Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-06-04
Effect of the Submarine Earth
quake at Hawaii.
The following is an account of the disaster a,
Hilo from 40 eyewitness
To W. O. Parke


HLlo from 40 eyewitness;
HrLo. May II, 1877
To W. o. Parke:
Dear sir--We have had great disaster at Hilo
On Thursday morning. the 10Th inst, about four
O'Clock. the sea in the bay to rise and
fall 10 an unusual manner, and at five O'Clock il
swept in in . mighty wave, washing up and into
nearly all the stores in the front of the 70 wn,
carrying Of great deal of lumber and all the
stone wall of the Maksi wharf. The perpendicu-
lar height of the wave has since been ascertaincd
by leveliing tube to have been IL feet inches
above the ordinary low water mark. AT Waiakea
the damage was fngbtfal. Every house within
100 yards of the water was swept away. The
steamboat wharf and stofehouse, Spencers store
house, the bridge across the stream and the dwell
ing houses were swept away in an instant, and
now lie 3 mass of ruins far inland.
Five lives were lost and q number OF people
were bruised and had limbs broken. The body OF
woman was found by boats off Hoolii. The
boats of the American whaleshp Pacific, Captain
smithers, lying in the harbor picked up six people
who were swimming for their lives ia the bay.
The Pacific was lying IN four fathoms Of water,
but she grounded when the sea receded and then
would be whrled round aud round as the sea
came In again. Ali expected TO see her drag
ashore.
The sea continued 10 rise and fall all day. /
timed one of the tides in the morning about seven
O'Clock, and from its lowest ebb 10 it's food was
only about four mioutes. 1t rose about fourteen
feet perpendicular height in that time. In tue
afternoon in the space of one hour the sea 10 e
and fell three tunes, with q height above high tide
level of ten and half feet each time. The wave
al Wsiakea must have had perpendicular h.iy ht
of sixteen feet to have taken the bridge aud wharf
where they now lie The water swept completely
over Coeosnut Island, AID the hospital there has
disappeared. Yours in haste,
L. SEVERANCE.
The Volcano OF Kilouea has been unusuall,
active OF late. steamer arriving at Hilo Oh
"Wednesday, May 2, reports that rs she passed
down the Coast on the following night the light of
the crater unusually brilliant. On F,iday,
at quarter to three o'clock p. NJ. several severe
earthquake shocks were felt, followed a few min.
utes later by = jet OF lava thrown up from the
MOOR oil the crater neat the east bank through "A
crack which had evidently been made BY the
earthquake. 1he lava continued to spout at tbi,
place. gradually ascending steep bluff to its sum
NIT, then moving along the stnmus and conuect-
ing the large crater with the smaller one OF XII.
aneski, down into the pit OF which the lava ran.
This continued for SIX hours, the lava being
thrown np in numerous Jets along the line Al
different heights, 1T times reaching 100 ieet.
Frequently there would be Al least fifty OF these
Jets az once, making a magnificent display. Tue
locality Of this eruption and its general character
istlcs appear to be scientifically the those OF
1882, ls40 and 1858. Simu ltaneoasly with the
appearance Of these fires. those OF old South Lake
were suddenly ettnguisbed, and for two day,
following no fires we're seen on X louea.