The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-10-29
p1rAsANT SUMNER TRAVEL.


time. Yours, &C.. I. 1. FULTON
The Lava Flow Of IiilO.
HOW A NATIVE CHIEFEsS STOPPED III WITH
LIVE PIG.
A correspondent of the san Francisco
can writes | knew the first thing we
would be~hown i'm Ililo 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 quar-
fer Of a mile Of IIlo. after flowing seventy
miles toward II for nine long months. They
call il the "IIlo flow.' although it came
from old Mauna Loa. and are rather PROUD
of it, since it CONSIDERABLY stopped !lisi
short of destroying the town and harbor'
vet came near enough to give me III
habitants an uneqlalled Fourtll-oi-'Iuly
fireworks display every night Tor months.
The flow stopped in August 81 tlst year.
and now presents the appearance OF
black, cleaning, turbulent river, Winding
for seventy miles down from It's source
10. 900 feet up the Mauna Loa, TO the liilo
BAY, having eaten with liz fanSs oil lalhe Il
pathway through forest and fields. through
cool. fern-carpeted dell and over grassy
plain, filling and reducing all the pleasant
INEQUALITIES on the face of nature 10 lis own
black. ugly. ragged level for mile III
width and for seventy miles i'll length.
The story Of the beginning OF the How
can be briefly told. On the night OF No
yember ), 1850, some terrific CONFUSION oI
nature burst mighty artery near the heart
Of towering Mauna Loa; the S,Irging, I'M
confined blood burst through ghastly
wound in the mountaiss snow-mantled
sides and spurtcd in lurid FOUNTAIN hiSli
i'm the star-lighted, frightened night, ana
then began its long, dreadful flow down
the shaken mountains sides until at last
its Occan-bathcd feet we're stained with The
hot. burning blood. All that time, for nIne
months, from the ragged rent the How
came in regular spurts a. each tlrob OF The
stricken, bleeding heart pulsed forth
mighty torrent that would fill score oil
ships.
But what interested me the most was the
stoppagc OF this flow. 1t was the WORK oil
human hands, and rs such must he regard
ed rs more remarkable performance IMAM
the beginning itself, which was, after all,
work Of nature, with winch all things
are possible. The salvation OF llilo and Ms
harbor from destruction by black lava l.
due 10 no less person than her Royal
|
wcalthicst lady on the islands, and sister to
their late MaicstieS kamehamchas ~. and
| v, would naturally know more about lava
flows, and how to stop them, than any one
else.
Goyerness Ruth, rs this capable lady is
generally called, from having been Gov
crness Of one OF the islands during her
brothers reignS, is full-bloOd native,
/ =. a. Il "a
| of English, has a royal contempt for all
foreigners and their new-fashiOned airs,
weighs between 800 and 400 pounds, walks
abroad with toes in and chin out, followed
| by troop of retainers, in good old feudal
| daVs' STYLE, and owns a town house Ill
| Honolulu, the construction and furnishing
OF which would really be credit 10 Mob
| Hill. Adorcd 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, when beautiful ililO, bay and
town, were in such dreadful danger? See
ing that matters were, in fact, taking on Il
serious aspect, and that unless she inter-
lfered the oncomng lava would. indeed,
destroy many homes and kalO-patches, i'll
Guiding several thousand acres of her own
Iestates, Ruth at last decided 10 regulate At
fairs more in accordance with common
sense. She accordingly embarked on the
steamer Likelike at Honolulu, accompanied
by the royal band and many retainers, anu
with much pOmp and ceremony and some
sea-sickness, proceeded 10 ililo.
There, IN anticipation of her coming. the
natives from far and near had gathered on
the cocoanut-tree-iringed beach to welcome
her coming. A tent had been put up for
her Use near the edge Of the flow, a couple
oil miles back OF the town, but when she
arrived the utmost dismay prevailed, for il
was discovered that the Committee Of Ar
rangements had mol provided any means
OF conveying Ruth from the landing TO her
tent. Walking such Il distance was out Of
the question with Ruth, both her weight
ana dignity presenting insuperable OBJ
stacieS 10 such performance. The
only wheeled vehicles in town were bul-
lock carts-clumsy, awkward aflairs-Ilsed
on the plantations for sugar-cane carry lng.
gentleman living some distance out of
town, who was the happy possessor OF a
small, iong-shmted, two-wheeled cart, vol
unteered It's Use, and il was hastily brought
around Tor Ruth's occupancy, having har-
messed between and at the end of its long
shafts small surprised-lOoking donkey.
The entrance 10 this two-wheeled cart was
from behind, and after a live pig, a case Of
Gun, and some Other articles with which |
Ruth was to stop the flow had been placed |
under the seat, IA strong box was placed be- |
hind the cart for a stepping-stone, and Ruth |
was escorted thereto.
! 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 sonew hat
more than plump proportions were sud-
denly planted In that cart, II tilted back
ward on its axle with sudden whack, the
long shafts flew skyward, and with them,
irmly held by Its harness, the anguish
stricken donkey, its feet feebly paving the
imply air in dismal detection OF ever again
eachng earth. The pig flew thither
nd the gin whence, and every devoted
atiyc In sight thought that greater
than the Iaya.1ow had befaIIen
he island. But Ruth Is not only woman | 9
courage, but also Of determination, and !
other means she at last reached the tent !
A. In u