The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1877-05-23
GREAT EARTHQUAKE WAVE


not observed except in a very few places. AT
Kahului, on the island of Maui, as stated by
correspondent last week, the first unusual
subsistence of the sea was noticed about a
quarter before five in the morning, by parties
who were out in the bay fishing. An observer
in this town who was near the harbor, and
who had his attention attracted by the shout
ing of natives, and saw the exposed reefs,
places the occurrence at exactly the same
time, viz: fifteen minutes before FIVE o'clock.
Mr. ]. ]. Porter, of Hilo, Hawaii, whose letter
We publish to-day, fixes the moment of the
wave, which overwhelmed the village of
Waiakea, at precisely the same time, and the
statement of Captain Smithers, of the whaling
bark Pacific, which was lying at the time in
Hilo Bay, corroborates this. According to
Mr.. Severance, the oscillation of the sea was
first remarked about four o'clock in the morn
ing, nearly an hour previous to the great wave.
The difference between the highest and the
lowest water mark at various localities We
ascertain to be as follows:
Hilo, on east side of Hawaii. 80 feet
IL,
Kawahae, west side Hawaii. 5 feet
kahulu, north side of Maui, % feet
Lahaina, south side Maui. IL feet
Honolulu, south side of Oahu, 4 feet 10 in.
Nawiliwili, S side OF Kauai, 3 feet
As on previous occasions the rise at Hilo and
Kahului was much greater than in other
places, the reason for which, we believe, must
be attributed partially to the CONGREGATIONS of
ba or hot ba;p ta1 he hoo
OF bays, and perhaps partially to some un-
known popularity in the bottom off shore,
and perhaps of the reef.
Complete details OF the catastrophe at Hilo
will be found in the various subjoined letters.
The loss of life was not 50 great as in 1887 or
1868; probably because the population is less
dense now than at those periods. Those
killed comprise one man, two women, and two
young children, all natives. Among those
dangerously wounded was an aged white man
named Parker. The whaling bark Pacific was
in very critical position. A correspondent
says of her, call day long she rolled, and
pitched, and swung round and round, knotting
and fouling her cable, shooting forward, going
astern, careening nearly on her beam ends,
and threating to capsize. Many a time her
keel was on the ground when the flood was
out, and her peril was great Every timber
and plank and spar in her seemed as if in
stinct with pain. Her restless motion was
constant" 1t was fortunate that the bark D.
G Murray and steamer Kilauea left Hilo the
evening previous. Had the latter been at her
usual anchorage, which is some distance in
side of where the Pacific was lying, the
chances are that she would have been injured
1t may be that the origin of this disturbance
is within short distance of this group A
new island may possibly be in the process of
upheaval two or three hundred miles to the
southeast of the island of Hawaii. But we
believe that the cause is more remote, and we
shall confidently expect to hear at an early
date of another fearful earthquake on the
neighbOring continent, similar to that ex-
perienced in Ecuador and Peru in 1868, per-
haps in North, but more likely in Central,
or South America.
We publish in full the three following letters
as each contains details not mentioned in the
others
HILo, MAY IA, 1877.
Mr.. EDTroR,-Last Thursday, at quarter to five
O'Clock a. m, this place visited by a tidal wave
from about N. N. E., making straight line for
Waiakea, sweeping all before it, destroying the
greater portion of the settlement carrying some of
the stronger wooden houses quarter If a mile from
the beach, The loss of life, as far as ascertained is
i've Manv ai,p
death most miraculously. The fine wharf and store
house belonging to steamer Kilauea is entirely de-
molished. The long spacious store house at Ohele,
belonging to T. Spencer. completely swept away,
together with As native houses and their con-
tents The store house contained provisions, Shocks
etc., from three ships, together with A large casks
OF whale oil, on storage, from the bark Pacific of
New Bedford, nearly all of which we have succeeded
in recovering. 1t is most laneutable sight to wit
ness the poor destitute natives with their families
They haze lost everything they possessed. Their
potato and taro patches destroyed. We are all
doing the best we can to assist them. The staunch
irOnbridge over the Waakea River, put up by Mr..
A. Young some years ago, was carried away up the
river on to the opposite bank. The fsh.ponds be-
longing to the Crown, have all been washed away.
On the side of the bay, from the Waioama to the
Wailusu river, some eight nine houses are swept
AWAY. l should judge the height Of the wave was
all of 80 feet rise and fall. Messrs. Reed and Ssson
have lost considerable lumber from the wharf.
Packages of doors, sash blinds, redwood lumber,
furniture, etc., etc., were picked up in the bay as
far as kaiWiki. 1t is almost impossible to give an
estimate of the loss in destruction of buildings and
other property, taro patches, etc. should Judge
that $4,000 would not cover it. am Of opinion
that this trouble is not local. but come from abroad
as we have not received any tokens of a shock to
cause an earthquake consequently cause for It'd al
wave. We have yet to hear from Kau and other
places where we fear much damage and loss of life
has happened. Yours truly, JOHN ]. PORTER.
HILo, MAY IL, 1877.
W. c. PARKE, EsQ.-DEAR SIR,-We have had
great disaster in Hilo. On Thursday, the 10th,
about m the in the bay was seen to rise and
fall in unusual manner, and at a. m (just at
dayight) it swept in in great wave washing up in
to the lower street of the town. into Conways store
where the water was about inches deep. great
deal of sssOn's lumber was swept away, and all the
stone wall maka Of the wharf, which, strange to say,