crater; and
not until the 9th was cur party favored with
a night visit TO the burning lake. At 81 P. NJ.
our preparations being competed, we started,
intending to remain, il circumstances favored
US, until the following 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 immense bowl
In the earth, but the descent and consequent
fatigue remind him Of IL. walk OF some half
or three-quuters of mile, sometimes ascending
and sometimes descending, brings you 10 the lava
hOor OF the crater-an impressive sight, ii mol
ten 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 comparative level, proves
to be rough and Jagged, and rifted into thou
sand fantastic ana tOrtuous forms, changing with
every advancing 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 20 forty feet or more. Across this rug
ged and awful pavement you advance towards
the Stygan lake in the centre, passing cones and
pinnacles of lava rock, sometimes thrown up In
ridges like mountain chain, a. other times in
isolated singleness. Several of these are minia-
tuTe Craters OF themselves, thirty TO fifty feet
high, eXpelling flame and sulphurOus vapors with
the noise of an iron furnace. One remarkable
manifestation of this kind bears a strong resem-
blance TO chapel in ruins with It's towers, and
pinnacles, and battlemented walls still stand
ing and looking as il scared and blasted
by fire. To this has appropriately been given
the name Of Peles Church." By direction our
guides dyerged from the direct path, DETECTING
to the left hand in order 10 show us the caves
as they are called. These are immense chaSms
IN the lava floor, down which we cambered from
80 to so feet, and thence under the overhanging
roof OF broken lava, for distance OF 100 TO 200
feet further, TO the great peril OF life and limb
We were preceded by our guides with lanterns
Spiraces of lava, incrusted with species OF
gypsum, are here obtained, and stalagmtes of
most curious and beautiful formation sometimes
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
threading their dark mystereres, we were glad to
emerge once again to the light.
THE BURNING LAKE.
"Resuming our path towards the Burning Lake
Gs the day declined, with careful step we Chamber
down the inequalities and mount the CONCEALED
waves OF lava for about mile and quarter but
long before we come to the brim of the abyss we
made aware Of its activity by the noise Of the
terrible cauldrOn. Il is quite impossible to convey
adequate description Of this terrible scene. The
reader is apt to think the relator carried away by
the enthusiasm of his feelings, and fears he may
be listening 10 the language of hyperboe and OK
aggeraton bat no language can truly describe
what is absolutely indesoribable. For che last
half century travellers have, at various times
visited the crater Of Kilauea, and hardly any TWO
visitors have agreed in their description. This is
not strange either, for this ever-burning and un-
quenchable lake-this awful valve for the pent-
up flames of eaTths centre-is ever changing its
aspect, ever grand, mysterious, terrible
" The surface Of the lake, on the occasion of
our visit, appeared 10 Ire about 40 feet below the
rim upon which we stood, which rim or bank is
composed of different strata Of cslcareOus and
other earths Of exceedingly irregular formation.
A depression In the shores Of this pit appeared
on our right hand, as we stood facing the north
east, from the riffs and chasms of which sui
phuFOus vapors arose, and were swept off 10 the
north, along with the clouds of smoke from the
burning lake. On the left hand, the bank rose to
cliff some 30 feet higher than the level Of the
rim elsewhere part of this Cliff or precpiCe had,
some few weeks previous to our visit, broken off
and fallen into the pitt the rest threatens to fol-
low, wide chasm being visible between It
and the rest of the bank. The part remaining
assumes, from standpoint OF some 60 feet TO the
right hand, the severe outline Of human face,
gezing down into the boiling cauldron, whose
flaming surface casts through the gloom OF night
q spectral illumination over the hard features Of
this lava Sphinx. In the centre OF the lake arose
an island of hardened or cORgealed lava Of the
apparent area of 10 by 20 yards, and elevated
some Is or 40 feet above the surface The lava
food was, with slight Interruptions of q few
minutes, In continual action during the five hours
we remained. Around the whole rim of the lake,
where the ava impinged against the banks, circle
OF sheeted fame and molten fire glOWed with in
tense brlliRncy, and like belt Of boiling fire en-