, 1877-03-21
MAUNA LOA.

Volcanic Erurtton In 4he Sandwich Tslands--s
Column Of Flama Three Miles Eigi,.-.
The scn Fail OF lsoiled Flsil. :
C0rresoondtnce San Frdnctstn Chronicle,
HONOLULU, March 1.-Tho primo news of the
hour. as well Us tho freshest ID tho tntcllitcneu
OF tho grant eruption on Mauna Loa md sub.
murIuc outbreak In 'Kea.aXcakua Bay.
As yet the details received here are
mcngc, hut tho general account,
agreo In rrououncing tho recent OUT
brcak OF tho old safety.valyc Of this icmhphcr
tho Crantlcst OH record. The eruption com.
ucnccd between and 10 o'clock on tho eyctlIng
Of Wednesday, tho 18th ofFebrusey, with great
violence and Without: moments warning.
The point Of activity WIS the old crater on tho.
top Of tho mountain. When tho eruption ro,u.
mcnccd the namcs suddenly burst from tho
mountain and formed magnificent column Of
re to tho height Of TO- 900 feet above summit.
From the dock Of Tho steamer Kiluuea, lying at
anchor Mt Kawnillac, five distinct columns al fro
could be seen helchlng forth from The mountain,
apparently not from tho great summit crater Of
situatel some miles distant from It, cnl1c.l
PohakuhanaleL Tic sight was a grand one, as
tic columns OF illuminated s,nokc shot
Sss " "S,' Il Tin a yTaa 0 veoeg sH 'ns9sS @
tbo t r.t let were psssed sss inso s oi t1s
minute. Afcw days after Intelligence reached
lese that the are 'laa tisappearss to tho great
Ing To start for the scene. But soon after news,
came tlat the great pyretecl,1c exhibition ots
naturn was still on the boards, Or, otherwise
te water md that tc % animation Of To
that tho stream Of laya Is flowing
rapidly down thc3;mountaIn-side toward Kahuka,
number Of miles from tic place ot It's iirst out.
brcnk, but did not seem " have reached the
woods. Tho illumination was SO brilliant that
oil parts Of tho island wcrc lighted up, aul oven
Wal.npu # @as supposed that t',e caac aolls md
mill buildings Of sakces plantation wtrc Oh ilre.
Ono spectator, who has Witnessed a number Ut
craptions, states that he ucycr saw more mug
yious one. Dy sonf6 ararnt Amcrisann "a.
triots tho theory WIS started that Nine. Pcio
had instituted this festival In tlonor OF tho
newly -oeStcd President; but the kanakas cis-
curs!outsts at Kcnlakcakua Bay, tic place
where Capt: Cook met HIS death. There
They. found that subnurino volcano
tho proceeding night. About mile from shoro
jets Of rcd, green, atll yellow fire lrapcd from
the waters, lntcrapersed With columns of steam
and spray that glowed with innumcEablc ruin
bows, the spectacle being olu Of the g1nndcst
ssghts conceivable. lll this locality tho water Is
boiling and whlrIln0 like an Immense gal,irou
M1r o.;' one might better say, kcttleMo.
tho rcpast Of swarnls OF kanatsas engaged Iu
gathering the dainty abundance In their cAnoes-
large quantities Of lava aro u'so thrown up aAd
is either buoyed by tho intensely boiling water
Or sustained by gases that gradually ooze from
{ Ioho 81 tue specimen. Is n light, porous
other Is much sln'.lar, with tkc trccp-
t!oa that II sparkca with stlycry 1ccks.
Tho submarine eruption Is apparently FROM a
scam III the bottom Of the sca, about ,niiv III
land between two and sl,rce miles. Tho f4sncs
on tho water were iirBt nutrcd by the llItIycs aL
O'Clock on tho morning Of tho 18th, and crc-
nted much cousternattou. The dapth OF tho
fnthouls; but Il theeruptlon continues very Ike
ly reel Will DO formed, which would rcndcr thls
Iay ono Of the s'neSt harbors on tho Pacific. As
far ns known no damage has yet attended tho
mated, do not favor tho suggestion Of their old
goddess, prle. getting up u demonstration III
honor OF some foreign people or remote event.
Ono venerable native stst fo;ards tho erup'ioa
thcIf god L1no, snl this Idea is gen
here, ncarly l5o years ago, tho natives
Calico hm Lono. bht When TIE great navigator
was wounded by onc ot their number, all cried
upon they slew hin.. Now tf,at this singular
eruption happens 100 years after Capt, Cooks
death, and on tic very spot whero lta ships lay
hcarcrs: !" IN truth, Capt. cooK was Losio, and
s|"; thsr afsas n rspy aud With one accord e1
Tho first eruption on Hawaii Of which there u
any 4eIiuitU trulttion OCCURRED In 1739, FROM the
kllauca crater, ut whicl, t,lne company Of war.
liors nassinE through Puma. OH their wny 70
light kalnelIamclin were s'not'crcl ly tho hot
There have bcen, lurlng this pcriod VI eighty
cight years. ten great efuptions, not including
tl,o present s,st ons sowlng an ays..
nos u o..iset Volcano q Huaialai, is ii tic been.
ming ot tile present century, being tho only
eruption from that mountain Of which there ia
any tradition. II wAs u extreme violence, aud
Immense volume oi tln7n which u poured into
the sca- The third took paco In 1923 from
kilauea, 0ouding large trAct OF land u kan, tho
lava stroaa being over aye miles in T!dtn @ whe[s
broke out alluost simultaneously In tho crater 0t
KIIauea anI on the summit ot Mauna Loa. In
the latter locality tho luyu was discharged from
dome, and continued flowing Tor two Or tl,1es
weeks. The nth eruption was trUtn kllaucA. iu
lsiQ, ~ which tllne river Of lava flowed sDto
tbs aeA y short distance south Of tho village
tho slxth in tho series took plasp from.
tho summit Of Mama Loa, aud continued for
four weeks, two q reaMs of lava nowluy from
lateral orator on tho north sldo Of the mountain
tion occurred In the year 1869, the lava bf.akli5
out Of tho aldo of MaunA Loa, an1 flowing dF
rcruy toward lilo Tue eruption Of ls55 wAs
1cmsrkaO|e, commencing, in tho summit erats.