The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-08-22

On Friday, August 18th, about 10 \. NJ, l nc
tieed the tide to be four feet higher than it is usually.
| watched II from 10 A. II 10 = p II and il rose and
fsl twelve times during the four hours. Ii ruse ~
high that two Iuses nj Kamalo were flooded, and
when the tide went cut il left everything bare, 50
that the natives went and picked up the live fish that
were HOundering about. Yesterday Saturday it
Continued the same, but longer between the time Of
rising aud falling. To-Day Sunday i, continues Us
before, but the intervals are stu longer between. 1t
j. the stEHnges, thing that / ever witnessed At these
Islands. 1 live about 80 yards from the beach, and
therefore hal a good chance to see it.
1t Waimea. kanai.
We learn from Captain Lambert that the tide
rose and fell there, some six feet between the
highest ond lowest points observed, between 10
and IL O'Clock on Friday forenoon, August Il.
No measurements were taken, nor did the occur
renee excite any special notice. except with those
who were engaged in shipping of freight for the
schooner.
From all these reports. tie following facts ap-
pear to be established That the tidal oscillation
Was nearly uniform throughout tie group
hat the tide rose highest and fell lowest OH the
windward or eastern shores Of Maui and Hawaii
that no serious damage was done, except at
IliiO, when u bridge and some fish ponds were
destrOyed-tLat il commenced nearly simultane-
ously Mt midnight, or about fifteen minutes before
midnight, ut tie various points-that the greatest
variations occurred at or about : O'Clock and IL
o'clock, 4. NJ, on the lIth,-that the peculiar
oscillations of the tides continued from forty
eight to sixty hours from the commencement and
thaG at all the places where observed, the sea rose
and fell gradnaHy,-not with n rush, rs in pre-
yipus similar phenomena, but steadily, though in
some places more rapidly. than at others, varying
from fur to twelve inches per minute.
These facts sufficiently prove that the cause of
thc disturbance was quite remote from the group,
and that it arose from volcanic disturbance in or
beyond the sea. All observers unite in the opin-
ION that it appeared as If the islands rose and
subsidized, instead of the motion being in the sea.
But this, we think, must have been n deception,
and the real cause will be found to have been
heavy earthquakes either ut sea OF ON the North
or South American mainland. Earthquake waves
often cross the entire Pacific, and occupy but a
few hours in doing 50. Before our curiosity TO
learn the cause can be gratifed, we must wait
till we receive advices from foreign countries to
the 18th or l5sh of August.
In the mean time, the republication Of the fol-
lowing account, referred to last week, will possess
interest. The similarity between the movements
of the tides in 1887 and 1868 at Honolulu will be
observed:
Notice of Remarkable Phenomena
In he Tides at the StnItoich Islands. November 7h.
1887. by I. Chds. Byd: Rookie, +. IL. {. ).
On the evening and night of November It'll, a
most remarkable commotion of the sea was witnessed
ut Honolulu, i'll many respects similar 10 that wit
nessel Mt these islands in May, 1919. One inch and
n half of rain had fallen during the previous "A
hours the wind was fresh from the N. T., squally ut
intervals. The atmosphere was clear and COOL
Thermometer Ii.5. The Barometer had gradually
fallen during the four previous days, but this even
ing had again risen to 3O.OG, at u O'Clock, when the
alarm was given that the set was retiring. The first
recession WAS the more than .
feet but being unpTeplTel to make observations at
the moment, the exact fall was not measured. The
reefs surrounding the harbor were LETT dry. and the
fish aground were mostly dead. Tue sea quickly re-
turned, and in Is minutes reached the height Of an
ordinary high tide scarcely remaining stationary, 1t
again receiel and fell . feet. This was repeated at
intervals of - minutes. On the third rising II was
four inches above ordinary high water mark, and fell
again u feet four inches. Attcr the fourth rising the
length Of time occupied by the rise and fall varied,
and the rise and fall diminished gradually, but not
regularly. At IL, L. NJ, the Thermometer stood Mt
-, Barometer 3O.O4 wind fresheninS and frequent
showers the ebb now occupied 20 minutes, and the
flow 10. At IL 30 IL became calm with constant
rain. Thermometer 735; BarOmeter 3O.O3. The
ebb and How still continued. occupying the same
E.iAEe q NAAlt. BAN TIT AEN hlNA AAA +AN@1aA LAAA7
continued during the forenoon of the Sth. The IA
pidity with which the water fell, varied III different
parts Of the harbOr. On the East side, the greatest
rapidity noticed was six inches III a minute but on
the North, nj one time during the third recession it
fell twelve inches in 80 seconds. At no time did the
wEter rise higher than IA common spring tide but
the fall was about g feet below lOw water mark. The
same occurrence Is related TO have taken place IN 1919,
when the tide rose and fell - times in the space Of a
few hours. On neither occasion was there any per-
ceptb!e motion or trembling Of the Garth, or unusual
appearance Of the atmosphere.
Since the above was written. distressing accounts
have been received from Maui AMI Hawaii Of the
damage done TO property and loss OF life. On the lee
ward side Of Maui the same rise and fall took place as
at Honolulu, but on the windwaTd part OF the island
the sea retired about 20 fathOms and quickly RETURN
el IN one gigantic wave sweeping everything before 1t,
houses, trees, canoes and every movable object e&=
u0sed to.its fury, At e small village, called hahu-
iui, in the District Of Wailuku, on the sea retiring,
the amazed inhabitants followed it as il receded, eager
~ catching the stranded fish, shouting and hallooing
with pleasure. when suddenly the sea rose pcrpendic-
ular before them like a P~recipice. and rushing TO the
beach, buried the assembled multitudes IN the flood,
and overlooking the shore, swept away every house
in tine village but one the canoes and property OF
the natives we're all destroyed. Happily, owing to
the amphibious education of the people, but two lives
were lost here, but as the same occurrence happened
all along the seaside We shall probably hear OF more
deaths
At Byron's Bay. on Hawaii, the same phenomena
took place. An unusual number Of persons were col
lected together attending a protractei meeting, con-
sequently every house was crowded. At half past q
the sea retired at the rate of i or D knots an hour,
reducing the soundings from . to "a fAthoms at the
anchorage, and leaving II great extent Of the harbor
dry. Hundreds of curious souls rushed down to wit
ness the novelty, when a gigantic wave came roaring
TO the shore ut the rate of q or 8 knots an hour, rising
~ feet above high water mark, and fell on the beach
with a noise resembling n heavy peal of thunder,
burying the people in the flood, destroying houses,
canoes, fsh-ponds, washing away the food and cloth
ing OF the inhabitants, large quantities of animals,
fire wood, and timber collected on the strand for sale.
The cries of distress were horrible those IN the water
unable TO swim among the wreck of houses, and
pieces of timber, struggling for their lives, and those
on shore waiting for their friends and relatives The
British whale ship Admiral C0ckburn was ut anchor
in the Bay. and to the timely aid and humane exer-