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 by the
! bark Comet, winch arrived ut 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, 21th Of March. Il gave NJ fire.
warning; the fire burst up ont of the ground
throwing spray of red lava high in the air
then great column of smoke rose straight
up thousands of feet and arched over to the
east. In few minutes new Jet was thrown
up little southeast of the first. with its
column of smoke soon followed bv another
jet, and then by fourth Soon the red lava
began running down the sides Of the noun
tain IN four streams, in southerlv and
easterly direction. About seven O'Clock we
began to hear roaring sound, which grew
louder and louder, until the air seemed to
tremble with the ineessant roar of the vol
cano; but it finally subsded, 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 subsided. We'd
nesday morning April lst), about sunrise,
there was hard snake, and again about
P. M. Then was a severe and protracted
shaking, with great deal of swayng to and
fro of the earth. Nearly all that night the
shaking was very severe and frequent with
a rumbng sound from the south. Thursday
| (April 2d), between and p NJ, we expe
rienced the most fearful of earthquakes
First the earth swayed to aud fro north and
south. then east and west round and round,
I hon, md .,Ll l.
direction for several minutes everything
crashing around us; the trees thrashing
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 u.s.
what VIC supposed 10 be an immense river of
molten Lava (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
everybody 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
shaking had ceased and along the sea shore
from directly below us to Punauu, 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 10y the sea. We went
right over to Nahala's Hill, with the chill
dren and our natives, to where could see
both ways-expectng every moment to be
swallowed up by the lava from beneath, for
it sounded il it was surging and washing
under our feet all the time, and there were
frequent shakes. In places the ground was
all cracked up, and every rock or pail that
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 village 1T
the foot of the pali 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 them; but they afterwards
crawled over the bank of earth and came
to us 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-
ton reaching the sea underground and
many perishel. The. earth eruption swal-
lowed up thrty-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 Hilo in
two or three hours, sleeping on the big sand
plain in the night When the clouds lifted up
he saw a great lava. flow in the region of
Waiohinu or kahuku, extending to the s "a
apparently about Kaalualu Bay. As he
passed kilauea he could see no fire nor smoke
He 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.. Stilloway to have been
upwards of two thousand there having been
some days between three and four hundred.
The heaviest shock occurred on Thursday
April ID. being the same that was felt SO
sensbly at Honolulu. This destroyed every
church and nearly every dwelling IN the
whole district.
From 10 to II clock of that day there had
been service in the large church in Walohinu,
and it was crowded with people. Only four
hours after they left the heavy shock came,
the walls tumbled in and the root tell 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
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 fissures
while in others it closed up again. In one
place it closed twenty feet from where il
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
point of the island, about three miles from
the shore, a conical island, four hundred feet
high. rose out of the sea, midway between
the vessel and the land, emitting column OF
steam and smoke The lava river flows into
the sea at this island, and has extended the
shore out to it one mile at least, so that it is
now on the main land. The packet was so