The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1868-05-22
Awful Scene in the Sandwich ISL
ands

Awful Scene in the Sandwich ISL
ands.
San Francisco, May 8.
The bark Comet, from Sandwich ISL
ands, brings accounts of terrible volcanic
eruptions. Mauna Loa began demonstra-
lions on March 9th, and on the 18th over
one hundred earthquake shocks were felt.
During the following two weeks, to April
18th, two thousand earthquake shocks oc-
Cured at Waischina The earth opened
in many places, and a tidal wave sixty feet
high passed over cocoa trees for quarter
of mile inland, sweeping human beings,
houses and everything before it. The
shock Frustrated churches and houses, kill
ing many persons in all one hundred lives
we're lost, besides thousands of horses and
cattle. The craters vomited fire, rocks and
lava. A river of red hot lava five or six
miles long flowed to the sea at the rate OF
ten miles per hour, destroying everything
before it, and forming an island in the sea-
A new crater, two miles wide, opened, and
throws rocks and streams of fire a thousand
feet high. A stream of lava rolled to the
sea at one tune, Illuminating to the extent
of fifty miles at night. The lava has
pushed out from the shore one mile AT
Waischina, three miles from shore, con-
ical island rose and suddenly emitted a col
umn Of steam and smoke, while the Knono
packet was passing, scattering mud on the
vessel. The greatest shock occurred on
April I'd. Prior to the eruption there was
great shower Of ashes and pumice Dur
ing the great shock the swaying motion of
the earth was dreadful No person could
stand in the midst of this tremendous
shock. An eruption of red earth poured
down the mountain, rushing ACROSS the
plain three miles in three minutes, and
then ceased. Then came the great tidal
wave, and then the streams of lava The
villages on shore were all destroyed by this
wave. Great suffering and terror pre-.
vailed in the whole region affected.
A Honolulu correspondent of the BuHe-
tin gives details of volcanic distur Dances,
showing that earthquake shocks extended
to all the islands of the Hawaiian group,
but no damage known except around Mau-
ma Loa. Numerous and extensive land
slides, accompanied by other phenomena,
destroyed life and property. The summit
and side of hill 800 feet high was thrown
thousand feet over tops of trees and
landed in the valley below. The gases
that issued afterward destroyed vegetable
and animal life. Bottomless assures
opened in the mountain sides one lava
stream flows under the ground, breaking
out in jets six miles from the sea, and
throwing lava and stones 1000 or 800
feet high. The new island thrown up is
400 feet high and is now joined to the main
land by a stream of lava a mile wide. A
large stream of water has burst from the
mountain where the earth eruption oc~
Cured. At the base of the volcano about
three hundred miles in circumference was
deSolated At least half million of prop
erty is destroyed.
The King of the Sandwich Islands had
issued proclamation io1 he relief of the
sufferers. Many visitors had gone fron,
Honolulu, and many will go from San
Francisco The worst is thought to be
over, but the lava flow continues a grand
spectacle.