Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1881-09-17
ATURDAYrSEPTEMBER IL, 1881.
The Crater Of Kilauaa.

The following pen-picture" OF the fear
FIJI crater Of Ki,auca is from tlle Homo
lulu Advertiser Of July 2G; Tourists to
the volcano for many years past all re-
Irembcr certain active pools of lava,
lie North and South lakes, which ordi
narily dubbed and toSs ed Il fiery flood
at a depth of aboat 100 feet below the
floor Of the great era er. Nov these
likes have all been flied up, and there
have arisen peaks and cones of hard
LAVA that rise over 100 feet above the
: 'uth bank Of the great crater, which Is
about 1000 feet high But there has
burst forth q new opeaing IN the great
crater floor not far distant. from the old
likes, and n new lake, almost round iu
torm,.about 500 feet across and some 10
feet in depth, in ordi nary -stages, below
the surrounding brink. Here the great
Hawaiian volcano presents the most
varied fantastic. play Of liquid lava.
Here are some Of the phases of the play
at Il fire lake, as recently observed in
lie great crater of kilauea Sometimes
/. almost seems TO sleep, and the dis
appointed visitor looks down into a
Hack valley and observes a smoking pit
giving no more evidence Of combustion
than. a tar kiln. But the observer stands
on the brink of the pit, or grea. pool or
Like, rs now appears, about 600 feet
j.. - AI.E- "a - . -. 80.
i,ct below him. And what is this SIR
taeeS 1t presents a dark silver gray
hue, with n satiny shine. Tiis'is a crust
of qqicscent lava, and the observer who
has expected to have his sense of
wonder strained to spccchlessHess. says:
is this all? N-. look the frozen,
CLASSY lake is alive. What II heave in
the .ccntro--eonle mighty beast lifting
up that floor, Now "A wave of undula-
ton runs round the incristcd marge.
And there is an outburst, Il blood-red
fount, gushing and bubbling from one
of earth's ar;efies. The broad disk of
the lake heavcs and trerhbles! ti;ful
EaoNtus liNSiiNo ~ sNiPNN, anu INV TX
moving floor cracks and Il serrated
fiSsure like the suture OF of a skull runs
from 1naTse 10 marge, and quick, darling
tiredkS, sudden cracks ofthe crust, shoot
across in AT directions. These serrated
slrcaks, are, at first ROSY lines, on the
lrIy surface, then they widen like Grim:
ron ribbons, Broadening to the view.
They undplatG with the billowy motion
ofthe whole uphcaving SURFACE. Al
"thef crimson tount SPRINGS up along
The now f~rettiiig and roaring rim Of the
lake; .apd another and another of %
Mildly uplcaping fountains of fire toss
nigh their CORY crcstS, even casting
e,uts and clots of the red spray th.t fall
and harden near the ob,crvcr's feet,
by this tiine thefpirit Of our inferno is
arored.. The whole fierce rcd lake is
I'll boil and leap and ro,r.. IL is more
bold blutfs. The surring tide OF. the
molten earth Sounds a deeper, believing
bass than any. note of the sounding sea.
And new the heaved.up crust brokers
into fragments is Glunrned up and dis
solved in the boiling hocd The rparing
;ulf,is now, indeed, n vortex of indie
ssribJale giories and t~crrors.. Caves
oi,en on the sides of the surrounding
wall, aud a man sees more ofa hell than
lie ever imagined. \ thousand demons
are now holding high carnival in this
bottomlcss pit--and the leap and play
OF a fiery flood the dance and swell OF
- red surging tide, and the roar and
ehriek ofthe dread forces issuing from
the red hot puisating heart of the planet.
make A. thoughtful observer hold his
hand to his own heart and say, ''This is
enough; the Almighty is here"