Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1881-09-24
Scraps from the Volcano House Register.


Under tue nlovc heading we shall publish in
tie s,lrRrAY PErss number Of interesting
extracts from he register tina. has been kept al
the Volcano House. at the crater Of kilauea. for
the past six years.
knAutA. Thursday, Feb. I'd, 1866.
The testimony q. all those who visited the vol
ciuo OF hilauea years ago, seems tu indicate that
there was much greater activity apparent thirty
uT forty ye,grs ago, than there is NJ present.
About the beginning of the present century
tradition says that party OF warriors from Hilo
on their way 70 hau, under keoua. brother of
kainelameha J.. were killed while descending the
slope from kilauea to Kan, by the falling of u
cloud of hot cinders thrown out by the volcano.
heoun himself, taking different road with part
81 MS men esc.ped unframed. This account is
considered reliable and may be found in the his
tories of these Islands, and indicates a greater
activity than nj present.
IL September. 1853. u crack opened in the north.
bank Of the crater varying from three t. six or
eight feet i'll width, and being some miles in
length. II was first observed by j. ii. Coney,
bsq., while on his way to kau. Ii crossed the
road from the Volcano House to Kan, upon the
high land at the north side of the crater.
For some years previous TO 1868, the most of the
ares visible were 10 he Mt in the vicinity of
the lake in the southwest part of the crater but
III May or June, 1863 there was an extensive erup-
ton IN the northern part OF the crater, which
Howed over perhaps one-third of the whole basin
of the crater the fresh lava covering perhaps over
= thousand acres
since that time, the second or small lake at the
seems to have become n permanent institution.
The two lakes are perhaps mile and half apart
There Is more or less smoke issuing from many of
the cracks IN a line between the two lakes.
o. II. GuIIoK.
kGLAuHA. Hawaii, Aug. ., 3, 4. 1863
The undersigned left flilo at ssi0A. A. ON the LIST
of August 1866, and arrived at the asylum on the
brink of the crater at 6i5 p. M and all enjoyed a
hearty supper. Professor William f. Bingham
OF Boston, Mass special correspondent of the
Lawrence Scientific School, and Smithsonian In
siitutel together with Mr.. Charles walcott Brooks
of San Francisco, Cal. went down into the crater
and passed the night within ten feet of the edge of
the boiling cauldron. The scene was truly grand
Mount Nesuvius is nothing compared to it. And
this lava Is OF an entirely different nature. Prof
Bingham and Mr.. Brooks Were startled ont of
sound sleep at O'Clock in the morning by vio-
lent pun OF sulphurous vapor, from which they
left in a remarkable hasty manner, leaving
blankets, etc, behind them. After this had passed
away they returned to the brink of the lake of
white liquid fire, and remained until $50 A. NJ
when they visited the new crater. and then return
ed TO the asylum 10 breakfast. During the day
they visited other parts of the volcano The bal
ance OF the party spent the night of August Sd in
the crater Prof. Bingham returned to Hilo and the
balance of the party with troop of servants
passed on to Keaiakeakua bay.
CHARLES WALcoTT Books.