The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1868-05-15
Terrible Volcanic Eruptions at
the Sandwich Islands.


The bmque Comet, which arrived at
San Francisco on Thursday, from the
/ Sandwich Islands, brings accounts of a
terrible volcanic eruption by the Mauna
/ Ioa. which began its demonstrations on
March IS One hundred earthquake
shocks were ieit, and during the two
weeks following, to April 10, two thous-
and earthquake shocks occurred at
Waischina The earth opened in many
places, and the tidal wave, 90 feet high,
rose over the tops OF the cocoa trees for
a quarter Of Il mile inland sweeping
human beings. houses and everything
| movable before il. The shock prostrat-
ed churches and houses, and killed
many persons. In all, 100 lives were
lost, besides 1000 horses and cattle.
The craters vomited fire, rocks and
lava. and river of red hot lava five or
six miles long flowed TO the sea at the
rate of ten miles per hour, destroying
everything before il and forming an is
land in the sea. \ new crater, two
miles wide, has opened, throwing rocks
and streams of fire loco feet high, and
streams of lava rolled to sthe sea. AT
one time the illumination extended so
miles at night. The lava has pushed
out from the shore one mile. At Wais-
H..
Conval Islands rose suddenly, emitting
a column of steam and smoke, while
the Keno packet was passing, scattering
mud on the vessel.
The greatest shock occurred April 2.
Prior to the eruption there was a great
shower of ashes and pumice. During
the shock the swinging motion of the
earth was dreadful so that no person
could stand. In the midst of this an
eruption of red hot earth rolled down
the mountain and rushed across the
plain at the rate of three miles in three
minutes, and then ceased. Then came
a great tidal wave, and then streams of
lava.
The villages on the shore were all des
troyed by this wave, and the earth open
ed under the sea and REDEEMED the water.
The earth eTuptiOns swallowed thirty
persons, and the sea many more. Great
suffering and terror prevailed in the dis
trict, and the whole region was affected.
The slOop Live Yankee has been dis
dispatched with provisions, &C., to res
cue and relieve.
The Honolulu correspondence of the
San Francisco Bulletin gives the details
of the volcanic disturbances showing
that earthquake shocks extended to all
the Hawaiian group, but no damage is
known to have occurred. Around Manua
Loa numerous extensive land slides ac-
companied the other phenomena, des-
troying life and property. The summit
and side of the hill, 1900 feet in height,
were thrown thousand feet over the
tops of trees and landed in the valley
below.
The gases that issued afterward des-
troyed both animal and vegetable life.
Bottomless assures opened in the mOun-
tain sides. Lava streams flowed under
ground, breaking out in four jets six
miles from the sea and throwing lava
and stones 1000 to 1900 feet high. The
new island thrown up is 400 feet high
and is now joined to the main land by
a stream of lava mile wide,
A large stream of water has burst from
the mountain where the earth eruption
occurred. The base of the volcano is
about thirty miles in circumference and !
is desoloted. At least halfa million dol
lars worth ofproperty ie destroyed. The
King of the Sandwich Islands has is
sued e proclamation for the relief of the
sufferers. Many visitors had gone from
Honolulu and many will go from San
Francisco, The worst is thought to be
over, but the lava flow continues. 1t is
grand spectacle.