Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-05-28
TIE CRATER OF KILAUEA.

THE CRATER OF KILAUEA.
vnst J.nke Of Fire In the Hawaiian
ls;nM:ss1i'' srcstt"a Account Of u visit by
= correspondent of tho Indianapolis
Journal. who writes from Hilo. Hawaii.
gives long and graphic account of a
recent visit by party Of four, of whom
she was one, to the crater of kilauea,
the largest known active volcano III the
world. She describes it rs vast black
PIT, ten or twelve miles in circumference,
and about l 900 feet deep. The greater
part is stony lake of old lava, with
lnnumerabie creviccs, from which is
sue clouds of steam, and near the centre
was u hugo mould, probably half milo
around tho top and 200 foot high, which
sent up heavy columns of smoke, tho
cauldron of the South Lake, We quote
the writer's account of the descent into
the crater. She says: "Tho path led
first down steep decline covered with
ferns, strawberry plants, ohcio silver
sword and Ohi0 bushes, past tho edges
of deep ravines or between two chasms,
huge powders of lava rock that had
fallen from the cliff above, down long
flight of steep stairs made of poles and
earth and over number of gravolly
ridges that extended like capes and
prolnontories into tho stony sen of
black lava below. Here We rested,
and listened to the echoes that the
rocky cliffs above us sentsback when we
beat on the rocks with our stats,
varied the experiment by beatiug on
the ground, but it gave back such a
hollow, empty sound TINT suggested
that We go to the more solid ground.
when the guide cheered us by remark
ing that for the next three or four hours
We would be walking on thin crust of
fire and lava, and his statement was
verified as we went on, for every now
and then we came to crack where the
stones are white and yellow with heat
SO that We could not touch them, and
emitting clouds of steam and volumes
OF hot air and sulphurous gases. The
lava had assumed most fantastic shapes
OF variety beyond descriptions; waves,
ripPles, petrified fountains, cascades,
coils OF rope, etc. It was twisted and
pulled apart like molasses candy.
leaving the splinters in the mir, it. was
heaved up in hills fifteen feet high and
I'll irty feet around, thrown ups into
cones, compressed into thick LAYERS.
and then broken into fragments, braid.
ed into great cables, and jammed TO-
gether after it had cooled in every con-
ceivable position. In some places
thick, heavy waves of new lava had
flowed over old lava, penetrating every
depression and crevice, pouring over
the sides Of cliffs like waterfalls of
thick tar { Irish J., and hanging in pet
rltied festoons and stalactites downth
sides of huge assures forced apart
in the great earthquake of 1868. The
new lava has metallic lustre on its
surface, the old lava was black, or a
peculiar dull grey, like nothing else In
the world: It gave a crisp, cracking
sound under our feet, sometimes break
ing. through likessa crust of f,now.
sometimes slowly sinking in an. omin-
GUS way that was not reassuring. We
sat down to rest by the side of lava
ridge, but soon became uncomfortable
warm, and going round on the other
side to investigate, found that we were
on an oven that was giving out elim-
mer Of heat looking down a vide crack
of red-hot stones, We saw the glowof
fire below and heard q peculiar sound
OF subdued fage which subterranean
fires give out. The guide here began
picking his way carefully, for we were
nearing the edge of the cauldron,
and walking on the thin surfaces of
raging furnaces. Once I saw 3 large
circular mould with an opening on the
top. and going as near as we dared, be-
held the veritable fires of Tophet down
below, while the heat and smoke almost
,suffocated us. At last the place was
reached. We stood on the bank of an
irregular lake of liquid fire which was
seething and rolling to and fro, glowing |
with exceeding great heat, and sending
up vast columns of smoke. The bottom
Of the cliff was ringed with fire, and
seemed ready to crumble into the lake
beneath the shore line of lava looked
like blood compared with the black cliffs
above it. A cascade of fire was play
ing in the centre of the lake, boiling
up, rolling downward, bubbling, toss
ing up jets of molten lava, and scatter
ing fiery sprays all around it. Then
for few moments it subsidized, and the
lake cooled over on top, thin crust of
gray and black, but it soon heayed up
slowly in the center aud spouted up a
fiery geyser, thirty or forty feet high.
that played like d colossal fountain
several minutes, flinging out showers
and lots of lava, and dashing I'M red
pillows against the cliffs with q sound
resembling surf Oh q rocky shore, only
that it had something indiscribably
hellish or diabolical in It that iilled me-
with an awful shudder., That %swash-
ing, selt-conscious sound, now faint,
now loud, was to me by far the most
impressive part. 1 think I should 20
mad it had to listen to it long, and
realize that it was caused by the rest
less, surging sea of fire that seemed |
tho very lake Of perdition. A part of |
the cliff has fallen in lately, almost d.
viding the luke into two parts, and the
southern part, that further from us.
seemed more active, for whenever the |
smoke cleared away we could see
great fountains and showers Of lava,
tile spray being constantly flung
against the shore, and the pillows being |
INCREASINGLY tossed against the cliff,
dashing and writhing in eternal tor |
ment. Sometimes the wind shifted |
and sent the smoke right5in our faces
it was just like the fumes of lighted |
matches, and set us coughing and |
strangling in q moment. We were at
times almost ufocated, but dared not |
go further ongforthe~ edge of the cliff |
was scanned and SCARED and scorched |
with fires, so that it hung together ini
crisp layers, with wide gaps between,sl
whence issued volumes of smoke and
the peculiar glimmer and glow of great
heat. The place on which we stood I
was so hot that We had to keep moving
about lest our feet should burn, and I /
found by experiment thatI could not
hold my hand over the crevice more
than a few seconds, owing to the in. /
tense heat. The scene below was con-
stantiy changing;z sometimes when the
lake had cr'lsted over, a billow of red
hot lava would roll from under the cliff +
and break in the crust near the shore.
roll again and break in more etc.. ETC..
all across the lake till it was once more
a'mass of liquid fire, that boiled and
dubbed in restless cascades, or spouted |
up jets forty feet in the air. Remem.
Der, there was no fame orblaze about al |
this: it was liquid matter, heated to |
red and white heat, resembling exactly |
the molten irons seen in foundries.
This lake is constantly changing. AtI
the time of our visit it was three orl
four acres in extent and the sl1rfase
was 12O feet below the top of the cliff. |
Huge masses OF rock arc constantly !