The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-05-09
FulI Details of the Earth
quakes, Mud-dOw, Shower
of Ashes and Lava Stream,
as seen by Eye-Witnesses.
BY the Il d i tor

rr -
The recent volcanic eruption on Maunn Loa has
..,cscd -o general interest that we have collated
the principal facts relating To 1t, and the various
,oeompanying phenomena, to embody the
,bole in rs brief newspaper article as Is possi-
Me Had we the facilities to illustrate our mar
,asye with sketches taken on the spot, it would
Soabtless add to tie popular interest; but not
h,;up able tJ do so, our readers must be content
With the simple unadorned statement. Before de-
srbing the late eruption, it may be well To state
some facts, which, though we'll known here, are
not remembered abroad
The ONLY island Of our group which has ever,
within the memory Of man, been known to be in
ssate Of volcanic action, is the largest, HAWAII
All the others are Of more ancient formation
while Hawaii is still incomplete 1t consists OF
sur principal mountain diyisionsr-the Kohaia
runge Mt the north, which evidently OF very
old formation, Mauna Kea, an extinct volcano,
uaunn Hualalai, ON the western coast, which has
not been known to be in action since lsOl, and
Mauna Loa which i now the only active Volcano
on the group. Their heights, as measured by
wilkes. are Mauna Loa, 1850 feet; Mauna
Ksa, I3 $50 feet, and Hualalai, 10000 ieet-
The following is list Of the principal erup-
,uns that have occurred ON Mauna Loa and Hua-
Ilaai since the discovery OF the group by Capt
= Cook in 1878:
lin I7s0, there eruption of kilauea,
in which ashes, sand and purniee stone were show
srsd over the country and one-thrd Of the army Of
Kenaa destroyed No details known
AIN 1901, Mauna HualaIai in action for
the L,st time. the stream flowing in westerly direc
ION b. the sea, aud extending the coast line IAe
srption may have originated the sunimit, but
H. principal crater from which this lava stream
awesi il located the western base OF the noun
ua six miles from the present shore. and below the
unnfain road. from which IL i quite conspicuous
l-lu 1879. there was an eruption Of kilauea
s aow Of lava which reached the sea, twelve miles
dstant directly below the crater.
In 1892. there eruption both Of XII
aaea nnI of the summit crater Of Mauna Loi- The
hitter occurred On the 2Dth of June, and the Lava
anweI ont af several vents the ssie Of the
ain prs babIy the northern, the stream seen
nom Maui This continued for two or three weeks,
snd Is supposed to have entered kawaihae Bay
4S.-M.y 30. 1910 eruption took place
IN Puma. below anil out Of Kilauesl, flowing into the
SEA at NanawIle This stream was eighteen or twenty
mez in length
s-January 10. Isi3, n lava stream issued
frm the summit OF Mauna LOa, north of the old
crater of Mokuaweoweo. IL took n nortberiy course
cwarIs Nauna Kea after reaching which, the stream
dvileI one running for few miles easterly towards
HIo and the other Borth-westerly towards hawaihae
7-Februasy Is. 1852, eruption broke
0ut very the source ot that OF lSia, perhaps
nile or two east and the stream following the same
egse rs its predecessor till it reached the low land,
when il ceased after continuing only twenty-four
hours. Two days later it burst out some fifteen miles
rtker southeast, directly opposite HilO ana nj an
elevation Of 10000 feet. IL continued flowing tor
about month. running distance OF thirty miles
bat did not reach the seaI-
al r ri. nG
the most extensive eruption on MIuna Loi that has
been recorded The light was rst seen on the
very summit, AMI tire stream undoubtedly originated
in the Old summit crater of NokuaweOweo, and tax
ing a portIl-eas,eriy direction, ran down toward:
Miunl kes, after reaching which II was turner To-
warls HIo- For thirteen months II eonunued tt
aow, filing up rIvines and valleys IN Its course tii
cane within three miles Of IlIo, when u proVider-
tally eetsel aOwing. The extent Of this eruption
may be juIged from the fact that 10 has been esti
Hsated to have aocdeI an Of 800 square miles
and the quantity of lava thrown out was ovei
thrty-eisht billions (2s OOO. .OOO.OOO) OF cubic feet
9-On the 2yd OF january. 1852 the lls
elt eruption prior to this year, t,ok place ON th
nDrth sile Of Mluna Lon, ut an elevation OF o,1v
feet. The sp0utng lasted fifteen days, from crate
about 500 feet in diameter. and the How eontnuei 10
ar months, reaching the sen fifteen miles South o
Aawaihae. This eruption, owing to Its aecessioiiy
and long continuance visited by hundreds OF Tor
egrers, including Lples, and probably furnished TN
nnst beautiful view Of eruption that mas ever &C
earrei here.
These nine eruptions arc all that are known t.
have emitted lava streams during the last ninet
Yeas, though it should be added that, PRIOR
is20, eruptioas may have occurred Of which n
record has been ieft by foreigners The summ'
crater of Nauna LOa has often been temP"rnril
lighted up or covered with dense smoke, whic
have passed away without being Goli0wcd by Elv
-. sI.r ID