The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-08-11
THE LAVA FLOW OF HILO.
HOW NATIVE CHIEFEss STOPPED 1T WITH
LIVE PIG.

IN Hllo would be the now almost cold lava
flow, which last year came so near wiping
out the only town on the Island of Hawaii,
stopping within quarter of mile of Hilo,
after flowing 20 miles toward it for nine long
months. They call it the 'Hilo fiow," al
though it came from old MauEa Loa, and are
rather proud of 1t, since 1t considerably stop
ped just short of destroying the town and
harbOr, yet came near enough to give the In
habitants an unequalled Fourth of July fire.
works display every night for months The
flow stopped In Au gust of last year, and now
presents the appearance of black, CLEAN
ing, turbulent river. winding for 20 miles
down from its source, 10000 feet up Mauna
Loa, to the Hilo Bay, having eaten with its
fangs OF flame pathway through forest and
fields, through cool, fern -carpeted dell and
over grassy plain, filling and reducing all the
pleasing inequalities on the face of nature
to its own black. ugly, ragged level for a
mile in width and for 20 miles ia length.
The story Of the beginning of the flow can
be briefly told. On the night of November
D, 1880, some terrific convulsiOn of nature
burst mighty artery near the heart Of tow
ering Mauna Loa; the surgIne, unconfned
blood burst through CHASTITY wound in the
mountains sides, until at last its ocean-b bath
ed feet were stained with the hot, burning
blood. All that time, for nine months, from
the ragged rent the flow came in regular
spurts as each throb of the stricken, bleed
Ing heart pulsed forth mighty torret. that
would all score Of ships.
But what Interested me the most was the
stoppage of this flow. It was the work of
human hands, and as such must be regarded
as more remarkable performance than the
beginning itself, which was, after all, a work
Of nature, with which all things are possible.
The salvation of HIlo and its harbor from
destruction by black lava Is due to no less
person than her royal Highuess Ruth KeelI-
kolani, who. being the wealthiest lady on the
Islands, and sister to their late Majesties
Kamehamehas " and Y, would naturally
know more about lava flows and how to stop
them than any one else.
Governess Ruth, as this capable lady Is
generally called, from being governess of on
OF the Islands during her brothers reigns Is
full-5looded native, "a years old, does not
speak word of English, has a royal con-
tempt for all foreigners and their new-fash-
ioned airs, weighs between 800 and 400
pounds, walks abroad with toes in and chin
out, followed by troop of retainers, in good
old feudal days style, and owns a town
house in Honolulu, the construction and fur
nishing of which would really be credit to
Mob Hill. Adored by all the natives, for
whose amusement and welfare she spends
large sums of money, who else than Ruth
would be asked to intercede with Pele, the
goddess of volcanoes, where beautiful Hilo,
bay and town. were in such dreadful dan
ger? Seeing that matters were, In fact, ta-
king on serious aspect, and that unless she
interfered the oncoming lava would, indeed,
destroy many homes and kalo patches, in
nclIding several thousand acres of her own
estates, Ruth at last decided to regulate af-
fairs more in accordance with common sense.
She accordingly embarked on the steamer
Likelike at Honolulu, accompanied by the
royal band and many retainers, and with
| much pomp and ceremony. and some sea-
sickness. proceeded to Hilo.
There, IN anticipation Of her coming, the
natives from far and near had gathered on
the cocoanuttree fringed beach to welcome
her coming. A tent had been put up for her
use near the edge o; the flow, a couple of
miles back OF the town, but when she ar.
rived the utmost dismay prevailed, for It was
ments had not provided any means of con
veying Ruth from the landing to her tent.
| Walking such distance was out of the
| question with Ruth, both her weight and
| dignity presenting insuperable obstacles to
| such performance. The only wheeled We.
| hicles in town were bullock carts, clumsy,
awkward affairs, used on the plantations fol-
! sugar-cane carrying. A sgentleman living
| some distance out of town, who was the
! happy possessor of a small, long-shafted
| two-wheeled cart, volunteered its use, and
1t was hastily brought around for Ruth's oc-
| cupancy, having harnessed between and at
| the end Of its long shafts a small, surprised
looking donkey. The entrance to this two
wheeled cart was from behind, and after 2
live pig, case Of gin, and some other arti.
cles with which Ruth was to stop the flow,
had been placed under the seat, strong box
| was placed behind the cart fov Stepping
stone, and Ruth was escorted thereto.
1 am told that when that donkey saw what
was going on and realized that Ruth was
about to enter the cart, its surprised look
gave way to one of bitter woe. And with
cause, for when Ruth's somewhat more thar
plump proportions, were suddenly planted
In that cart 1t tilted backward on It's axle
with a sudden whack, the long shafts flew
skyward. and with them, firmly held BY it:
harness the anguish-stricken donkey, its fee
feebly paving the empty air In dismal dejec
ton of ever again reaching the earth. tn,
pig flew thither and the gin whence, ant
every devoted native in sight thought tha
greater catastrophe than the lava flow had
befallen the island But Ruth is not only ,
woman OF courage but also of determinatio
and by other means she at last reaches
the tent prepared for her and arranged 4
stop the trouble. 1 consider It a great los
to both history and science that no foreigner
accompanied Ruth when she pacifed PeIe
for the natives never preserve a historical
story until 1t has been embalmed in song
and then to be we'll preserved it must relat
to affairs generally untranslatable for polit
literature. As only natives accompanie,
Ruth to her tent and the lava river, 1 car
give no definite accou of what rites sh
performed. In a general way learned tha
Ruth invoked Pele's consideration of affairs
and made offerings OF one live pig one bot
, tie of gin and pound OF tobacco, all throw
into the lava river. What the invocation
was 1 cannot learn. The grand result re
mains, for within few days after Ruth
visit the flow did in fact stop. What thoup
cynics sneer, critics carp, and unbeliever
, question did not Ruth go there to stop th
flow, and did not the flow stop? Is she nc
to-day the wealthies, as well as otherwis
the TnOat coIfd uyODaon ~, fha Setor5.