The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-10-20

and louder. When the excitement had
attained fever heat his welcome voice
was heard shouting the glad tidings
that he had found his way. Everybody
rushed in his direction, and, being more
eager than careful, several broke
through thin crusts Or stepped into
black holes and measured their length
upon the lava, which returned their. ar
dent embrsee with hseyep more warmth
than was desired.o1x wvrr>u
Mr., Severance led the J way Va for some
distance, then in detected tones saia he
had lost his course. His words fell like
a death knell upon severy ear, and the
party slowly retraced their steps. An
other start was made more deliberately
and terminated with more success. The
horses were reached and the party.
mounting, rode hemes - a. "A n
That night the flow was uifusuafly
actiyeaand grand beyond measure. The
stream nearest town was flowing along
the bed of river, and, at the then ter
minus, was precipitating itself into a
pool at the foot of a pretty cascade fall
ing beside it. At times tons of lava,
like melted iron, would drop into this
pool with a hiss and roar, followed by
q laundering explosion that would send
the water, now boiling, up in vast
column of spray twenty or thirty feet
high; at others, the lava would flow
slower, and cool as it touched the wa
ter's surface, over which it would spread
like cake of ice, thickening with the
flow, till the water could support it no
longer. and then, with REPORT fike d
gun, it would break at. the bank and
sink to the bottom with tumultuous
noise
Similar phenomena, ,evenonagrander
scale, were repeated. The flow was
about half a mile lower down the river
bed from which it had consumed all
the water. Arriving at a cascade some
twenty feet high, it fell. over in great
red flood of flame sixty feet wide, and
was preciptatsd INTO o large pool Of
water nearly fifteen feet in circumfer-
ence, Transforming it into mammoth
caldron of ,iery, explosives. that sent
hotspray and steam up and about fot
almost incredible. distances, till all was
consumed, and the pool was filed to a
Level with the river bed. abnveran ops
Grafton which occupied about an hour
and halt, during which time nearly
one thousand chbic yards Of lava were
deposited.
The manner Of flowing is very erratlc,
and It is impossible TO deyefhaihe its
course beforehand. Like all liquids, il
seeks its level, but it does not remain
liquid. The terminus may harden aud
cool. The next outbreak is as apt to
occur on top, or either side of the flow,
as at the end. IF on top the stream in
creases in height and flows back over
itself till it becomes as high as an adj
joining hill. The next break NAV be
on the side next the hill, in which tli-
rection it will run. On reaching it, the
stream is banked up only to break out
afresh on the top, or upper side, per-
haps, till it ,attains a. greater elevation
than the hill, when, OF course, it flows
over it. Thus, places secure from inun-
dation by water cannot be reckoned as
perfectly safe from lava flow. Several
instances of this kind have occurred
here. The flow forms for itself great
black or steel-gray tunnel, through
which 1t flows in white flame ontfoi
sight, and reducing everything II
touches, fromsa fiinty rock TO q grass
blade, into the gaseous foam Ian oper-
alton often attended by deafening ex-
plosions. A tree trunk may be en-.
veloped before, being consumed. The
gases into which it is transformed seek
an outlet with force that is truly ap-
paling. T-
The natives regard the flow with ssl-
perstitious dread, and are in attend
ance daily, the women being especially
devout. They will kneel by the side oi
the flow for hours, chanting in doleful
measure to the goddess Pele, whom
they seek to propitiate with offerings OF
silver, which they throw into the
stream. It would seem that most oi
the earnings of some of them are thus
disposed of. Tourists follow their ex-
ample, as far as throwing their money
into the lava is concerned, but they
subsequently take the lava and coin
both away with them to preserve as
specimens.
The unique and grotesque forms as.
SuluCu Uy blAC 1uId LII COOlul2 6IC WOH-
derful, and weeks could be passed in
viewing their endless variety. Familiar
forms in miniature or natural size, on
colossal in bulk, are Seen on every
hand. Parts of the human body and ol
animals abound. The natives call this
kind of lava pahoehoe. The da is rough
and rocky. Pahoehoe often appears like
ropes, straight ahd coiled, or like pulled
and twisted candy. Again, it is some
times like dough being kneaded, or like
mammoth modelling in black ksclay.
Ia fortunate turn in the flow of lava
a few days after the above was written
saved Hilo from the threatened destruc
ton. Since then the eruption has near
" ceased.
How it Rains In Hawaii.