Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-09-18
A RIVER OF FIRE.

Graphic Description of the Largest Active
Volcano In the World---Miles of Melted
Lava Carrying Death and Destruction in
Its Track.
Correspondence of the St. Paul Globe.l
HILo, SANDWICH ISLANDS,
Aug. IL, 1881.
Hilo (Helo) is village on the eastern
coast of the Island of Hawaii How'll nes
tied in densely wooded cove sloping
down from the Mountain of Mauna Loa.
The harbor here is semi-ci of about
two miles, and beautifully fringed with
cocoanut trees, growing down almost in
to the surf of the ocean, and the ample
beach is covered with one dense mass of
tropical greenery, dotted with handful
of cottages, containing population of
two or three hundred. This place has
long been the missionary center of this
island.
From this region of perpetual summer
the eye can take in at a glance the do
main of an endless winter, the snow
crowned peak of Mauna Loa. At present
large river of molten lava is rolling
down this mountain from volcano near
its summit in the direction of the sea,
and the advanced flow has reached to
within one mile of Hilo A student rent
took place in the mountain on the 5th day
of last November, through which flood
of fire has been pouring ever since, now
having reached distance Of fifty miles,
| including curves and sinuosities. The
width of the stream varies from one to
five miles, and the depth, according to
the face of the country, from twenty to a
1000 feet, crossing and filling up i'm
mense chasms, ravines and gulches. The
red hot CORY mass having spread very
wide, is advancing but slowly, now at the
rate of about 800 feet day. 1t is about
the consistency of mush and rolls in
waves. When one wave flattens, cools
and becomes stationery, another succeeds
and passes over it, and in
like manner another, until layer
after layer of lava stone is added to the
surface of the earth. Forests, planta-
lions, houses, and everything within
reach of this resistless flood have been de-
stroyed. At night red glare can be seen
along the line from one end to the other.
The Christian people of Hilo are i'm
ploring the Almighty Ruler of volcanoes
to stay the devastating march of this
flood, and leave them their beautiful vii
lage; and the natives, with minds still in
clined to superstition, are daily making
sacrifices to the god of fire. Hundreds Of
live animals are thrown into this seeth-
ing, boiling lava; preferably hogs, goats
and dogs. They also give up their choicest
clothing to the flames. Similar volcanic
eruptions here are not unusual. The first
recorded eruption took place in 1882, and
the last in 1868 At each eruption the
river Of fire poured down the mountain
and reached the sea.
The greatest volcano ON the islands,
and indeed, the largest active volcano in
the world, is thirty miles to the east of
Mauna Loa, on the same mountain range.
The native legend claims that it has been
in perpetual activity for more than 500
years, but if we were to estimate It's age
from the work performed, we would make
it much older. This crater has thrown up
fluid lava and spread it over an area of
forty miles of country, layer after layer till
an altitute of 4 ,00O feet has been reached.
The lava does not flow from the top of the
crater now but has found Subterranean
outlet.
From Hilo to this crater Kilanea the
distance is forty miles and over a road
almost impossible, thirty miles of which
is a perpetual upward scramble over
bare, rugged lava rocks. At Hilo it is
customary for traveller to secure horse
and guide to make this trip. secured the
| former but not the latter, as this is the
safest country in the world to travel ia
no wild ANIMALS, no snakes, no insects and
no tramps; and to get lost is impossible, as
days travel in any direction would take
one in sight of the ocean. The first few
miles from the little village, on the road
to the volcano, was over flat, swampy
ground, where the old lava had decom-
posed, making very rich soil-the
grasses grew higher than the horses
back, often entirely hiding the
narrow trail. After riding an hour
a dense forest was reached
that seemed impenetrable; nature oc-
eupying every foot of space with forest
trees and tropical vegetation. The forest
begrudged the natives a narrow foot
path, and they were obliged to throw up
stone wall four feet high on each side
of the path as defense against the rank
vegetation. Between these walls there
is just room for riding single file, and
through the entire jungle, a distance of
five miles, the track is arbored over with
the densest tropical growths. The leafy
trees are entwined, entangled and almost
suffocated by numerous climbing plants
and vines, from the size of whip cord
to the size of mans arm, forming net
work from the ground up, and over
hanging the tops of the highest trees.
The sun was wholly excluded and the
shade in places was almost
total darkness. The air was
still, close and sitting, and
to emerge from this dense wilderness was
great relief. This spot has all the con-
dltions that favor prodigal growth of
vegetation, rich soil, abundance Of rain
and constant heat Outside of the jun
giles of Central America have never seen
anything to compare with this tropical
wilderness.
But once out of the woods, the way be-
comes more toilsome. The trail, almost
illegible, extends over an expanse Of hard,
rough, jagged lava, in places cliffy and
almost impossible. There was just suffi-
cient growth of grass and scrubby trees
-