The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1866-05-17
Terrible Sublime Spectacle.

Fire One Thousand Feet IN Neigit, and q
Rtver Of Flame Thirty Fiue Niles Long.
a Jet of lava of more stupendous pro-
portions than any ever conceived Of is
described by Mr. Coan in the HoroIu
Friend of February Loa on the Island of
Hawaii
| The eruption commenced near the sum
NIT of the mountain. and onl y FIVE or six
miles southeast Of the eruption in ISIS
For two days this summit crater sent doEu
its burning foods along the northeastern
slope of the mountain then suddenly the
vale closed, and the great furnace apparent
| ly ceased blast. After thirty>sil hours
fusia was seen bursting out Of the eastern
| side Of the mountain, about midway from
the top of the base.
/ 1t would seem that the summit lava iiad
found subterranean tunnel. for half way
down the mountain, when coming to weak
point. or meeting some obstruction, il burst
up vertically, sending column of mead =
descent Ilisla one thousand feet HIGH into
the air. This fire jet was about one hun
dred feet in diameter, and it was sustained
fer twenty days and nights Varying IN
hight from one hundred to thousand feet
The disgOrgement from the mountain side
was often with terrific explosions. which
shook the hills, and with detonations which
were heard for forty miles. This column
of liquid fire was an object OF surprising
, brllliancy, ct intense and awful grandeur
As the jet issued from the awfal criice It
was at white heat. As it ascended higher
and higher, i. redeued, ike fresh blood
deepening its color, uutil, IN It's descent
much OF it assumed the color of l!otted
gore.
Ia few days it had raised L cone some
three hundred feet high around the burn
ing oriice, and as the showers OF burning
minerals fell in live torrents upon tie
cone, it became one vast heap Of glitteripg
Goals, flashing and quiveIinc with restless
action, and sending ont the heat Of ten
thousand furnaces in full blast The strug.
ges in disgorging The fiery masses. tie up
ward rush Of the column. the force vL:ch
raised it one thousand vertical feet. and
the continuous falling back Of thousands
of tuns Of mineral fusia into the throat Of
the crater, and over coae of glowing
minerals, one nile in circumference, was
4 sight to inspire awe and terror, attended
with explosive shocks which seemed 10
rend the muril ribs OF the mountain, and
sound to waken the dead and s,artlc the
spirits IN Hadcs From this fountain q
river of fire went rushing and leaping down
the mountain with amazing velocity, filing
up basins and ravines. dashiu@ over preci-
pices, and exploding rocks. until it reached
the forests at the base OF the mountain,
where It burned its fiery wave, consuming
the jungle. evaporing the water down the
trees, and sending aq clouds Of smoke and
steam and murNy columns Of ieecy wreaihs
to heaven.
All eastern Hawaii was sheen of light,
and our night was turned into day. So
great was the illumination az night. that
one could read without a lamp. and labor.
travelling and recreation might 90 Oh as in
the daytime Mariners at sea saw the
light at two hundred miles distance 1t
was pyrotechnica display, more fnaenii-
cent and marvellous than was made BIZ any
earthly monarch. In the DAYTIME the
atmosphere for thousands of square miles
would be filed with murky haze, through
which the sunbeams shed a pale and sickly
light. Smoke, steam, gases, ashes, cindcrs,
furnace or capillary or ilainentary vitrit-
factions called pele $ hair, hoated in the
air, sometimes spreading ont like 4 fan.
sometimes careering in swift currents upon
the wind, or gyrating in ever changing
colors in the fitfu! breczes. The point from
which the FIRE fountain issued is 10 600 feet
above the level Of the sea, thus making
the igneous pillar distinct object of OBJ
seryation along the whole eastern coast Of
Hawai-;
During tho eruption the writer made an
excursion to the source. After three days
Of hard struggle in the jungle and over
fields, ridges aud hills OF bristling scoria,
he arrived near sunset at the scene of ac>
ton. All night long he stood SO near to
the glowing pillar as the vehement heat
would allow, listening to the startling ex-
piosions aud the awful roar of the motion
of the column, as it rushed inward thou-
sand feet. and fell back in fiery avalanche
which made the moutain trcmbe. 1t was
such a scene as Few mortais ever witnessed
There was no sleep for the spectator The
fierce, red glare, tho subterrancous mutter-
ings and strugghngs, the rapid explosions
of gases, the rushes and roar, the sudden
and Startling bursts, as of crushing thunder
all, ali were awc>inspiring, and all com
bined to render the scene ono of indesc-ib-
able brillancy and of terrible sublimity. -
The rivers of fire from the fountain flowed
about thirty-Gye miles, and stopped within
ten miles of Hilo. Had the fountain
played ten days longer, it would have
probably reached the shore.
We shall probably, says the Memphis
Ledger, soon have an attempt made ioI
change the flag Of the United States, that
it may correspond with the legislation of
Congress and the Radical doctrines. Why
b.s 40, Thai Sforops alrcodv introduced