The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-04-11
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
SATURDA Y, APRIL IL.
NOTES OF THE WEEK.
Earthquake. aud the Volcano.

The American whaling bark Hercules. Rowland,
Master, arrived from Hilo, on Thursday morning,
bringing later news from that portion of Hawaii re
garding the earthquakes. We have made extracts
from such correspondence as has come to US, and have
been kindly permitted to make extracts from other
letters received by parties in this city.
A correspondent writing from Kau, says: "The
earthquakes commenced ON Friday night some say
we had thirty or more shocks. Saturday morning L
awoke about daylight, and up to l p. NJ. l counted
ninety-seyen earthquakes none were very severe,
but their frequency frightened us. While at dinner
we had Il heavy shock-crockery jingled and the
house creaked like a ship in a storm. L left the table
and went over to -, and while talking with them
we had n fearful shock. l caught up one child, and
- another, and little - and - followed,
running out of the house, while vases, books, boxes,
lamps and dishes were falling about US. When we
got out, walls were falling down with n laundering"
noise, and the air was filled with dust-the earth
still quiyering. In less than twenty-four hours We
had over two hundred shocksi We all feel nervous.
The children are very much frightened. Little -
slept in my arms part of the night, and the rest Of
the time he held me tightly. My experience of earth
quakes-to be awoke at night, the house creaking
and cracking, and children crying with terror-is
enough to make anybody nervous"
Another letter, of the 10Th of March, says: cat
about s O'Clock Friday evening We felt a slight shock
of an earthquake this was the first and possessed
some novelty. Since then We have had no less than
three hundredi At this time a feeling of absolute
terror prevails. The past forty-eight hours has COM
passed more OF the terrible than one usually expe-
riences III a lifetime. The most severe shock took
place at a quarter of = o'clock yesterday afternoon
The earth moved like a troubled sea, and the wonder
Is that more damage was not DONE
We have been permitted 10 make the following ex-
tracts from Il Hilo letter of the third of April
"We have had shocks ever since Saturday last,
18th March. On yesterday, April I'd. at four in the
afternoon. we had a very heavy shock. breaking IN
crockery and glass ware of all descriptions. Miss
BrickwoOd was Mt MIR. JONES' and when the shock
came, ran out Of the house and leaped off the veran-
dab, spraining her ankle and breaking a small bone.
Rev. Alr. Lyman's house looks like a perfect wreck.
The plastering is all down and the foundation is bad
~ shaken.
left their houses. DIR. Wetmore has lost his stock of
drugs. The sea came in yesterday, 2d April, and
washed up TO and over the Waiakea bridge and up to
the Kings fsh-ponds, carrying away the walls in.
several places. The sea came in at keauhou and
Aqua, and carried away all the houses. At Keauhou
the natives escaped by running. 1t is feared that the
natives at Aqua were not so fortunate.
The banks around the crater of kilauea have
caved in ut several places, and cracks are opening
around the Volcano House. The crater is very active,
and it is reported that the old craters to the east Of
kilauea have opened anew. Reports come in that
lava is flowing at Kahuku and on Kona-
To-day for the first time we have seen n heavy
column of smoke from Mauna Loa. The chimneys on
all the plantations are down except the Paukaa-"
Captain Rowland states that when the heavy shock
occurred, ut four O'Clock Thursday afternoon, he was
walking from the residence of Capt. Thomas Spencer
towards his store, and had accomplished about half
the distance when he heard the leaves in an adjoining
banana grove rustling, as he supposed from wind,
and while looking at them a wall near him fell, and
presently he was thrown from his feet
The sea zane up to the door Of Captain Spencer's
store, making a rise of about ten feet above high
- T. .o--I o-t. 80 +ha ,,n-, racl
have opened in the roads from one to eight inches in
width.
From Kcauhou we learn that Mr.. Stackpole, who
has charge of J. C. Kings pulu station at present.
had started on horseback for the Volcano House, and
had reached the pail overlooking the village when he
felt the shock, and looking back saw the sea come in
and carry out in one sweep the houses and other
material stored in the village, consisting Of about
one hundred and fifty bales of pulu. the presses used
in packing il, canoes, boats, sc. The loss will be
quite heavy. Fortunately no lives were lost.
Mr.. Porter, who has charge of the Volcano House,
ut the crater of Kilauea, had left the house and gone
into Hilo, considering it unsafe TO remain. Kilauea
was very active, nearly the whole floor of the crater
being in active motion. Natives report that the lava
in Kilauea was receding very fast, and that the line
Of craters east and south from KiIauea, farther down
on the slope, were smoking.
Another rumor says that a large ravine had opened
on the slope above the crater reaching across the road
to Kau, rendering it impossible, and still another
ravine from the crater to the line of lesser craters
below, cutting off the road to Puma.
A native who came down with Capt. Rowland, says
that n woman was killed on the beach at Onomes
by the falling of rocks from the pail above.
As to the eruption ON Mauna Lea we have no par
ticular account, but have been permitted to make the
following extracts from 4 letter dated, kona, March
18th, rs pertinent to it:
ssYesterlay morning March 9th, We had a glori-
Gus sight from our vernndah. About twenty minutes
before six o'clock We discovered on the summit of the
mountain an immense mass of smoke rising high in
the ornament with high pillars resting upon it. In
less than half an hour vast columns of smoke were
rising in n southerly direction, TO the distance of ten
or fifteen miles. This continued to increase, extend
ing south towards Kau, asi { appeared to us, until the
mountain was shut in by clouds"
Cant. 4. Russell was OH board the Kings Yacht, at
anchor oil the south side of Lanai on Wednesday
night, LIST inst, and informs US that he repeatedly
saw fire through the clouds resting on top of Mauna
Loa, at times resembling forked lightning.
Native. report II lava flow running down over Ka-
huku, ON the southwest slope Of the mountain.
We copy the following from the letter of Rev c. G..
Williamson to the Ga=eie:
The following list I copy from my Diary, which,
along with my watch, L have kept at hand, so that |
might be as accurate rs possible in my statement.
W., very light L., light VI, moderate ii, heavy
VII, very heavy VVH, very very heavy.
s.rrnn.y oSru MARCH lSss-