Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-10-11
An Island on Fire.

lluWll Nre TWO, IlfSt, the crater o.
Ki-lau-o-a, situated upon the eastern
slope OF this mountain, and about mid
way between its summit and the sea. II
is vast pit, nine miles in circumference
sunk in the flank of the mountain, and
varying in depth, in different years, from
n thousand to fifteen hundred feet, nc,
cording as the sea of molten lava beneath
Its floor is at high tide or at ebb. Fol
years this floor will be slowly raised by
the accommodating lavas below and when
their lateral pressure becomes ut last toe
great to be resisted, the molten torrent
rending its way with irresistible force
through rock and earth, and shaking the
whole island with the throes of it's pro-
gress, finally breaks to the surface, five,
ten, or twenty miles from the crater.
The river of fire leaps from the ground,
mighty fountain that sometimes plays
thousand feet high, with n jet that is
several hundred feet in diameter, and
pours down the flank of the mountain
toward the sea. This it often reaches,
charging the area of the island by push
ing out new capes and promontories of
lava into the water. The lava thus elected
may remain, in many places, warm and
smoking for months after the eruption
has ceased yet [ have seen spots where
the natives, pulverizing the cooled lava,
and mixing with it q few dead leaves
before planting in it, had obtained good
crops of sweet potatoes from what u year
before was torrent of liquid fire. Ma
ture thus renews the soil-furnishing q
bran-new article at each eruption, white
hot from her chemical laboratories in the
center of the earth.
With each eruption "the bottom is
knocked out" so to speak, of the great
crater of Ki-lau-e-a. The flood of molten
lava upon which it rests is rapidly
drained away, and the vast floor Of in
durated lavas, an area Of six square miles
at the bottom of the pit, goes crashing
still further downward, three, four, five
hundred feet toward the central fires
as when the wator-to compare great
things with small-is let off from frozen
mill-pond, and the ice settles down upon
the bottom. The mountain is prob
ably not entirely solid and compact, as
the layas are extremely fluid, and in
running off honeycomb its structure,
leaving numerous cavelns behind them,
through which subsequent eruptions
force their way. Yet the pressure re-
quired for the lava to rend the mountain
wall is estimated at not less than five
hundred pounds to the square inch, or a
million pounds for stream two feet deep
and seven feet broad. When the breadth
OF the lava stream is measured by miles
instead of feet, force enough is exerted
to shake the island to its very founda-
tons.
The grand oruptions of the Ki-lau-c-a
occur, with some approach Of regularity,
at intervals of about eight years. BIT
the volcano does not, like Vesuyius,
Etna, or Stromboli, confne its activity
to special occasions. The fire RACES con
tinually in the southern end of the great
crater, where lake of melted lava losses
its red surges and pours forth its sui
phurous vapors without ceasing. This
lake, the "Halc Mau. mau," or "House
Of Everlasting Fire" of the old heather
mythology, may be safely approached
by the traveller at almost any time.
The appearance of this lake varies
greatly, however, at different times.
Sometimes the lava is 50 far sunkcn
below its banks that the travel cannot
reach it, and comes away quite disap-
pointed with what he has seen. Again,
In times of great activity, the fiery sea
may overflow upon the bottom of the
crater, or force itself up through numer-
Gus cracks and chasms in the floor of
ndurated lavas. | was once in the bot
tom of ki-lau-c-a when the lava, boiling
up from below, ovcrhowed its banks in a
manner so uniform and measured so as
CONCEAL around the edges of the great
lake, and build for itself barrier around
the fearful cauldron of fire. The lava,
thus walled in, gradually rose many feet
above the level where ] with others stood.
at first quite unconscious of the terrific
process that was going on so near us.
The fiery waves, tapping over the margin,
concealed where they fell, and thus
builded up, little by little, their inclos-
ing wall. The surface of this sea of fire
was elevated about thirty feet above the
level of the bottom of the crater; it was
a boiling mass of fluid lavas, half mile
III diameter, that surged and Numbered
and sent down threatening roar.-
Splashes of liquid fire, hurled over the
of its combining barrier, fell
among our company. Warned by this
danger, we withdrew to Il short distance,
and awaited the breaking forth of the
imprisoned fire. We had hardly gained
our new point Of observation before the
lava wall gave way in two places with Il
laundering crash and roar, and from
each of the rents thus made Il torrent of
liquid fire poured over a cliff fifty feet
high, into the rough channel of former
flow. Roaring, glowing, smoking, and
wreathed in blush flames, it ground
along the lava channel with a peculiar
dull thunder, that was caused by the
ponderous weight of the molten mass.
1t Tapped up huge rocks and bore them
away upon its surface | could see them
oscillatc sluggishly upon the red river,
and finally melt and sink into it like SC
much wax. The power and splendor OF
this sudden display, the fierce sweep of
the mighty torrent, the strange process
that had heaped up the flood of lava to
disgorge it with such resistless power,
all made spectacle never to be forgotten
by any of the party who witnessed it.
Dr.. T. N. Coon, in Scrjbne1''S for October.
Punishment of the Wheel.