The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1866-05-16
Terrible Sublime Spectacle.

2 a ~C0lumn Of Fire One Ihou&on3 Feet IN
: Height, aad a Rirer Of FlGme zhlrtyJ5se
Niles Long. s. .,
A Jet Of lava Of more stupcndous proper
tions than any ever conceived Of, is described
sby Mr.. Coan in the IIor oiulu Friend. ofFcb-
ruary, in-his account of the eruption Of Manua
Loa, on the Island of HaW ali:
The eruption commenced near the summit
ofthe mountain, and only FIVE or six miles
: southeast of the eruption m 1913. For two
days this summit crater sent down its burning
floods along the northeastern slope Of the
mountain then suddenly the vale closed, ana
the great furnace apparently ceased, blast.
After thirty-six hours the [usja was seen burst
ing out of the eastern side Of the mountain,
about midway from the top of the base.
It would seem that the Sumnat: lava had
founda subtervaaean tunnel, for half way
down the mountaip, when coming to weak
point, or meeting with some obstrNctlon, Ii
burst up vertically, sendinga column tlncan-
descent fl1sia ore thousand feet high into the
air. This fire jet was about one hundred
feet in diameter and it was sustained for
twenty days and nights varying in height
from one hundred to thousand feet. The
disagreement from the mountain side was or
ten with terrific explosions, which shook the
hills, and with dctonati0ns which were heard
for forty miles, This column of liquid fire
was an object of surprising bri!iancy, OF IN
tense and awful grandeur. AS the jet issued
from the awful oriice it vas at white heat.
As it aSSended higher it REDEEMED like fresh
blood, deepening It's color, until in its descent
much Of 1t assumed the color of clotted gore.
In few days it had raised a cone some
three hundred feet high around the burning
Orifce, and as the showers of 0fb0rning miner.
ais fell in livid torrents upon the cone, and
auiyering with restless action, and sending
out it become one vast heap Of glowing Goals,
flashing the heat of ten thousand furnaces in
full blast. The struggles in diSgorging the
fery masses, the upward rush of the column,
the force which raised it one thousand vcrtl-
cal feet, and the continuous falling back OF
thousands of tons of mineral fusia into the
throat Of the crater, and over a cone OF glow
ing minerals, one mile in circumference, was
3 sight to inspire awe and terror, attended
with explosive shocks which seemed to rcnd
the mural ribs Of the mountain, and sound to
waken the 6eadand Startlc the spirits inlladeS.
From this fountain river Of fire went rush
ing and leaping down the mountain with
amazing velocity, filing up basins and ravineS,
dashing over precplceS, and exploding rocks
until it reached the forest at the base Of the
mountain, where it burned its fiery way, con-
suuing the jungle, evaporating the water ot
the streams and pools, cutting down the trees,
and sending up clouds OF smoke and steam,
and nsuEkY columns and fleeCJ wroaths tc
heaven.
All Eastern Hawaii was sheen Of light
and our night was turned into day. So great
was,the illumination at night, that one could
read d'without lamp, and labor, travelling and
recreation might go on as in the day time
Mariners at sea saw the light at two hundred
miles distance. It was pyC0tccAHc&! dig