The Hawaiian gazette., 1884-12-24
A Strange PhonomonOn--what Was IL !


HIuu Dec. 18TH 1881.
EnTroE GAEITn On Thursday, Dec. 1lth at
~ O.. m. most remarkable phenomenon was
uItul by several Hilo people. massive IL
ruullr wall OF Uater lifted against the eastern
h1rIEuu a. great distance from the land. Mr.
Charles Kennedy manager OF Waiakca Mill. was
csmua- down from the canc-leds on the l1cumu-
tiru, aud had q cood viex OF the great wave as he
tarmcu Il. With him on tir5 locomotive was a sal
Der WHO had saen all manner of soa-sights but who
had ms with nothing like this. The description
given by these two witnesses ITALICS with the OBJ
rVaiious u several other witnesses at the writer's
rcidtncc. which commands view OF the whole
l-huriz1n. All agree IN the first impression that
. great wave vas moving shore-wards. Bat all
likewise agree that in reality there was no Onward
movement IN any direction. Masses of water rose
and fei IN slow irregular undnlations. These
ruas-es seemed o. Dc sometimes hundred feet in
length and Mr. kennedy thuughi twenty feet high
The masses were crested with foam. looking very
much like beach-comber All the witnesses saw
sftat seemed like puh Of steam The sky direct
III over The scene oi agitation clear and cloud
less, the sea IN shpru perfectly calm, and no wind
was uutioeabie IA amy quarter. Toward the north
ana south on either side. the waIer-ine along the
hurinun remained undistulbed. No waves were
sen catering the bay, and so far as known no
change Occurred IN the water-eyc In the after
NON parties unloading the Schr. Eama Cia,,aiaa
found g very hard work 10 keep the scow near the
rcssel- and couldn't understand what made the
trruhlt
Ehe writer once saw two large watcr-spouts rpoy-
mr. along near each other al perhaps half the dis
tance, and the oummotion they caused in the sea
VAS nothing 70 be compared with this heayinr
wll uf water Ihe greatest agitation was central
b located and continued for about fifteen OF twen-
a. minutes. "a is the writer's conviction that the
agitation s,as occasiuned by the escape Of volcanic
h1at frum a submarine vent which threw the water
an thu Immediate vicinity into violen; ebullitiou
lte Ciiatiun thus occasioned being irregular in
~ aclun. and not confined to a single spot would
not hc likely - cause great waves that would ira
vel hitucu mles and make any special impression
or TIT careless observer. Just as the motion Of
bullinC uuier IN a vessel is not communicated with
anything lac The volume attained BY water when
acie1 o. By SINGLE force IN single direction so
q Is cou,lifablr that considerable proportion of
a. agitation seen Of Hio, if caused by escarinr
heat. would be dissipated within comparatively
small ana
itisuut aliogeiher improbable that some mighty
islaud -b1ildinc Is going on underneath our Ha-
wailGn sass, and thai modern geography may have
% var. In physical outlines Of Hawaii as indeed
shg has Lad 10 DO for HaWaii's volcanic sister In
~ IVES Pacific.
Mr. II &. 1.eavitt suggests that the puff Of
ste1rn ruticed was something more than a puff
beng VII sustained and gradually dispersed orey-
hrad LIKE the smoke from a steamboats, smoke
stsck. This accords with my own observation.
WM. B. OIEsoN.