, 1873-01-05
A Visit to the Great Volcano Of the
Sandwich Isi~nlS.
Eruptions Of the Last Hun
dred Years.
The Mountain in Active Volcanic
Action for the Last Five
Years.
A Descent. into the Cra"er OF
kliauea,
C0l1lEins OF Smoke, Lakes Of Fire,
and Spouts Of Flame.

C0l11rlns OF Smoke, Lakes of Fire,
and Spouts Of Flame.
Experiences Of n German TTareller-.~
The Connection Of Earthquakes
---Flows Of Lara.
Spe=fal Cauespondenee Of The CHICAGO Tribune
HoSosC1u, Sandwich 1slands, Dec. 10, 1872.
Before proceeding to give yon an outline Of a
visit just made to tho great voleanonow in active
operation on one OF these islands, let us take a
Retrospective glance At .*''.
PREVIOUS EnUPI1oxs.
me only island in the group which is known
to have been in state OF volcanic action within
the memory Of man is Hawaii.
On this island are three large volcanic noun
;tains AIauna kea, the crater OF which has long
been extinct Mama Hualalai, On the western
coast, which has not been in action siuco 1901 !:
and Afauna Loa, the ono nov in state OF great
volcanic activity.
This mountain Is one OF the most remarkable
in the world, in size and beauty, and in the mag
nitcde and extent Of the flow OF lava issuing
from it.
It's height is 1850 feet, being only exceeded
By the volcanoes OF Cotopa11, in Eqnado7, and
Popocatapetl, in Me1ico.-the former being over
1900, and the hitter over 5000 feet. But
thase rise from tab1e-lands, showing only q, 900
or 5000 feet from their base while Mama Loa
rises in one grand mountain nearly "A 600 feet,
directly from the sea,-prosenting from the yes
sci, as you approach it, ono of the sublimeet
'eighta. It hiss two large crate1s: one at the
sun1nit, called Mokuaweoweo tho other, Iii
lauea, is on the southern slope, only 1000 feet
from the base Of the mountain.
During the last hundred years, there hare
|been nine great eruptiona previous to the pres
ient, from one Or both Of these craters.
The first WAS in 1889, from Ki1auea, it's mani
hestations being in southeaste1ly direction be-
tween that c1ater and the sea. Over 400 lives
are supposed to haye been lost at that time, be-
ing part Of the army fighting against Kameha-
1nehn L, who were marching on the side of Maui.
ina Loa Mountain. This destruction Was by the
natives attributed to supernatural agencies, and
greatly aided Kamehameha in the conquest Of
dhe islaud.
The second wes in 1928, and the others in 1882,
1870, l84s, 1852, 1855, 1859, and 1868. Those Of
1882. 184S, 1852, 1855, and 1868 we're from the
c1ater at the summit OF from both; while, in the
.e1uptions OF 1852, 1855, and 1859, new craters
were formed at an elevation Of 5000 feet or less
above the sea- 1t each Of these times, the vol
cano first manifested ITSELF from the crater
at the summit, and, after burning
for n dsy or two, broke out
With redoubled fury several thousand feet far
ther down the mountain, thus demonstrating,
most un1istakably, the vast extent and power
of the agencies at work underneath.
At this time there is great activity at Kilauea,
while the other orator ia Numbering. It was
but recently awake, however, and, du1ing
whole month. from the middle Of August to the
middle Of September Last, the monntaia was
sending up huge column Of Lava 500 feet high
:ffom the crater at the very summit.
i. The volume OF lava issuing from this volcano
is immense. In 1859, it kept on it's course for
forty miles, and vas only stopped by coming in
contact with the ocean Rocks we're melted in
its path; forests were burned up and destroyed;
everything in Nature gare wsy before it !; and,
when the he1y mass 1t length reached the sea.
the reports Of exploding gases we're heard for
25 miles, while the water was 80 heated that fish
came ashore in gzeat numbers, at Kawaihae, Is
miles distant.
The last eruption dates from great earth
quake, which took p1ace On the I'd Of April, 1868.
Since that time Kilanea has been in active oper-
atlon, with occaaionsl e1nptions from the crater
eA~~ AAAAAAAAs
JOURNEY FROM HONOLULU.
From Honolulu, the traveller must make
tea-royage Of about $50 miles to Hilo, on the
EASTERN coast OF Hawaii Ialsnd, shout 50 miles
N steamer. T1me,: including stoppages III
ports by the way, nearly two dnys.
At Hilo, re procured horses and guide, aud
proceeded ae across tho country bya circuitous |
80 miles, owing to the roughness Of the road. |
though ~ it is sometimes made in / |
day Throughout the entire distance !
the road lay over volcanic rocks, sometimes with
thin sou over them at other times, the path,
face Of the rocks.
tor four or five miles. near Hilo, there was |
m e1tenhiTe aud very lu1uriant growth OF
FoREsr-rnEEs,
eme & al TiEs a1as peculiar to h.sh this tEopesl
govt, not unlike ss'' the e'At forests snasap on
Ehe Isthmus OF Panamn. There were the pdDaia /
a,ffu,t-tree; the tai, tea-plant; tho male, myr-
ta.i; ne me sse The papla', large and beautiful
no nss ornamental purposes; the naaia banana;
sae a'eapuhi, native ginger; the hala -kuhui,
pineapple; the ohia, used for Mes,ood the hd-
2, tree braced with roots above ground,
M nMtanching IN every direction; the one, bamboo;
NE pso, OF a1roWroot; the g1tapa the 7'sun,ahf,
.species Ct mulberry, etc., ETC., with the alani,
81 oranEe treo, occasionally appearing near tho |
'oad. These last had, I believe, been planted.
~ ,p.onouuc1nE these Hawaiian words, each |
soNe1 Is to have separate syllable, and the
soxe!s . are, invariably, to be given the German
tound 4 has the fat sound ; is sounded ike
;ohg lie long e.; o has the long sound; u
{, RAISING out Of this forest, the soil becomes
.e; .ainae1; bnre]y sufficient to support grasses,
y nna pushes Of various kinds, including some OF
'aose mentioned above.
y, beiore leaving tho forest, must not omit to
THE BIRDS,
tome OF whom discoursed sweet music as wa
Passed All can do here is to give the Hawaiian
~ gemes ofsome Of them, leaving the more ecien-
nc sa '9n1asts to classify and describe them They
Mete the 90, the atakana the ii,ci, the anaakMi
she on,ahn, the naanso, the alupaio, the uluai~
the ca, etc. ~14o 'N''~'
tne mama and 90 are the birds from which
ne procured the beautiful feathcrs. usai in
.g nak3ng the cloaks and other costly garments Of
htG9ssliy: h9:s a1Ey:, Tho mama is very much ike our
st.es1ao1o, s.ss1, nnT1ng under each wing tuft Of
Ac2IneIB OF BRIGHT canary rnic~. ~fSn ...ttz. .