Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-06-07

HEIGHT, AND RIVER OF FLAMES Thirty
FIVE MILES LONG.
A jet of lava or more stupendous proper
tons than any ever conceived of, is descri-
bed by Mr.. CoAN in the Honolulu Friend of
February, in his account of the eruption of
Mauna Loa, on the Island of Hawaii
"The eruption commenced near the sum-
init of the mountain, and only five or six
miles southeast Of the eruption of 1S43.--
For two days this summit creter sent
down its burning floods along the north
eastern slope of the mountain then sud-
denly the vale closed ,and the great furnace
apparently ceased blast. After thirty-six
hours the fusia was seen bursting out of
the eastern side of the mountain, about mid
way from the top of the base.
1t would seem that the summit lava had
found subterranean tunnel, for half way
down the mountain, when coming to weak
point, or meeting with some obstruction, it
burst up vertically sending column of
| incadescent fusia one thousand feet high
into the air. This fire jet was about one
hundred feet in diameter, and was sustain
ed for twenty days and nights, varying in
height from one hundred to a thousand feet.
The disagreement from the mountain-side
was often with terrific explosions which
shook the hills, and with detonations which
were heard for forty miles The column of
| liquid fire was an object of surprising bril-
liancy, of intense and awful grandeur As
the Jet issued from the awful orifce, it was
white heat As it ascended higher and
| higher, it Redeemed like fresh blood, deep
ening it's color, until, in its descent, much
of it assumed the color of clotted gore
In few days it had raised cone some
three hundred feet high around the burning
orifce, and as the showers of burning min
erals fell in livid torrent upon the cone, it
became one vast heap of glowing Goals,
| flashing and quivering with restless action,
and sending out the heat Of ten thousand
furnaces in full blast The struggles in
disgorging the fiery masses, the upward
rush of the column, the force which raised
it one thousand vertical feet, and the con-
tinuous falling back Of thousands of tons of
mineral fusia into the throat Of the crater
and over a cone Of glowing minerals, one
mile in circumference, was sight to in
spire awe and terror, attended with explo-
sive shocks which seemed to rend the muir
al ribs of the mountain, and sound to wake
the dead and startle the spirit in Hades.--
From this fountain river If fire went rush
ing and leaping down the mountains with
amazing velocity, filling up basins and ra-
vines, dashing over preclplces, and eXplo-
ding rocks, until ii reached the forests at
the base Of the mountain, where it burned
its fiery way, consuming the jungle, evapo-
rating the water of the streams and pools,
cutting down the trees and sending up
clouds Of smoke and st am and murky col
umns of tleeCy wrea+hs to heaven.
All Eastern Hawaii was a sheen of light,
and our night was turned into day. So
great was our illumination at night that
one could read without lamp, and labor,
travelling and recreation might go on as in
the daytime Mariners at sea saw the
light at 200 miles distance. 1t was py-
rotechnical display, more magnificent and
marvellous than was ever made by any
earthly monarch.
In the daytime the atmosphere for thous-
ands of square miles would be filled with
a murky haze, through which the sunbcams
shed pale and sickly light. Smoke, steam,
gases, ashes, clnders-iurnace or capillary
-toated Ill the air, sometimes spreading
out like fan, sometimes careering in swift
currents upon the wind, or gyrating in
everchanging colors in ftful breezes. The
point from which the tire-fountain issued is
ten thousand feet above the level of the sea-
thus making the igneOus pillar distinct
object ofobservation along the whole cas-
tern coast of Hawaii.
During the eruption the writer made an
excursion to the source. After three days
of hard struggling in the jungle and over
fields, ridges and 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-
plosions and the awful roar OF the molten
column, as it rushed upwards thousand
feet, and fell back i'll fiery avalanche
which made the mountain tremble. 1t was
such scene as few mortals ever witnes-
sed There was no sleep for the specta-
tor. The fierce, red glare, the subterra-
neous mutterings and the rapid explosions
of gases, the rushes and roar, the sudden
and startling bursts, as of crashing thun-
der-al all were awe-inspiring, and all
combined to render the scene one of inde-
scribabe brilliancy and of terrible sublim-
ity. The rivers Of fire from the fountain
flowed about thirty-ive miles, and stopped
within ten miles Of Hilo. Had the fountain
played ten days longer it would probably
have reached the shore.