Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1868-06-12
MAUNA LOA.
The Volcanic Eruption I'm the sand
witch Islands.

MAUNA LOA.
The Volcanic Eruption I'm the sand
witch Islands.
Honolulu april IS, Correspondence Of the New
York Herald.
On the 18th of April the Kilauea arrived
from Hawaii with advices to the sth, bring.
ing fearful account of the destruction OF
life and property on the south end OF tne
Island, In the district Kan. Over l,oOO
shocks of earthquakes had been distinctly
felt In IL days, and were of frequent oc-
currence when the steamer left. AT times
the ground trembled necessarily for the
space of six and eight hours. The stone
buildings In the district which were crack
ed by the shock of the 18th OF March,
were now completely destroyed. The
heaviest shock occurred on Thursday al
ternoon, April Q, at about O'Clock. This
shock was felt all over the group at the
time, but did no damage except on the is.
land of Hawaii. The dreadful tidal wave
followed Immediately after the shock,
doing fearful damage to life and property.
My informant states that he was watching
the coast when the water receded, and,
with the aid of a spyglass, saw the waves
roll in over the tops of the cocoa nut trees.
ments from five or six parties.
Almost every house on the coast OF Kan
was swept away. Forty.seven natives are
known to have been drowned, and it is
feared that the list will swell when all the
facts are known. Some miraculous es-
capes were made. One native was swept
off and carried out to sea, and swan back
after being four hours in the water. A
child not over three years of age: was
seen floating off on the wreck of house,
and rescued by the bravery of native,
who plunged into the sea, and, swimming
off to him, rescued him and brought him
safely to the shore. The boat-wharf, at
the landing of Alnalu, was found inland
about one-eighth of a mile. Bales OF
pull were carried inland and then back
with receding waters, some catching on
the rocks, others going out to sea- The
occassioned but little, if any, loss outside
of this district. The tide was seen to rise
and fall more or less frequently around
Maui and this island.
The first fire was seen 10 issue from
Mauna Loa on the morning of the 9th OF
March, and later in the day was seen is
suing from three or four different points
near the summit. These streams running
together made a stream of lava about
mile wide, which ran down the south
slope at the rate of ten miles day for two
or three days, when Ii was lost to view,
and did not again make its appearance un.
ill quarter past p. NJ. of Tuesday, April
z, when it broke out on the land of kahu-
ku, short distance above he establish
ment of Captain Robert Brown, as near as
could be ascertained at the time. 1t was
flowing toward Paakini, and had probably
crossed this tract of land and so down to
the sea, which it entered at half nine the
same evening creating fearful cowmotion,
sending dense column of steam high into
the heavens. several expeditions have
started out 10 visit the new lava flow. His
majesty and several officers of the govern
ment, members of the diplomatic corps
and others left on the afternoon of the 18th
in the kilauea to visit the scene of the
flow. No other stream is flowing as yet,
although rumor says that at least three
have been seen.
The column of smoke from the summit
of Mauna Loa rose majestically into the
heavens and reached an altitude Of seven
and four-fiftbs miles before it began to
spread. Saturday morning the smoke had
settled down upon this city, at distance
of 200 miles from the crater, so thick that
the sun two hours high could be looked at
with the naked eye, W thout difficulty,
resemblin red ball of fire. The passage
of the lava stream is reported as magni-
ficent spectacle the heat scorching vege-
tation far away on either side, and trees
lying in its course are licked up as though
they were but grass upon a prairie. AT
times jets will be thrown high into the air,
falling around like water from a fountain.
A strange phenomenon is described by a
resident of the district of Kan. At the
time of the fearful shock of earthquake, of
April 2, he was on hill where he could
see far away on either hand. While gazing
at bluff above, and about midway be.
tween the establishment of Messrs. Lyman
and Richardson, he saw what appeared to
be molten lava thrown from the bluff in
stream halfto ihree-quarters of a mile wide
and two miles long, burying houses, men,
and animals in less than three minutes.
Upon q closer examination it proved to
be mass of clayey soil, piled loosely, in
some places 80 feet in height. The same
substance has been forced out of mountain
on line with the woods, in many places.
The earth is cool. n fine stream of water
is now flowing over the soil where none
flowed before. At the time of the shock
no living CREATURE could stand, everybody
was thrown to the ground, and while on
the ground tossed about like an India rub
Der ball, erfectly helpless. Looking to-
ward the sea, land was seen off the coast
where none was ever seen before, and
which disappeared under the waves as
the shock wore off The floor of the crater
of Kilauea has gone down hundreds of
foet. The Volcano house stands, as it
were, upon and island, the earth around it
being cracked in all directions