The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-04-18
Interesting from the ISL
and Of Hawaii.

Lyman, Esq, Of Kau, and make the following ex-
tracts as of unusual interest to our readers. Under
date Of March S1st he writes:
"We still live in fear and trembling, not knowing
what may come next. You may have already heard
that an eruption broke out on Mauna Loa, a little to
the south west of the summit, about q O'Clock last
Friday morning, 9th inst 1t gave no forcwarning {;
the fire burst up out of the ground, throwing a spray
Of led lava high in the air, then a great column of
smoke rose straight up thousands of feet and arched
over to the east. In a few minutes a new jet was
thrown up n little S. L. of the first, with its column
Of smoke soon followed by another jet and then by
u fourth soon the red lava began running down the
sides Of the mountain in four streams in a ~southerly
and easterly direction. About seven . clock We be-
gan to hear n roaring sound, which grew louder and
louder until the air seemed to tremble with the inces-
SAINT roar of the volcano but it finally subsidel, and
ceased entirely about eight o'clock.
saturday morning, (2Sth March) we could see
smoke, and the flow had apparently run about ten
miles due south from the source but during The day
and part Of the night it was covered with clouds.
SUNDAY morning, (29th March) the line of smoke
had advanced about fifteen miles, since the morning
previous, and seemed to be directly 'mauka' of Capt.
Browns place OH Kahuku, but what seems singular,
from the beginning, no light has been seen from it any
WHICH,, tAttpliH1 uN lHC bouiCC IL Via WIS uESl
seen to flow, only the line of smoke has been visible
since with All occasional vision of light at the source.
In the forenoon OF Friday, the day the volcano
broke out, we had quite n sprinkling Of Pele's hair.
The sensations of the hard earthquakes are pecu-
liar-frst are the harl shakes, then a swaying mo-
ton, rs if the whole island were swaying back and
forth and we with it."
Under date of April 10th he writes:
TUESDAY night, March 3lst,) from about ten
till two in the morning, the shaking was almost in
cessant, and then subsidized. Wednesday morning,
april lst,) about sunrise, there was "A hard shake,
and again about five p. VI. there was u severe and
prctracted shaking with n great deal of swaying to
and fro Of the earth. Nearly all that night the
shaking was very severe and frequent with n rum
bling sound from the south. Thursday, april 2d)
between four and five p. NJ. we experienced the most
fearful of earthquakes! First the earth swayed to
and fro north and south. then east and west, round
and round, then up and down and in every ~imagina-
bic direction for several minutes /; everything crashing
around US the trees thrashing about as if torn by a
mighty rushing wind. 1t was impossible TO stand,
We had to sit on the ground, bracing with hands and
feet To keep from rolling over. In the midst Of 1t we
saw burst out from the top of the pail, about a mile
and a half To the north of us, what we supposed TO
be an immense river of molten lava, (Which after
wards proved to be red earth) which rushed down Its
headlong course and across the plain below, appar-
entity bursting up from the ground, throwing rocks
high in the air, and swallowing up everything in its
way-trees, houses, cattle, horses, goats and men all
in an instant as it were. 1t went three miles in not
more than three minutes time, and then ceased.
Some one pointed to the shore. and we ran to
where we could see it. After the hard shaking had
ceased and all along the sea-shcre from directly be-
low us. to Punaluu. about three or four miles, the
sea was boiling and foaming furiously, all red. for
about an eighth OF n mile from the shore, and the
shore was covered by the sea We went right over
to Nahala's hill, with the children. and our natives,
to where we could see both ways expecting every
moment to be swallowed up by the lava from be-
meath for it sounded as If it was surging and rush
ing under our feet all the time and there We're fire.
quent shakes. In places the ground was all cracked
up, and every rock or pail that conld fall had fallen.
Al Hileo we saw a small stream of black smoking
lava. and outside Of Punaluu n long black point of
lava slowly pushed out to sea and soon disappeared.
In the evening one man, formerly a member Of our
church, came, saying that he had been caught in the
edge of the eruption, and had escaped with his life
but his family and everything he had persisted in an
instant. Many others came during the night who hal