The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-11-30
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
Our Island correspondence.
SKETCHES OF HAWAII
KIlsnsa q greater sariS-ity than a crater-i Chasm
NJ IIrr.

voLc,No flcrsE. EILtrEs, September. ls67 .
The Hawaiian burning aby>- Of Kilauea, i one
of the most rrmarSlbls e'Iro~itis- II the world
A ferv lake, without Overiow, il i not cratsr
IN ths. -eS.usihc sense Of the term IL i u decp
ehnsm. or pit. formed by abrupt breakins or
sinking of che earth about a thousand fect below
the level Of the surrounding SECTIONS from which
il xas detached. and which now constitute it,
walI. Captain WiIkes has chzrarterIzr,i similar
sriaIlcr ei.asms ~ piG-STsfsrs- y crater proper
il chimney. or orifce frvm which volcanic mat
TER i sjrete,I. It Is INST gvuerally found on
mar ths. summit cune- OF volcanic mountains. AMI
the aow from which gradually kccps cIevatins
them. uutil the volcanic irr- become inactive or
extinct, exeeps in such NJ the last eruption
Of Cosasuina in Central America This eOm-
menccd on che 2Gth Of January, 1855. and the
force 20 it, action tore away and almost destroy
ed the mountain. r-iucin. it in three days Of
viilcus activity. from 5000 10 2,jOO feet above
the level of the sea, it, present eleyation- Such
instances. however. irr exceptions and the crater
mountains and eDuntric- adjacent mOst gene
rally elevated BY the action Hawaii j. active
instance not only or elevation. but enlargement
The i.Iand i -tiII undergoing the process OF
formation. There never lava iow frUm
KHauea The eleyated table land AMI ridges
which surround IT, cavity exhibit NJ signs Of re-
cent volcanic action. There i ID trace Of any
from the deep ehasm Of KiI1uea-
The break. or gusbTad0. - on the long lateral
rSigc that Iie- e1st Of and parallel Nauna Loa.
ard which wa eybientIy formed By the early
a:ency and forces Of that great vobsno- The
earth the fDrmatiOu of Hawaii. a. Of all volcanic
Countries l. eavernous and beneath many of
these eha-ms exist subterranean lakes of liquid
fre whose action l. intense IN proportion On the
quantity and quality OF the eCmbGstible material
on which they feed. The ridge where the ehasm
Of KiEauea was formed, had been ase- at rest,
when some disruptive force, abruptly broke down
and sunk a section Of the same into the -eething
subte-ranean lake below; but such force. though
violent, was not enough To disturb the strata
frUm which the vast mass was detached and plung-
ed into the grand abyss below. The p-rpendieu-
lar walls in every direction present horizontal
strata IN way disrupted or dislOeated- The
nysrs Of ancient volcanic ashes basalr, eonglOm-
crate and tufl are undi-turbe'I, and exhibit no
marks Of the earthquakes tread, or volcanic viO-
lenee The E1rmation Immediately around the
vall- of the cha-ln, il much older than any on
the Inclined plane, reaching 10 HilO- or 10 the ssa
in PAna. OF any where in the immediate vicinity
Of N=ana Ina- IL il relatively Of the -aDse age
A. Mauna Nea.
The mass Of rocks and earth disrupt and sunk
- far beneath the surface into the great pit Of
KIiauea has not all been melted by the action Of
the fires beneath and which are continually burn
ins. Several islets OF basaltie boulslers ri-e IN
the hke Of lava, AMI surrounded by the seven diff
fereut frc-vents which in the popular language Of
the country are called lakes; but they are mere
vents in the lava bed OF the great eha-n for the
escape Of che -ls generated by .he hre- beneath
Tieir overflow j. entirely eOntned u the great
fiery pit
Kihauea will never become crater that viii
overflow IT, walls. II lava flow -iOald ever Oc-
eur from the volcanic mas- which Iie- in fusion
beneath, and with which il j. eDnnected. 10 will
be through some cavern. below the level Of the
fiery m.l-s Of the cfa-m, and toward the -ea, It
j. -id - have occurred IN that direction, IN the
district of Puma. in isiO- Thi- exrraor-
dina-y lava low, but We have proof that II
Was tFOm Kilauea or that the level of IT. surface
at all disturbed during the progress Il the
lava fDw to the -sa, or that there any change
Of I@vel-
Kiauea r. 800 feet above the leveI of the sea
The dpw that occurred in 3Iay. 1870, broke out
on The plain some miles % the eastward as an
elevation of 12tG feet above the ss and 1894 feet
below the lava surface in the pir Of KiIauea- It
t0weI the surface miles % the 81, destroy
In, the village of NanavaIie IN it, course, where
it terminated in two sand hills, 30 feet above
the lava stream This fDw was nea. line Of
crater comes and pitt, distinctly marked from HI
AaHea u the sea at kapoho, distance Of thirty
three miles az the southeastern terminus Of Ha-
waii- This lava How Wa extraordinary and
eecensrie, AMI IN many places cavsrnou-, but our
hmI.s will not permit full description Of IL. .
This i the only eruptive action which popular
belief, without any foGndation fact, has atrri-
bGted To RiIauea- That it has connection with
al the volcanic ires, or ehimneys, the island, .
there = doubt. but il j. far below the surface,
"A the earth-s central fires, and there are solid
sections between them In proof Of this, Kilauea
Wa undisturbed by any Of the recent mighty
volcanic thrOes Of Mauna Loa, when broad rivers
ot liquid lava flowed in blazing eataraets into the
sea.
The highest cTe-ts Of the sunken ridge, which
have resisted the action Of the surrounding fiery
WaEes- are interesting islands Of old hasaltie
DoHhierz IN the eia-m of Kilagea, against which
The iSaeoGs waves have played and beat for count
!ss- centuries In'leed, they appear to be floating
hlanes On tie wa crust Of the boiling gulf
On the E'irning Of the 10Th visited the
e'a-in- We walked over the recent glitrering
aAd gia-z-like lava flow, which j. not yet enld,
'-' s'iil widening IT, sssures, through which the
Si'phHrous gases we're steaming- There are
many columns Or iets which act vents Of the
4PnHroGs steam, aud where crystals Of sulphur
ala -GIphate of iron are formed There many
- 'hese Ike staIaetites in a cave, and are very
beautiful