The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1868-06-05
Selected Se(i5trllann,
ERUPTION OF MAUNA LOA
Thrilling Description by an Eye witness.

Thrilling Description by an Eye Witness.
IT, NJ WurNEy editor of tho Honolulu.
Sandwich Islands, Adreriiscr, gives the
following description Of tho eruption of
Mauua I.oa aud the accompanying earth.
quokcs, in u letter to his paper dated KcO
lokckuo, Hawaii, April IL:
On ascending the ridge Just opposite the
Mamau Pala Ot kahuku, which was sepa
rated from us by a valley about ouc.cighth
OF mile wide, the whole sccue opened he.
fore us in Que grand panorama, The val
ley itself was tooreA over with pavement
OF fresh lava, from ten to twenty feet deep,
which appears TO have been the first thrown
out, and came from II crater about ten
miles up the mountain, which burst ont on
Tuesday, April I. This crater and stream
had ceased flowing, aud the lava was rap
idly Conlur, so that we vcuturcd to stand
on it. though at the risk of burning cur
boots aud being clicked by the sulphwous
gas.
GA Tucsday Afternoon, Mt o'clock, new
crater, several miles lower down, and about
two miles directly back OF Captain Browns
residence, burst ont with n heavy roar and
triehtlul crash. The lava stream com
mcuced flowing rapidly down the hcaui
ful plateau, toward and around the farm
house, aud the inmates had barely time to
escape with what clothes they had on, be
fore tho houses were all surrounded and
iuclOscd with streams of hcly lava vary.
irg from live to fifty feet in depth. Fortu
nntvly all the inmates escaped safely 10
WaiOhinu, but how narrow the os ape was,
and how rapid the stream flowed, may he
inferred from the fact that the path 10y
which they escaped was covered with lava
within ton minutes after they passed over
it.
Tho new crater, when visited hy MI
Swain, was ut least one and half miles in
extent, nearly circular. hut constantly en-
larging its area by engulphing tho sides.
While the above gentleman was looking at
it, u tract of at least five acres in extent
tumhled in and was swallowed up like food
for the devouring clcmcnt. The enlarge.
ment is going on mainly un the lower side
toward the farm houses, AID 1t is thought
that its diameter is already about two miles,
-Four huge Jets or fountains were COntnu
ally being thrown mp out OF this crater,
ever varying in size and hight, some
times apparently all joining toget er
and making one continuous spuutiug u mile
aud half long. From the lower line OF
the crater u stream OF liquid, rolling, lava,
! poured out aud ran down the plateau, then
down the side OF the pail following the
track Of the government road), then along
the foot of the pail or prccipice five miles
TO the sea.
FIERY FOUNTAINS.
This was the scene that opened before
us as we asceuded the ridge on Friday. AT
the left were these four grand fountains
playing with terrific fury, throwing blood
red lava and huge stones, some as large
as house, to hight varying constantly
from 800 to 1000 feet The grandeur OF
this scene no mag nation can picture, 10
one who has not seen il can realize.
RIVER OF FIRE.
Then there was the rapid rolling stream
rushing and tumbing like a swollen river,
down the hill, over the precipice and down
the valley to the sea, surging and roaring
like cataract, with fury perfectly inde-
scribabe. This rioe, Of fire varied from
500 to 200 or | 500 feet in width, ard
when it is known that the descent was ., 600
feet in five miles, the statement that it ran
at the rate of ten miles an hour will not be
doubted.
THE SCENE AT NIGHT.
We waited till night when tho scene
was hundred fold moro grand and vivid
the crimson red of the lava, doubly
bright, and the lurid glare of the red smoke
clouds that Ovorhung the whole, the roar
ing OF the rushing stream. the noise of the
tumbliug rocks thrown out of the crater
| and the flashes of electric lightning alto
gcther made ii surprisingly grand, and
showed that man is nothing as compared
with his Creator.
INCIDENT OF THE ERUPTION.
The number of shocks which occurred
at Waiohinu from March 29th to Apri
oh is estimated 10y Mr.. Silloway to hav,
been upward OF two thousand, there hav
ing been some days between three and
four hundred. The heaviest shock oc
Cured on Thursday. April ?, being the
| same that was felt so sensbly at Homo
! luu. This destroyed every church aud
nearly every dwelling in the whole district
! From % TO II o'clock Of that day there had
been service ia the large church ia Wal
ohinu, and it was crowded with people
Only four hours after they had left the
heavy shock came, the walls iumhled il
aud the roof fell flat all the work OF twenty
seconds. At The same instant every man
woman and child were thrown from theil
feet. Horses and cattle dropcd down az
if dead. A man riding on horseback had
his horse tumble under him so suddenly
that he found himself and horse lying fat
on the ground before the thought OF al
earthquake entered his mind
The earth opened all through the dis
| trict, aud in some places caused danger
ous hssures, While IN others il close,
up again. la one place II closed twenty
feet from where it opened. These lissure,
make it dangerous TO travel in the dark
EveryW here the roads are broken mp. allc
it will take much money aud labor to re
store them to their old condition.
AS The Kona packet was passing the
south point OF the islahd, abont threa miles
from the shore, conical island, 400 fee
high, rose ont of the sea, midway betweel
the vessel and the land, emitting column
Of steam and smoke The lava river flows
into the sea at This island aud has extended
The shore out to it one mie ut least, 81
that il is now on the main laud. The "a, kej
was so near when this island burst up
that The mud Was spaltered on the mas,s
and sails of the vessel.
The scene at Tho eruption was a nost
melancholy one to witness. There We're
hundreds of fine cattle gazing around the