Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-07-20
A FIERY RIVER.
Overflow of Liquid Lava from the
Sandwich Island Volcano of Mauna
LOa-A Magnificent and Terrific
Sight.

Honolulu papers, per the city of New
York, contain alarming letters from Hilo.
which is threatened with destruction
from lava from the volcano of Mauna
Loa The population is preparing to fiy
from the fiery flood. Two streams Of
LIQUID lava are coming in rocky channels.
which are sometimes filed with roaring
waters, but are nearly dry at this time.
These two gulches are too small to hold
the seething mass, and the fiery flood
overruns the banks and spreads out on
either side. The united width of the
streams may vary from fifty to two
hundred feet. Going down the sleeper
parts of these rocky beds the
roar is like that of the surf, and often
correspondent says "About Wednesday
of last week the old mountain was OBJ
served to be more than usually active,
the whole summit of the crevasse pour
ing forth immense volumes of smoke.
By Friday noon the three southern arms
all joined into one, rushing down the
gulch in a rapid flow. Saturday noon it
had run a mile Monday morning it was
reported to have reached the fiat back of
the Halai hills. The stream was entirely
confined to the gulch and intensely ac-
tive when about half a mile from the
flats. The flow on the average is
seventy-fve feet wide and from ten to
thirty in depth, and filed the gulch
up level with the banks. The sight
was grand. The whole frontage
was one mass of liquid lava carrying on
its surface huge cakes of partly cooled
lava. Soon after we reached it the flow
reached hole some ten or fifteen feet in
depth, with perpendicular sides. The
sight as it poured over that fall in two
cascades was magnificent. The flow
was then going at the rate of about sew
enty five feet an hour. About midnight
we noticed diminution in the activity
OF the gulch flow, and soon saw bright
red glare above the tree tops, and pres
emily were startled by burning ''gas
bursts" and the cracking and falling of
trees somewhere above. The whole
sky was lined with the light
of burning trees and shrubs. About
2 a. m. we made an attempt to
reach the scene of the great activity and
succeeded by going up the south side of
the gulch quarter of mile. The on
coming overflow had swept over the
banks Of the narrow gulch, and was flow
ing like water into dense grove of meme
leau and guava trees. There they stood
in a sea of liquid lava over space of
more than an acre, while the fires were
running up their trunks, and burning
branches and leaves overhead. The flow
was so rapid that the trees were not cut
down for more than TWO hundred feet
from the first Of the flow. In one place
we saw huge dome of half-melted lava
rise up fifteen or twenty feet high, and
twice that in diameter, and apparently
remain stationary while the fiery flood
went on, we watching this for about an
hour, seeing how rapidly it was advanc-
ing. AT early noon we started back for
home. The reason of the quick advance
of the flow the past two weeks has been
the increased activity at the fountain
head, the junction of the streams men,
toned, and the fact that this narrow
rock-bed gulch has formed hume to
pass the liquid lava along in a solid,
narrow stream without any chance for
spreading out laterally. 1t is impossible
to say now when the flow will reach the
sea, but the probability is that it will
take the Kaukwan gulch, now not over
1914 feet from the sea. 1t may spread
out on the flat above Hilo, and lun
down to the north of the hills, but the
tendency is toward Fishponds. There is
no hope now of its not reaching the sea,
and in short time, probably before you
hear from us again. If it goes through
Kaukuan, probably all the lower or front
part of the town will fall prey to Nine
Pele.