Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-03-31

Column OF EmOke from MAMA
LOR t0,OO0 Feet tn Hight-A seen G
OF PhesOmenaI Terribieness and
sBbitmity.
Two startling volcanic eruptions
have lately occurred in the Ha,
waiiau Islands, which contain the
mostremarkable group of volcanoes
in the world. One crater-Kilauea
is a large lake of molten lava,
that has kept at boiling heat as far
back as tradition goes, with little
change in its appearance, although
sometimes a thin crust is formed
over it by the cooling Of the sur
face. Mauna Loa, nearly $4,000
feet high, has great eruptions about
once in seven years on an average,
pouring out millions of tons of
liquid rock-two billion tons in
1s59-and, having exhausted itself
in these efforts, it sinks back into
quiescence. February 14th it sent
out an immense volume of smoke
that rose to a hight of 10000 feet
and spread out, darkening the sky
over an area of 100 square miles,
and then q stream Of lava started
down the mountain sides, but the
source dried up at the end of six
hours, and the eruption ceased.
Ten days later submarine erup-
ton appeared in the ocean, fifty
miles from Mauna Loa, near Keal-
akeakua Bay. Flames were thrown
up from the sea, and numerous jets
of steam arose on a line about o
mile long, where the sea was from
$50 to 400 feet deep, as if the crust of
rock under the sea had been broken
in a fssure to let the internal or
internal fires out. In many places
Jumps of lava were thrown up, and
it was so porus, somewhat like
pumicestone, that while hot it float
ed away.
From the Honolulu Gazette we
CLEAN the following graphic descrip-
ton:
son Wednesday evening, the
l4th Of February, between nine
aud ten o'clock, without any warn
ing, a very energetic eruption burst
out from near the summit of
Mauna Loa. The mountain top
had been enveloped in heavy masses
of black clouds and smoke during
the preceding afternoon. At $3.50
o'clock it cleared away, revealing
q brilliant fiery red light on the
smoke overhanging the volcano.
From the deck Of the Kilauea, ly-
ing at anchor at Kawaihae, five
distinct columns of fire could be
seen belching from the mountain,
apparently not from the great
summit crater of Mokuaweoweo,
but from a smaller crater, situated
some miles distant from it, called
Pohakuhanalet. The sight was a
grand one, as the columns Of illumi-
mated smoke shot up almost In
simultaneously to an an immense
hight in the air. Mr.. O. ]. Lyons
writes us from Walmea that the
smoke masses were elected to a
hight of not less than 10000 feet
above the top Of the mountain,
where they hung, forming o dense
stratum Of smoke. The velocity
with which they assembled was
such that the first 5000 feet were
passed inside Of a minute. 1t is
the general opinion that the stream
of lava is flowing rapidly down the
mountain side toward Kahuka, in
Kau. When last seen on Thurs
day it had progressed a number OF
miles from the place Of its first
outbreak, but did not seem to have
reached the woods. The illumina-
ton was so brilliant that all parts
of the island were lighted up, and
even on Maui the reflected glare
was so great that in Waikapu il
was supposed that the corn fields
and mill buildings of Makee's plan.
tation were on fire. One spectator
who has witnessed q number Of
eruptions, states that he never saw
a more magnifcently illumined
smoke cloud from any previous
one. During Thursday night the
light was invisible, owing to the
dense masses of smoke which en-.