The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-12-17
ERUPTION OF MAUNA LoA.

From indications strange things are
happening within the bosom of old bed
| lam earth which may result in our being
shaken mp at lively rate On the Sd
! day of November last old Mount Hood
| asionished the natives by putting i'm
| mense volumes of smoke and steam into
the air, denoting activity far down her
| fiery throat. But a short time after that
the .spack saddle" disappeared from
Mount Rainier, it having in all probabil
ity fallen ini the crater, which choked
it up SO efectually as to produce the re-
cent
SHOCK OF EARTHQUAKE
At Tacoma. Two days after Mount Hood
induiged in her quiet smoke Mauna Loa
on the Sandwich Islands, and the ques-
ton arises whether or MOI there exisss a
sy mpathy between these mighty noun
taiIls, similar to that between Mount
Hecla in Iceland and Mount Etna in
Sicily. Sarely these events indicate such
sympathy and suggests the idea that we
are treading on dangerous ground, in
fact crust of earth over eternal con-
sumlng fires. Let's emigrate. While
speaking of volcanoes, the hidden fires,
and the earthquakes wnich shake old
Moss-GRowN PYRAMIDS,
1t will be of interest to read description
of the grand sights being witnessed
around Mama Loa. of Hawaii, on the
Sandwich islands, which is in active
operation at the present time. A writer
gives the folio sog gfapnic account
written at Wafnea, November 1ith:
We pitched ouc tent uader the lee of the
hill and alongeide OF some fine Mamani
trees, where we coCld see the whole
slope of Msuna Loa, but not tae whole
p.e7n. Clouds and fog had now en-
velooed the whole plain and mountain.
e1d not light could we see We
climbed the hill side, however, and sat
down under the lee of some bushes and
awaited the clearing up OF t1e fog and
oloc5s. It was not long before old
Marina Loa lifted It's bald head above the
tops of the snowy clouGs and
BRILLIANT LIGHT
Burst on our view from the summit In
a few minutes we could see the whole
'iae of fire along the summit, down to
the terminal crater, where an intense
bright light showed us that old Pele was
true to herself and was preparing a
sight for all. seldom to be seen. AS the
CT tine mountain, we saw tremendous
river OF fire pouring down the steep
sides. We could see it distinctly down
the slope, till il r n in:o the fog bank,
which had settled like huge snow bed
all over the lowlands. The fire was an
intense While ligat and was running
furiddsly downward. After waiting till
eleven O'Clock, and The Jog not cle.. ing
off the plain we went back down % the
camp and watched the ma9n sicent show.
About half paso Twelve the fog liffuung,
two of us went up the side of the b IL to
wards Puma to see the s-ghs, and what
sight it was. Almost 1tier our feet lay
lie end of the flow slowly pushing its
way along through the scrub mamani.
The whole steam lay before us. Soon
the moon set, ald still it was light
enough to see to read. Away above us
in the heavens shone
THE BRILLIANT FOUNTAIN HEAD,
And thence to the end was a continu-
Gus stream.of liquid lava, brighter by
far than fire, as we could see how pale a
fire looked in comparison whenever
bush took fire and burnt up alongside.
There lay river of fire before us ut
least thirty miles long every inch of
which was one bright rolling tide of
fire. There was not single break in the
whole length. It divided about mile
from the top and ran down, forming
parallelogram, joined again and ran
five miles below The whole front edge
being about three fourths of mile wide
was most intensely brilliant light, and
as it slowly advanced and rolled over the
small trees and scrub. bright flames
would flash up and die out along its
whole edge. As we sat there in the cool
still night watching it, every now and
then a report as if q cannon broke on the
stiffness, all along the line of fire, caused
suppose by the heating of air under the
new lava in the
OLD LAVA CAvERNS
And bursting up through the crust.
Then too occasionally deep, but loud
rumbling noise weuld almost start us
from our seats. evidently coming from
the deep recesses of the old mountain, as
| if it was sponting forth it's fiery food.
The cannonade was very frequent, now
right close to us, and again coming from
distance away up the side of the
| mountain. could compare the whole
view with nothing, but like ssreak of
chain lightning frozen in its tracks, as
the fire seemed to come out of the heay-
ems. IL was 30 lar aDONe uS. AS We Stb
| there watching it, all at once huge
dome of molten lava was thrown up
about half way up the mountain side,
and continued to flow over like an inn
mense fountain as long as we watched. it.
We also saw another stream of lava start
from the fountain head and run right
along the tor ridge of the mountain for
about two miles, and then apparently
stop. There was no fountain throwing
up lava on the top of the mountain, only a
STEADY RUSHING STREAM.
About half-past two we descended to
camp and turned in for a few hours
4 sleep. The next day after breakfast we
made futile attempt to reach the flow
directly opposite Kalaeeha, but as the
fog and mist was very thick, gave it up.
] On my return / again made the ascent to
where we viewed the fire the night be-
| fere to determine the position of the
whole Row. Before reached the place
he mists cleared eff and I had splendid
view. I found that the fire had origin
ally broken out away up the mountain
side, had flowed along the mountain to
where the flow of 1866 had broken
out, and ct the same place again started
down and running over the old flow q