West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1881-03-26
FIRE
Volcanic Eruption Ia IRwaii--
Thun'tCriug ENplOsious--NN hitc
lGot Rocks and Flowing LlRmC.

Volcanic Eruption ia unwHii--
ThumIcring ENplosious--N hitc
hot Rocks and EiONNing LlRnlC.
The Hawaii GSzette gives an account
OF an eruption OF the volcano of Manua
Los, exceeding in violence any ever be
tore known on the island. The grand
nutburst of IRE Is described as Follows
II broke out about H. NJ ON Fdday,
ab lui siX mites north OF the summit era
ter of MokuAweowco ON Manua Lpa, aud
II ,wed down the elevated pl>tcsu lying
b,wovn Msuna LOa and kra, soudipg out
two branches, one irom near ils source
toward tho old crater of lNAuea, and
another branch further down, tending
. toward the cast. On Wednesday the
tiIw could be seen distinctly from Hilo
winding its way toward Puna, with u
small branch stream running lillo. The
stream running toward Pdna was about
thirty miles IN length. End from 100 To-
POO yards in width, with II depth =, about
twenty feet n correspondent of tho Ga
aettc accompanied IA parry To view the
grand sight, and they climbed the noun
tain side. soon, be says, as the fog
gradually cleared of the sides of the
mountain, we saw tremendous river of
fire pouring down the steep sides. We
could oee it distinctly down the slope,
till IL run into the fog bank, which had
settled like a hugo snow bed all over the
lowlands.
rk.. Al f,f ,,rh .a.L
was running furiously downward They
then went toward Puma To see the molten
river by night, ard, he adis, the moon
set, and s'll II light enough To see TO read
Away above us in the heavens shOuc the
brilliant fountain head, aud thence To the
end was contiguous stream OF liquid
lava. There lay river Of fire beneath
us at least thirty miles long, every inch
of which was one bright rolling tde oi
fire. There was not single breSk in the
whole length. he whote front edge. he
/ ing aoout three fourths Of mile wide,
woe most intensely brilliant light. aud
as it slowly advanced and rolled over the
small trees and scrub, bright flames
.
whole edge. Then there were giant cx
| plosiOns, vast and terri le, as II the earth
was being shattered by earthquakes, and
| all AT once q huge dome of mcllcn lava
was thrown up about halt way up the
| mountain side, and continued to low over
! like an immcnse fountain. The next day
the party cr,s,,d the old lava beds for
about / 900 feet. Not twenty feet dis
tant was the immense bed Of lava slowly
moving forward wiJh irresistible force,
bearing ON ita surface huge rocks and i'm
mense boulders OF tons weight.
The whole front edge WAS one bright
red mass of solid rocks incessantly break
ing OF from the towering mass and roll
ing down To- the foot of 1t, to be again
covered up by another avalanche of
whit'-hot rocks and sand The mass was
al It's front edge from twelve 10 thirty
feet in hoighth. Along tho line OF its ad-
vance it was one crash of rolling, sliding
tumbling rcd-hot rock. We could see no
fire or liquid lava n all, but the whole
advance line Of red hot stones and
scOria. There were no cXplosiOns while
we ware near tic flow, only tremen-
dous roaring like the thousand blast
furnaces all At work at once. Some tears
Of the safety Of fIilo are still entertained,
but the now seems turning in another
direction
a cor espopdcnt Of the Honolulu Press,
writing from HIlo, says: The sight on
Saturday was indcsoribably grand. An
day, with or without the gIase, our eyes
were turned toward the mountain. A
fountain Of liquid lava was pouring up
from The summit line Of Maunc Loa
Two iieTy streams were distinctly visgble
cOursipg down It's side, one toward Mauna
Kca, the other nearer Ilii0. An night
the sky was "A glare Of light That made
objects distinctly visahe IN the strccta
aud in our rooms. We i1csday night the
! sight OF the mountain was most glorious
The broken clouds lying around the sum
nit sides were irfadiated and shone in
wonderful splcndcr The force Of the
eruption seems nov diminished.