The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-15

circled the island in the centre while every few
minutes, in one or other part Of the surface, tho
lsNs candron would commence to 'heaye In fiery
thfoes, momentsrlly aCcelurGuug in force, pro-
pclling the jets Of crimson metal up 10, I5 20 and
80 ieet-iudeed oftentmcs As high as the bank
upon which We stood. These fiery lets would run
one into another, until frequently as many AS six
or eight we're In furious action together, when
their knitted power would suddenly open a hlaz-
ing seam across the backeniug surface of the
lake, which had rapidly cooled since the couvul.
sion of two or three minutes previous, and then
She liquid fluid released from the hardening crust
which kept IL down, would rlll in Hsmirg cmbsrs
across the whole surface aud then ussh upon the
SVgiau shore"
FACTs CoNcERNtNG THE VOLCANO.
"Tho crater Of Ki.auea is situated on the eastern
flank q ManuH lOl, at an altitude Of about 5000
feet, ard is approached by not very difficult
rice from HiIo of 30 miles. A shorter ride OF 10
MIKES from the little bay of Aqua on tue south
eastern coast Of the island, would be attended
with less fatigue than the journey via HllD, b1t
vessels rarely touch at thatpYint. Passengers by
steamer from Honolulu sometimes land a. Ksw-
aihne, on the western coast, and ride across the
T. nd 20 Hilo; but 10 is q rough journey Of 80 or
100 miles. For many reasons the trip by the
way Of llilO is preferable.
"Ihc volcano has been in positive activity since
II fest became known to civilized man, and in all
probability for ages previously; but its activity
varies greatly Ht different times. Several tremeu-
Gous Uuptions have uCcUrrCd within t1c rcm,m-
years, rhe volcano was in q state Of unusual
energy. In the latter part Of January 1859. a
grD at cIupIion took place On M1una Loa, when a
new crater was formed AT much higher utitu ie
than that of hilauca. The lava torrent took
then northcrly direction, and rolling ever tho
plateau OF another mountain plunged into the
sea, destroying a small fishing village in It's
course. Observers of this phenomenon, who
hastened TO Hawaii, were repaid by q spectacle
Of unparalleled grandeur. The fire rose 2jJ feet
above the crater in cone of flame, and the
purgng lava curved along the mountain sides
like fiery serpent leaping in a sold flame from
preCipiye to prcCipiCe.
"When Mr.. Ellis visited Kilauea, in 1922, he
and his associates saw 81 conica crater Islands
Of various sizes, rising round the edge, or from
the surface of the burning lake. Half of these
emitted smoke or flame, or vomited streams OF
lava. Tradition, and the observations Of the resi-.
dents of the Islands, all go TO prove that the vol
Cano is in constant transition state, sometimes
more active, sometimes less, though for the past
few years its general activity has undoubtedly
outburs's.l E,t'mates of It's present sup,riciCs
vary. We thought it could not be less than
ZOO feet in diameter.
The dark mythology of the Hlwaiians has
invested this appropriate arena with additional
horror. II is the dwelling-pace of their awful
goddess, Pee, the prime divinity of their pan
theon. Here, in company with her subOrdinata
demons, she bathed and disported in its sulphur
waves. Christian courage, here, too, sub1uci
supernatural terror, when. in 1925, the convert "A
chieftsiness kapiOlania, braved the anger Of the
goddess and the attendant terrOrs of the pIh,
by descending alone into the crater, and casting
with her own hands into the seething gulf the
sacred berries as an open and aYowed act of
desecration."