Arizona weekly citizen., 1881-08-21
\ RIVER OF FIRE.
The Lava Flow Moving Down Steadily Upoa Hro

The Lava Flow Moving Down Steadily Upoa Hro
 \ correspondent Of the Hawaiian, Ga
 zette writing from Hilo on July I4th
 glves the following particulars about the
 lava flow which threatens destruction to
 lilo: During tie last week a small
 tongue has shot out of the Waiakea flow seventy feet long and six feet wide, but the flow is very active on top and has spread very much latterally on the Hilo side. The Waiakea people have become quite sangulne as to their chances Of escape. Beyond the seventy feet re- ported the Naiakea has made no pro
 gress, but it may break out at any time
 with increased vigOr, however: if il does
 so, 1t will come upon a sort of marshy
 basin which may take a considerable
 -lme to fill up; according to our inform
 ant, mOnths. IL will go on piling up and
 spreading out tune and again before it
 will be sufficiently strong Co burst forth
 but unless the central fire of Mokua-
 weOweo weakens, 1t must inevitably fill
 UP, and then 1t will break out at some
 point and come down with a rush to the
 sea. A tremendous distance this mol
 ten stuff has come. Taking into consid-
 eratlOn all it's windings 1t cannot be less
 than forry-five or fifty miles. People
 need not think that ravincs or gulches
 have any effect upon it. The only thing that k saving lilo and the vicinity at the present time is the number of off shoots which the original flow has to feed The main and most dangerous How is overlapping the old flow of 1856, and has not, up to the present writing, reached the end of 1t. It will take months, at it's present rate of progress, to reach Hilo, but if 1t does t will almost overwhelm the town.
 A MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE
 Another correspondent furnishes this graphlc description of the scene on the mountain: The Laumaia branch is com ing to meet the other, which is widening out and going toward lilo, although it will not reach there probably for two weeks, If so soon. It has been more active since our visit, although We thought 1t very active then. The night we were there it came down about half a mile toward lilo, not from the bottom i've were a mile and a half from thereL 1 but II IS spreading out on both sides l We moved our camp twice. The first time the lava came towards us at the 1 rate of six feet a minute some Of the 1 time. and that although our camp was ! on rising ground. The ladies of the . party felt anxious, SO VIC moved across a 1 small gulcll, thinking it would protect ! us from the fiery stream. We had eaten l our lunch beside the water in this gulch. | some distance from what was then the I active stream, distance above the spot, | but to our surprise the lava followed . along m our track at once, and it was a . spectacle tO sec it pouring over the upper side and entrance. There | were three cascades of from six to ten Feet high. Soon the wind freshened. and as the lava crept nearer, the smoke rom the burning trees grew SO dense and sutiOcating that We couldn't endure t, so moved one of the tents and finally 'he other. It seemed OminOus the way .he fire crept in after ITS, for all night he loud crash of falling trees drew nearer and nearer. did not sleep, for could not, but kept running down the rack to see the pouring fire. It crawled teadliy mp one path, but downward, oo, so that 1t would abate in this direc- Ion m l. few hours. It was like a hiss ng, roaring monster. We had moved .Own about half a mile. and it had fol- owed us. The fire in the trees does not pread at all, as it k so very moist from be frequent rains. It burns no further : han the edge of the flow. But the trees and shrubs made some or