The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1868-06-06
ALBANY, OREGON, SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 1868.
FROM HAWAII.
Grand and Terrible COnvuIsiOns OI
Nature-.Enrthqua and Erup-
tive VOlcanOes.-.Hmme Des-
tructiOn OF Life and Property.

Gruction Of Life and Property.
BY the brig Comet, which arrived III
this port yesterday, we have files Of the
Honolulu Advertiser, and an Extra from
that Office, dated April 18th, giving full
accounts Of the great eruption Of Mauna
Loa, on the island of Hawaii, and the ex.
traordinary phenomena accompanying the
volcanic disturbance.
THE EARTHQUAKES.
The eruption was precluded by numer.
oGs sharp and severe shocks of earth.
quake, which were felt on all the islands
with moro or less distinctnncss, but We "a
more destructive on the Island Of Hawaii
On the 2Sth Of March the shocks began
and wcrc continued with more or less Sc.
verify until the final catastrophe. which
occurred on the I'd of April. The earth
opened in various directions; the sea rose
in extraordinary waves, and the islands
rocked like shrubs in breeze. On
the afternoon of the second the earth.
quakcs above alluded 10 took place, des.
troying number of native villages, aud
resulting in the death of over one hun.
dred persons, according to estimates by
correspondents Of the Advertiser. The
shocks increased in intensity, and during
the afternoon aud night werc almost in
ccssant, the severest being about o'clock
p. ~, when the greatest damage was done
by the earthquake and tidal wave, which
latter swep. away, in one instance, nearly
u whole village. This wave 10 reported
to have been ten or twelve feet above
the usual high water mark, and the re-
ccding Of the sea was about eighteen feet
below low water mark. The sea rose aud
fell eight times during the afternoon and
evening.
The whole island Of Hawaii was envel.
oped in smoke, the gloom of which was
lighted up by a stream of burning lava
flowing down the side of the mountain.
The greatest CONSERVATION prevailed, es.
pecially in the Kaui district, nearest the
mountain, where the loss Of life was
eighty ia all, some being drowned by the
tidal wave aud some killed By the earth.
quakcs. At kio akaa the hill was decap.
itated, the summit being taken of and
thrown a thousand feet over the adjoining
groves, landing in the valley below, with.
out breaking the mass of earth. At kea-
iva, thousand animals, sheep, horses,
goats, etc. were destroyed by the poison
Gus gases which exhaled from the earth
and land slide took place burying thirty.
three natives. On kahuku, back Of the
church, hole sixty feet in diameter and
of an unknown depth appeared, and sim
liar cavities appear on the island. Up 10
the Sth of April, 1900 shocks had oc-
Cured during the past ten days.
DESCRIPTION or THE VOLCANO.
H. NJ. Whitney, editor of the Adser-
tiser, in letter from Kealakekua. Haw-
ali, April 18th, gives an account of what
he saw, from which VIC quote the follow
ing extracts:
On ascending the ridge just west of
and opposite The Mama!u Pail of Kahuku,
aud which was separated from US by a
valley about one.eighth of mile wide,
the whole scene opened before US like one
grand panorama. The valley itself was
hOored over with a pavement Of fresh
pdhOehoe lava, from ten TO twenty feet
deep. which appears to have been first
thrown out, and came from crater about
ten miles up the mountain, which burst
out on Tuesday morning, April 7th. This
crater and stream had ceased flowing, and
the lava was rapidly cooling, so that we
yeutured to stand on it, though at the risk
Of burning our boots and being chokcd
by the sulpburous gases.
On Tuesday Afternoon, at o'clock, a
new crater, about two miles lower down,
aud about two miles directly back oi
Captain Browns residence. burst out with
heavy roar and frightful crash. The
lava stream commenced flowing rapidly
down the beautiful plateau towards
and around the farmhouse, and the
inmates had barely time to escape with
what clothes they had on, before the
houses were all surrounded and enclosed
with streams Of fiery lava, varying from
FIVE to fifty feet in depth. Fortunately
all the inmates escaped safely to Waio.
hinu, but, how narrow the escape was,
and how rapid the stream flowed, may be
inferred from the fact that the path by
which they escaped was covered with
lava within ten NJ mites after they had
passed over it.
The new crater, when visited by Mr..
Swain, was at least one and half miles
in extent, nearly circular, but constantly
enlarging its area, by engulphing the
sides. While the above gentleman was
looking at it, a tract of at least FIVE acres
in extent tumbled in and was swallowed
up like food for the devouring element.
The enlargement is going on mainly on
the lower side towards the farm-houses,
and it is thought that its diameter is al.
ready about two miles. -Four huge jets
or fountains were being continually thrown
up out of this great crater, ever-varying
in size and height, sometimes all joining
together and making one continuous
spouting mile and half long. From
the lower side of the crater stream oi
liquid, rolling, boiling lava poured out
and ran down the plateau, then down the
side of the pail following the track OF
the government road, then along the foot
OF the pali or precipice five miles to the
sea.
This was the scene that opened before
us as we assembled the ridge on Friday
At the left were these four grand foun-
tains playing with terrific fury, throwing
blood-red lava and huge stones, some as
large as house, to height varying con-
n 4 Il Il.