The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-05-21
A SEA OF FIRE
The Wonderful Volcanoes of the Ha
waiian or Sandwich Islands.

| Wa1f8n or Sandwich Islands.
The Hawaiian islands boast of two
natural Wonders-the largest extinct,
and the largest active volcano in the
world. The former, Haleakala, is sit
uated on the island of Maui, the sum-
NIT being nearley II, O00feet above the
level of the sea. The crater is over
forty-eight miles in circumference.
You could drop New York into it,
and still have some desirable lots left
for Chicago and San Francisco. AS
you stand on the summit you look
| down into the crater 1000 feet, the
sides now terraced and covered with
sandale wood, giants, ferns and a
wonderful profusion of tropical
flowers and shrubs. The latter, the
active volcano of KeleauWean, is
situated on Hawaii, thirty miles
from Hilo, which distance is made
tver solid lava rock. The crater is
htuated on spur of Mauna Loa,
sc highest mountain of the iSlands,o
nearley 1900 feet in latitude, but the
volcano is only four thousand feet
above sea level.
The crater is not a cone, but great
pit on this level beach, nine miles in
circumference. You go down over
this almost perpendicular walls 800
feet, and stand on the floor of the
crater. This is the place of entrance
burnings, the Halemau-mau, the house
of everlasting fire of Hawaiian
mythology. 1t presents an awful and
sublime picture. The area at the
bottom of the crater is not liquid
mass, but for miles and miles around
you there spread secene Of uneartnly
oil n fro
lie to left and right; the floor below
is so hot that you can scarcely walk
over it; lava oozes up through the
assures; you can light match in any
of the cracks. Huge cones twenty
or thirty teet high, made by the bub-
bles of lava, rise through the seamt |
and are cooled by the air. The fact
that the points of eruption are con.
tinually changing gives one a very
insecure feeling as he walks over the
burning floor. At last you stand on
the verge of the newest lake formed,
about mile and a half in circum-
ference, and lying thirty feet below |
you. You peer over the edge, the |
centre lies solid and black before you |
but all around the boundary beautiful |
fountains of blood-red fire are playing, |
sending their spray fifty feet into the |
air. You are on the WindWard side, |
or you could not stand the heat. |
After awhile you rise to go, but !
the guide says: IN OF yet, you haven't |
seen it yet" You wait, and wait, an
hour passes. At last the guide cries:
"Look therep A crack-a seam of |
fire shoot across the surface, score
more follow in different directions in
quick succession. the center begins
to rise, the great cakes of lava drift
toward the edge and disappears; the
center rises higher and higher, and
in a moment more the pot is boil
ing.
The whole lake is a seething, foam
ing, burning sea, lashing the black
shores and sending its fiery spray
100 feet high, cooling in the atmos-
phere and dropping around you like
fine-spun threads of glass. You fall
back to a respectful distance, and
for an hour watch in silence the most
awe-insplring and terrible sight mans
eye can rest upon. Then the pillows
begin to subside, the waves beat
themselves to rest against the shore,
the whole centre falls down as before
to black, solid mass, while the foun-
tains take up their old vocation
playing around the edge. After half
a day among such scenes it is with
feeling of relief, and with bl1stered
feet, that you climb the rugged sides
of the heights above. You see at
this time that wonderful river of fire
that flowed from the summit of
Mauna Loa for ten miles down
toward Hilo, and whose proud waves
were staid within three quarters of a
mile of the town. It was about
three miles in width, and from 10 to so
feet high. 1t cut its way down
through the forest, and carried every
thing before it, being of the consis-
tance of thick mush, and, forced by
the awful pressure behind, no OBJ
struction could be placed in its way.
1t looked strange to see it rolling up
hill, and pressing on in straight line.
The whole heavens were ablaze at
night. and by its light, miles away,
you could read the finest print.