The Shasta courier., 1868-05-16
Great Earthquake at the Sandwich Islands.

The following news of the great earthquake
in the Sandwich Islands was brought bv the
bark Comet, winch arrived at San Francisco
Nav 9th:
We still live in fear and trembling. not
knowing what may come next. You may
have already card that an eruption broke
ont on Manua Loa, little to the southwest
of the summit, aboat six O'Clock Friday
morning, 9th Of MArch. It gave NJ fire.
warning the fire burst up ont of the ground
throwing "A spray of red lava high in the air :;
then a great column of smoke rose straigh {
up thousands of feet and arched over to the
east. In few minutes new jet WAS thrown
up a little southeast of the first. with its
column of smoke soon followed by another
jet, and then by fourth. Soon the red lava
began running down the sides Of the noun
tain in four streams, in a southerv and
easterly direction. About seven O'Clock we
began to hear a roaring sound, which grew
louder and louder, until the air seemed to
tremble with the incessant roar of the vol
cano but it finally subsidea, and ceased
entirely about eight o'clock
Tuesday night, March 3lst, from about
ten till two in the morning, the shaking was
almost incessant, and then subsidized We'd
nesday morning April lst), about sunrise,
there was hard snake, and again about
P. NJ. Then was severe and protracted
shaking, with great deal of swaying to and
fro of the earth. Nearly all that night the
shaking was very severe and frequent with
a rumbling sound from the south. Thursday
April 2d), between and 5 P. NJ, we expe.
rienced the most fearful of earthquakes
First the earth swayed to and fro north and
south. then east and west. round and round,
then up and down and in every imaginable
direction for several minutes everything
crashing around us; the trees thrashng
about as if torn by mighty rushing wind.
1t was impossible to stand, we had TO sit on
the ground bracing with hands and feet to
keep from rolling over. In the midst of it
we saw burst out from the top of the pail,
about a mile and half to the north OF us,
what we supposed 10 be an immense river of
molten la IA (which afterwards proved to be
red earth), which rushed down in headlong
course and across the plain below. apparent.
ly bursting up from the ground, throwing
rocks high in the air, and swallowing up
every body in its way-trees, houses, cattle,
horses, goats and men, all in an instant as
it WERE 1t went three miles in not more
than three minutes time and then ceased
Some one pointed to the shore, and we
ran to where we could see it, after the hard
| SudklIR CedstuJ anu lut Std SuOTe
from directly below us to Punaluu, about
three or four miles, the sea was boiling and
foaming furiously, all red for about an
eighth of mile from the shore, and the
shore was covered by the sea. We went
right over to Nahala's Hill, with the chill
dren and our natives to where we could see
! both ways-expecting every moment to be
swallowed up by the lava from beneath, for
it sounded as il it was surgng and washing
under our feet all the time, and there We're
frequent shakes. In places the ground was
all cracked up, and every rock or pail that
could fall had fallen At IIlo we saw a
small stream of black smoking lava, and out
side of Punaluu long black point of lava
slowly pushed out to sea and soon disap-
peared.
The school teacher had gone to a village at
the foot of the pail, to give notice of the
prayer meeting the next day, and the erup,
ton came rolling down both sides, leaving
only the one house where he was and
the few people who were in it, completely
surrounding tbem but they afterwards
crawed over the bank of earth and came
to His wife and friends were all lost
The villages on the shore were totally de.
stroyed by the tidal wave that rushed in
Immediately after the earthquake, the erup-
biOh tue SCd uuuSTSTOuuQ anu
many perishe1. The. earth eruption swal-
lowed up thirty-one persons, and the sea
more still. Mr.. Richardson started again fer
kau on Monday morning April 6th), reach
ing kapapala at noon on Tuesday; but the
earthquakes continued very often and severe
so that he started on his return to IIlo in
two or three hours, sleeping on the big sand
plain in the night. When the clouds lifted up
he saw great lava flow in the region of
Walohlnu or kahuku, extending to the s'a
apparently about Kaalualu Bay. As he
passed kilauea he could see no fire nor smoke
lie arrived here yesterday Thursday noon,
and with two other white men and several
natives, got provisions and water and sailed
on the sloop Live Yankee, last night, for
kau, in hopes of being able to rescue any
people who might be in any danger of the
volcano.
INCIDENTS OF THE ERUPTION.
The number of shocks which occurred at
Waiohnu from March 29th to April 10th is
estimated by Mr.. Stlloway to have been
upwards of two thousand, there having been
some days between three and four hundred.
The heaviest shock occurred on Thursday,
April I'd. being the same that was telt SO
sensibly at Honolulu. This destroyed every
church and nearly every dwelling IN the
WuOle ulStrlct.
From 10 to II o'clock of that day there had
been service in the large church in Waiohlnu,
and it was crowded with people. Only four
hours after they left the heavy shock came,
the walls tumbed in and the roof fell flat
all the work of twenty seconds.
At the same instant every man, woman
and child were thrown from their feet
Horses and cattle dropped down as if dead.
A man riding on horseback had his horse
tumble under him SO suddenly that be found
himself lying fiat on the ground before the
thought Of an earthquake entered his mind.
The earth opened all through the district,
and in some places caused dangerous assures,
while in others it closed up again. In one
place it closed twenty feet from where it
opened. These assures made it dangerous
to travel in the dark. Everywhere the roads
are broken up, and it will take much money
and labor to restore them to their old condi-
ton.
As the Kona packet was passing the south