, 1881-10-22
The Crater OF Kilauea-


The following account OF the fearful
crater Of Hilauea is from the Honolulu
Advertiser of July 10Th Tourists to the
volcano for many years past all remem-
Der certain active pools Of lava, the north
and south lakes. which ordinarily bub-
bled and tossed fiery food at depth OF
about 120 feet below the floor OF the
great crater Nov these lakes have all
been filed up. and there have arisen
peaks and cones OF hard lava that rise
over 100 feet above the south bank OF the
grea; crater, which is about 1 600 fest
high But there has burst forth a new
opening III the great crater floor not tar
distant from the Did lakes, and Rev
lake, almost round in form. about Geo
feet across and some seventy feet IN
depth, in ordinary stages below the sur
rounding btink Here the great Rawal-
ian volcano presents the most varied fan
tastic play Of liquid lava Here are some
of the phsses of the play Of FIRE lake. as
recently observed ia the crater OF k,laues-
Sometimes it seems almost to sleep, and
the disappointed visitorlooks down intn a
black valley and observes a smoking pr
giving NO more evidence Of the combus-
ton than a tar kiln. But the observer
stands on the brink of the pit, or srea,
pool or lake, rs now appears, about GOO
feet across, and whose surface IS about 30
feet below him. And what Is this sur
facet II presents dark, silver gray hue,
with satiny shine. This IS a crust OF
auiescent lava. and the observer who has
expected to have his sense of wonder
strained to speechlesspess, says . is this
all r. No. look the frozrn, CLASSY lake
is alive What ,eavs in the centre
some mighty beas, lifting up that hoor.
Now wace of undu!ation ruLs round
the incrusted marcc And there is an
outburst, a blood-red fount, gushing and
bubbIing from one of ea-th's arteries.
The broad disk Of the earth heayes and
trembles. Fitful gaseous flames III:
across, and now the m"ving floor cracks,
and a serrated fissure, like the suture of a
skull runs from mar1e to marSe, and
quick, darting strcaks, sudden cracks "f
the crust shot across in all directions
These serrated streaks are at fist rosy
lines on the grey surface, they then wld-
den like crimson ribbons, broadening to
the view. They undulate with the bill
lowy motion Of the whole npheaving sur
face. Another crimson fount springs up
along the now frettiIg and roaring rim Of
the lake and another and another of the
now wildly upheaving fountains. OF FIRE
toss high their CORY crests, and casting
glouts and clots of the red spray that fall
and harden near the observer feet. By
lniS tiiiic tuc spitp Va oui 4".N'"'' -
aroused The whole fierce red lake is all
boil, and leap, and roar. 1t is more than
the roar of loud sea surfs beating bold
bluffs. The surging tide of the molten
earth sounds a deeper believing bass than
any note of the sounding sea. And now
the heavenward crust broken into frag-
ments is churned up and dissolved in the
boiling food The roaring gulf is now.
indeed, a vortex of indescribable glor:es
and terrors. Caves open on the sides ot
the surrounding wall, and nan sees
more of a hell than he ever imagined.
\ Thousand demons are now holding high
carnival in this bottomless pit t-and the
leap and play of a fiery flood, the dane
and swell of red surging tide, and the
roar and shrek Of the dread forces issuing
from the red-hot pulsating heart Of the
planet make thoughtful observer hold
his own heart and say, "This is enough
the Almighty is here