The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-06-01
A Further Account Of the Tidal
Wave,

GAN FRANCISCO, May 3l.-By the ar.
rival ot the City Of Sydney We have an
account from the Honolulu Advertiser Of
the great tidal wave on May 10Th. Il ap.
pears to have occurred Simultan neously ali
over the groupe. Al Kasalien Island,
June l, an unusual Subsidence Of ne SeS
was noticed. About a quarter before 5
o'clock In the morning an observer In this
town, who was near the harbor, saw ex.
posed reefs, and places the occurrence at
exactly the same time.
III. Porter, Of Hilo, Hawaii, fixes the
movement oil the wave which over
whelmed the village ot Waikeo at pre-.
cisely the same time, and the statement Of
Captain smithers, OF the whaling bark
Pacific, which was lying at the time In
Hilo ay,corroborates this. The difference
at thetime between the highest and lowest
water mark at the various localities We
ascertain 10 be Us follows: Hilo on The
east side Of Hawain, SO feet; Kapkala
Bay on the west side Of HawAin, 80 feet:
Kahuli on the north side Of Moni, %
feet; Lahahi on the south side Of Moni, %
feet; Lahalna on the south side Of Moui,
IL feet; Honolulu on the south side OF
Oahu, 4 feet 10 inches; NaWailiawali on
the south side Of Kanah, 80 feet. In
some cases the difference in the height Of
the wave may be accounted for by a
con6guration OF the coast and the out.
lying reefs.
The following is an account OF the dis
aster at Hilo from an eye witness:
Hno, May 81.
". 0. Parks, Eq.
DEAR sIR-We have had great dis.
aster at Hilo. On Thursday morning,
the 10th inst, Just about IA. NJ, the sea
in the bay was seen TO rise and fall in an
unusual way and at o'clock II swept in
In mighty wave, washing up and into
all the stores in front OF the town, carry.
Ing off great deal Of lumber and all
the stone wall OF Maxi. The perpendic.
ular height Of the wavc has since been
ascertained by leveling to be IL feet 8
inches above ordinary low water mark.
At Wakai the damage was irightful;
every house within 100 yards Of the
water was swept away. The steamboat
wharf and storehouse, Spenceris store
house, the bridge across the stream and all
the dwelling houses were swept away in
an instant and now lie a mass Of ruins
far inland. Five lives were lost and
number were bruised and had limbs bro
ken. The body Of n woman was found by
boats of the Hoalii. The boats Of the
American whaler Pacific, Capt. smithers,
lying in the harbor, picked upsix people
who were swimming for their lives in
the bay. The Pacific was lying in four
fathoms Of water, but she grounded when
the sea receded and then would be whirl.
ed around and around as the sea came in
again. All expected to see her dragged
ashore. The sea continued to rise and
fall all day. timed one Of the tides in
the morning about 7 o'clock, and from
its lowest ebb to its flow was only about
four minutes. Itrose about fourteen feet
perpendicular height in that time. In
the afternoon, in the space Of one hour
the sea rose and fell three times, with
a height above half tide and level
Of 10l and 8 feet each time. The wave
at Wakai must have had perpendicu.
lar height Of 10 feet to have taken the
bridge and wharf where they now lie.
The waters swept completely over Cocoa
nut Island, and the hospital there has
disappeared. Yours in haste,
(signed) LIS. EyERANcE.
The volcano Of Rilainabon has been
unusually active Of late. A steamer ar.
irving at Hilo Wednesday, the 22d inst,
as she passed down the coast in the
night, the light Of the craters were bril-.
liant. On Friday morning several pretty
severe earthquake shocks were felt, fol-
lowed later by lava being thrown up
from the floor OF the crater, near the east
bank, through crack which evidently
had been made by an earthquake. The
lava continued to spout at this place,
gradually ascending the steep bluff to
the top, then moving along the isthmus
connecting the large crater and the small
one OF Kilaniki down into a pit. This
continued for six hours, lava being
thrown up in numerous jets along the
line at different heights. at times
reaching nearly hundred feet
Frequently there would be at least fifty
Of these jets at once, making a magniG-
cent display. This eruption and ils gen
eral characteristics appear to be identi-
cally the same as those of 1887, 1910 and
1868. Simultaneously with this the fires
Of old South Lake were suddenly extin-
guished, and for two days following no
fires were seen in Kiloya.