The New York herald., 1868-05-25

with smoky haze and a very distinct odOr Of sui
| phurous acid.
Hercules, Rowland, MASTER arrived from Hlo, on
the west coast Of Hawaii, bringing advices from
that place up 10 the night OF the Sd Of April the
earthquakes commenced there on saturday. the 2Sth
| OF March, and continued with short intermissions
until the bark left very heavy shock was felt on
Thursday, the I'd Of April at four in the afternoon.
This corresponds almost to minute with the snock
felt in this city, of which advised You in my last.
Many houses were badly shattered the families OF
| Messrs Coan Lyman, Wetmore and others were
| compelled to leave their houses. The earthquake
was followed by a tidal wave, which rolled up about
ten feet above high water mark but which did lit
| damage In the bay. at KeauhOw, on the Kau coast
there quite village 1t being the pulu station Of
| Messrs ]. c. King d Co. The wave came in suddenly
and carried away every vestige Of the houses canoes
and bales OF pulu. The natives barely escaped with
their lives. At Apua another village the wave de-
stroyed the village, and one woman was drowned.
On the 18th of April the Kiauea again arrived
from Hawaii, with advices to the Sth, bringing O
fearful account of the destruction Of life and proper.
ty on the south end Of the island, in the
district OF. Kau. Over fifteen hundred shocks
of earthquake had been distinctly felt In twelve
days, and were of frequent occurrence when
the steamer left At times the ground trembled in
cessanty for the space of six and eight hours. The
stone buildings in the district which cracked by
the shock Of the 2Sth OF March were now completely
destroyed. The heaviest shock occurred Thursday
afternoon, April 2, at about four O'Clock. This shock
was felt all over the group at the same hour but did
| no damage except on the island OF Hawaii. The
dreadful tidal wave followed Immediately after the
shock, doing fearful damage to life and property.
Ny informant states that he was watching the coast
when the water receded, and with the aid of a spy.
glass the roll in over the tops Of cocoanut
trees. This statement is corroboraed by statements
| from five or six parties.
| Almost every house on the coast of Kau was swept
| away. Forty-sevcn natives are known to have been
| all the facts known. Some miraculous escapes
were made. One native was swept of and carried
out to sea- and swan back after being four hours In
the water A child not over three years OF age was
seen noatng of on the wreck OF house, and rescued
by the bravery OF native VINO plunged into the sea-
him safely TO the shore. The boat wharf ut the land
ing at Aualu was found inland about one-eighth of
of a mile. Bales OF pulu were carried inland and
then back with the receding waters, some catching
on the rocks, Others gong out to sea. This wave
Occas0ned but little, If any, loss outside of this dis
trict. The tide seen 10 rise and fail more or less
| frequently around Maui and this island.
The first fire was seen TO issue from Mauna Loa on
the morning of the eth OF March, and later in the
| day was again seen issuing from three or four diff
| ierent points near the summit. These streams run
ming together made stream Of lava about mile
wide, which ran down the south slope at the rate of
ten miles day for two or three days, when it
was lost to view and did not again make its appear
ance until quarter past six r. NJ. OF Tuesday, April
I, when il broke out on The land of Kahuku, short
distance above the establishment of Captain Robert
Brown, near could be ascertained at the time.
1t was flowing towards Paakini, and had probably
crossed this tract OF land and down to the sea,
which It entered at half-past nine the evening,
| creating a fearful commotion sending dense
column of steam high into the heavens. Several ex-
petitions have started out to visit the lava low.
Ills Majesty and several officers OF the government,
members or the diplomatic corps and others left on
the afternoon of the 18th the Kauea to visit the
| scene Of the nOw. No other stream is fowing
yet, although rumor says that at least three have
! been seem
The column OF smoke from the summit of Mauna
Ioa rose majestically into the heavens and reached
an altitude OF seven and four.hfths miles before 10
began To spread Saturday morning the smoke had
settled down upon this city, at distance of two
hundred miles from the crater, 80 thick that the
two hours high could be looked at with the naked
eye without difficulty, resembling red ball OF fire.
The passage OF the lava stream is reported as a
magnificent spectacle; the heat scorching vegeta
on far away on either hand and trees lying in its
course are licked up as though they were but grass
upon prairie. At times jets VIII be thrown high into
the air, falling around like water from fountain.
strange phenomenon IS described by resident OF
the district OF Kan. At the time of the fearful shock
Of earthquake Of April he wns on hill where he
could see far away on either hand. While gazing
at q bun above, and about midway between the
establishments of Messrs. Lyman and Richard
son, he saw what appeared to be molten
lava thrown from the blum in stream half to three
quarters OF mile wide and two miles long burying
houses, men and animals in less than three minutes
red clayey SON piled loosely, in some places thirty
feet Ia height The same substance has been forced
out Of the mountain on line with the woods, IN
many places. The earth was cool. fine stream Of
water Is now flowing over the soil where none iowed
before. At the time OF the shock no living creature
could stand everybody was thrown to the ground,
and while on the ground tossed about like an India
rubber ball. perfectly helpless. Looking towards the
land was seen on the coast where none was ever
seen before, aud which disappeared under the waves
as the shock wore OF. Another resident states that
he saw the southeast slope and summit OF hill nf-
teen hundred feet high, lifted bodily and thrown
over the tops Of trees "a distance Of Thousand
Covering the portion thrown OF wv" WAS apparently
undisturbed. This Is hard To believe, but the re-
la,er of the occurrence is person wen known for
| truthiulnesS. The whole face of the country IL
changed. Hills are levelled, chasms and raviDes
formed where none existed before and, as IN the IN
stance related above, a fine stream OF water nows
where flowed before The noor Of the crater of
Kilauea has gone down hundreds of feet. The Vol
cano House stands as 1t were, upon an island the
earth around 1t being cracked in all directions.
| am told that the proprietor somewhat
alarmed about his position aud went out one even
ne 10 survey his surroundings when he felt sngli-
laI movement at MS feet, and looking down saw The
| mined his course of proceedings, and mounting his
horse he LEFT all and started for Hio.
The district OF kau is very thnly settled. But for
.hiS iact The loss OF life would have been appalling.
on the return of the parties who have gone to Wit
ness The scene OF the earthquake and lava now, fun
particulars win be obainabe, when I promise TO
keep you fully advised.
Siosi of our merchants have given up all hopes of
the ratification oil the treaty. The Minister VI the
Interior said TO u party recently, .I wish the d-n
treaty was In h-ll.h have always believed that the
Ministers OF the Interior and Foreign Affairs secretly
y wished the defeat of the measure and supported IL
| before the Legislative Assembly only because the
King favored inc treaty: ihey Knew 100 wen tIat,
the treaty passed, American interests and
| influence would soon force them from olice. AS
| last resort they have used the Lackawannais
| presence in the harbor to work upon the Kings
lears and made pereaptory demands for her with
| drawal, knowing full well that such attitude
| would go lar towards gaming their end.
The following Is extract from letter written by
| an eyewitness
KEALAKEKuA, IIaw All, Aprii I3, 1868.
Ny last was from tins place. but have since been
to the lava ow, and Witnessed the most grand, bril-
.
to the people Of these islands My pen shrlnks from
| giving the details OF what IL almost Understandable
AM what needs 10 bc seen III order ~ be fully real
! Zcd.
We left Kcalakekua early on Thursday morning
tApril ~ i party of ten not including guides,
Nc. Gud followed the Old dd road through
me knnA dis 1 here