The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1881-07-30
THE GREAT VOLCANO
Threatens TO Destroy a City
and HarbOr.
SUPERSTITION OF THE PEOPLE.
The Goddess Pele-KiIauea in
Action.

A@bANg ~AoN-N0aAf -"' VA NbSO
eight months. The mighty mountain has
poured forth from its upper vents, near
Mokuaweoweo, the summit crater, a river
Of lava, about fifty miles long, and varying
from halfa mile to four miles in width, which
is now distant a few miles from Hilo, threat.
ening To destroy the town, to fill up the
harbOr, and probably, As on a former oc-
casion of eruption, invade the Pacific ocean
and add many thousand acres to the area
Of the Archipelago. Whilst seeking for
compensation in the view of a possible
great misfortune, it may be interesting TO
note, that whilst King kalakaua is MAX
Ing the tour of the world, in order to bring
more people under his beneficent sway
the goddess Pele may be adding a new APP
panage to His Majesty's dominions.
The latest reports from the eruption in
form us, that the great lava flow that had
reached within two miles of HilO, had hen
broadened its stream to a width of about
four miles; and banked it up in places to q
heighth of over one hundred feet; and there
halted, like a beleaguering force, before
making a final assault, and storming the
doomed city. Already it had sent off a
skirmishing stream, the narrow flow run
ming down the gulch of Kukuau; and should
the great lava embankment burst forth
along its front, the destruction of Hilo would
be swift and overwhelming; with not a
vestige upon the corrugated, and wavy sur
face of black.glass and clinker, to show that
over the spot, the aspirations and spires of a
christian community once pointed TO heav-
ell. But let us draw a more hopeful pic
ture, that the capricious and c~hangeful fire
deity, whose sex was wisely determined by
the ancient and observant Hawaiian mind,
will find vent for the lava flow, down the
ravines of Kukuau to the sea or better
still, simmer down the seething subter-
anean lake that feeds this flow, and allow
beautiful Hilo to rejoice over the passing
away of q great scare, and have her hill
tops ringing with the rejoicings of a CRATE
full people.
The christian people of Hilo recently i'm
plored, in public prayer, the Almighty
Ruler of the Universe to stay the devas-
tating march of the lava flow, but a large
portion of native minds still incline to the
ancient superstition, and recognize in the
~upheavals and outpourings of the great Fire
Mountain the operations of. the mighty
Fire Goddess, Pele; and we lave before us,
in the letter of a native correspondent,
(E. K. W. published in the native paper
EIele POnkOlu a curious illustration of native
superstition. The devastating lava had
been for some time threatening the home
stead ofOne Keoni Holo, and old native, who
had lived for thirty years on a pleasant
kuleana of about twelve acres, fiourishing
with well irrigated taro patches, potato
| patches, and choice fruit trees, within a
short distance of HilO. Keoni had faith
that, although great Pele might not heed
the prayers of foreigners, she would be
touched by the offerings of a true keiki
(sOn) of the soil. He offered his choicest
pig to the advancing food of fire, crying
out: Aloha o Pele. Mohai ia oe 0 Peie.
Hail to thee, ., Pele. Receive my gift, o,
Pele. And the dread goddess responded,
with a puff of steam and a cracking flow of
blood red fire, that smothered the squeak of
the poor porker. Again KeOni stood before
the advancing tide of fire; and offered chick
ems, Ohia fruits, ohelo berries, and a lock of
his hair; but Pele was not to be coaxed by
Keoni. Her cohorts of red wrath moved
onward, licked up with a moments fizzle
the flowing taro patches, cracked through
the orchard, and with a fash and a flicker
rolled over the old mans once smiling
homestead; leaving overspread above its
site, the burning floor of an inferno, a surf
ace of twisted, serpentine folds, and coils of
6NNS@N SANNh - 80 nv OoA
in company with Hon. D.. B. Wahine wit
messed the leap of the river Of fire, into a
small lake, or pond and contemplated with
awe the terrific explosion and roaring vents
of steam, as the death embracing fire, sent
the spirit of the lakelet screaming away to
the upper air.
We learn from recent visitors to the Ha-
lemaumau of Kilauea; or the Everlasting
Homo IF pala D1apu infaraStinn ~ ~ iop1aro
i'm regard to the present state of the great
active crater which is distant about 80 miles
from Hilo. Tourists to the volcano, for
many years past, all remember certain act
i've pools of lava, the NORTH and South
Lakes; which ordinarily bnbbled and tossed
a fiery flood at a depth of about 120 feet
below the floor of the great crater; now these
lakes have all been filled up, and there have
arisen peaks and cones of hard lava, that
rise over one hundred feet above the south
bank of the great crater which is about
one thousand feet high. But there has
burst forth a new opening in the great
crater floor, not far distant from the old
lakes; and a new lake, almost round in
form, about 600 feet across, and some 20
feet in depth in ordinary stages, below the
surrounding brink. Here the great Hawa-
ian volcano presents the most varied
fantastic play of liquid lava. The recent
observers of the new lake find ordinary
language insufficient to convey their emo
ton, and seek expression in fervent poetic
effusion. But such has been the effect on
all observers of the lively play of Pele in
times past. And they have labored with
overstrained description TO describe the
undescribable Ofcourse that which changes
its form, feature and action, every minute of
its existence since it has been observed,
and evidently has done so in ages past, can
not Well be described. There are cert
ain displays of the action of our great vol
cano, that startle our sense of wonder, yet
may be daguerreotyped by description.
Here are some of the phases of the play of q
fire lake, as recently observed in the great