The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-11-07
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
OUR ISLAND CORRESPONDENCE.
KrHoto. H,wAu. Sept, lS6S-
A Ride over the Lava Fields

fCoutnursi from iastt
In fancy I pictured the fOw OF the great red
river of lava from it, mountain source to the
The mountain side - rent and the great rcd f,un-
tain pours, rushing forth with thundcr-voice
that ars the earth and shakes the heavens -Tis
night and n will. dem1uiaeaI glare lights up the
darkness Over the lurid flamc n dense column
of dark smoke ascends on high, and spreads and
shakes afsr it, terrible wings OF desolation liz by
the unearthy glare below. Tn sweeps the great
river in blazing catlracts dpwn the trembling
mountain side Widening out league broad.
on Il irre-stibly sweeps, great rocks giant bould
ers. and even hills, borne onward in the surg
ir. tide. or melt. Lost in the fiery vortex. The
forest. marked with sarcc n wreath Of smoke,
withers a. scroll. Now glowing and grandly
flashing on the brink Of a precipice, it seems 10
pause in mad frenzy. and then makes terrific
leap below. Through the tortured air Plunges
the grand fiery mae. and falls scOrchins, seeth-
ing. melting. with uncarthly jrrTins roar on
the rocks below. Now bubblins up in fiery Jet.
and fantastic whirIp1ols. il ru-bes on. The eIrc-
tric current, with its aarora-gloE. flashes, spar
kles, leaps AMI plays above the mighty mass. y
balefal. sulphurous stencil flls the air. The
beasts rush frantic over the plain or are lost in 4
the rushing wave. The birds scream frightened
through the air, or fall suffocated in the mighty
current Nan, mad with terror, dies frnntc.llly .
from biz home. or with white lips mutters pray
er 10 PeIe.
On the mad tide swecp@, gaining breadth and
velocity a. it goes. Now IL approaches the broad
mountain ridge Of Puanahulu and surges thun-
derIngIy against Its trembling sides And now,
like great river approaching the sen, It parts in
several branches tn low through Its delta. IL
cannot remove or Overleap the mOuntain-baFrier,
and it parts 70 the right and left. Grandly the
Rosetta branch SWEEPS round the base Of round
green spur Of the ridge, while n middle branch
rushes roaring tiIrUugh n rocky gorge, foaming,
boiling with terrific violence, torrent Of liquid
FIRE Earth cries out in n sInothered wall of
agony the 6ery currents scOreh her breast y
dense sesthing. Kissing, cracking sound, with a
duII confused roar. fills the asitatei air. Away
toward the base Of Hualalai, the Damietta branch
Of the great fiery Nile flows NOw the fiery cur
rents lap and quiver the brink Of the lower
mountain bench and then madly leap in broad
.cataraets OF fame into the plain Then broaden
ing out with rel, majestic, fiery grandeur, they
sweep toward the sea Glowing and flushing,
the broad. rushing river of fame, 6fty feet deep,
comes laundering and surging-
Onward, a. irresistible "a destiny, sweeps the
re,i-gIowing liquid wall on 70 the oceans black,
shingIy beach Tien, like great dragon in
fiery coil. darting forth its thousand tongues Of
flame, with one Wild leap it bounds into the
yessst Of Waves The ag1nized waters dash
wave upon wave on the red torrent, which beats
them back far cut Nadiy they roll backward a.
the flaming tongues Of fre fash into the deep
occan cayerns ami coral eayes. Now the deep,
gathering s,ree frum the repelling surges Of rel
ava waves, comes eOmbin. with thunder
voiced surf, like vast crystal mountain lit by an
unearthly glare, and bursts with a terrific on
slaught Ca the 6ery dow, that augmenting. rolls
To meet it. Den-e columns Of steam roll upward
a. sery waves still chase each other on and plunge
into oeean's depth beneath. Now the met fan
tassic and borrihe form- APPEAR, whirIing in eddy
ing dans-. ~ the waves OF FIRE and oeean meet
and w-catbe and circle and lap each other In fiery,
yapory e5i!- Detnon- wild, gorgons dire, leap
from of fsne o wave Of OCEAN, the fiery
current bLlzes along the eoral reefs and the chat
ing waters roll baek with tire glow OF a red heat,
HghtiEg the ysP0ry wreaths that whirI up and
slii in Kissing showers on the burning tide.
Vow ri-e- from ga o ky the wild shriek Of
tortured waters. the terrific vail Of Pele's smoth
ering fire., The c5Jling lava : crashing thunder
hAa-es &c AA-rAli-
tortured ar, n deep confused Jarring roar, with
the cracking. rushing sweep Of the wide river Of
Ere, all combine in a souni of deep, terrific awe
anl make the sI-th tremble az 4 coward, while
hell's salphury banner. lie up with pale yellow
glare, hangs 4 funeral pail from the pillars OF
haven
Far CD the base Of Hgalalai the Canopic branch
sur--s and firms a mountain 300 feet hizh,
there turning d1wB deep et.asm, a sharp an
gls, PUSHES PreeiPitatey into the in the diree-
ton of Klilga.
Grand- inteed, = The pro-pect, vet ir gives man
bot faint Iiea Of the grand volcanic action on
this planet, in the cycles Of the pasr, before it
wEs preTarei fJ- the existence Of life
Bot oouH delay no longer. Reality found
me in ;lls hsa Gov ant fJrcsi upon me the neos--
sity of getting 1t with my sAosLets -teed,
finehing at every step toiIet aeross the frzt
branch, and came % an OBJ lava so~ with bitu-
minus surflee and gla.s-Iike glitter. IL ap-
Fearei a. though a lake of bitHmsD, bezsyei and
rolled into bELows, had suddenly became fixed and
hartensd- Our path acro-s this was marked by
an irregular IIne Of st0nes on each side scattered
negiigently along On every volcanic swell or
ridzs rude tower or monument Of stones wss
Piaesi, ofDen surrnOantsi by white and glittering
h'nes- The-e eairn-Iike piles served a. guides On
The otherwise tracks, Lava waste. The skeletons
Ct animals who Rad perizhed in this terrible des
ert, gizrinz in the dark lava with strange and
brilliant vbi;sness, frequently met the eye.
INN -one essH-e they were rapidly deoompo=ing;
prDoably frDrs some mineral action, for the lava
Ssi seneath me had the elements Of all earth
Aiaerss. The wear and tear Of time, with eIec-
lf'e action, vii dsysiOpe al from gold % aIgine.
P1sInz Oger ano.her rayzed- irrezuLar and