Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-12-01
GREAT VOLCANIC ERUPTION.
Mauna Loa, Hawaii, Sends Out Rivers of
Molten Lava Thirty Niles Long.

Mauna Loa, Hawaii, Sends Out Rivers of
Molten Lava Thirty Miles Long.
The Hawaiian Gdzette of November 18th
publishes an extra describing the recent
marvellous eruption of the great volcano of
Mauna Loa, which appears to have been
one of the grandest of modern times. 1t
broke out about P. NJ. on Friday, Novem-
ber 5th, about six miles north of the sum-
nit crater of Mokuaweoweo on Mauna
Loa, and flowed down the elevated plateau
lying between Mauna Loa and Kea. send
ing out two branches, one from near it's
source towards the old crater of Kilauea,
and another branch further down, tending
towards the east. On Wednesday, Novem-
llth, the flow could be seen distinctly from
Hilo winding its way towards Puma, with
small branch stream running towards
Hilo The stream running towards Puma
was about thirty miles in length, and from
100 to 200 yards in width, with depth of
about twenty feet.
A correspondent of the Gazette accom-.
panied party to view the grand sight,
and they climbed the mountain side.
Soon, he says, as the fog gradually cleared
from off the sides of the mountain, we saw
tremendous river of fire pouring down
the steep sides. We could see it dis.
tinctly down the slope, till it ran into the
fog bank, which had settled like huge
snow-bed all over the lowlands. The fire
was an intense white light, and was run
ming furiously downward. They then went
towards Puma to see the molten rivers by
night, and, he adds, the moon set, and
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 continuous stream of liquid lava.
There lay river of fire before us at least
thirty miles long, every inch OF which was
one bright rolling tide of ire. There was
not single break in the whole length
The whole front edge, being about three
fourths of mile wide, was most in
tensely brilliant light, and as it slowly ad-
vanced and rolled over the small trees and
scrub, bright flames would flash up and
die out along its whole edge.
Then there were giant explosions, vast
and terrible, as if the earth was being shat
tered by earthquakes, and 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 immense
fountain.
The next day the party crossed the old
lava beds for about 1000 feet Not twen-
ty feet distant was this immense bed of
lava slowly moving forward with irresisti-
BILE force, bearing on its surface huge rocks
and immense powders of tons weight. The
whole front edge was one bright red mass
of solid rock necessarily breaking off from
the towering mass and rolling down to the
foot of it, to be again covered up by an.
other avalanche Of white-hot rocks and
sand. The mass was at it's front edge from
twelve to thirty feet in hight. Along the
whole line of its advance it was one crash
of rolling, sliding, tunbling red-hot rock.
We could see 10 fire or liquid lava at all,
but the whole advance line of red hot
stones and scoria. There were no expio.
sions while we were near the flow, only
tremendous roaring like ten thousand blast
furnaces all at work at once.
Some fears of the safety of Hilo are still
entertained, but the flow seems turning in
another direction.