The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-11-03
InterisIand Route to the Volcano,
and What Is Seen There.

=
just completed trip by the w. G. Hall
to Punaluu, and thence under Mr.. Peter
Lees arrangements to the Kilauea Vol
cano, wish to give you and the Homo
lulu and wider public an idea of the
route, its capabilities and the facility
with which the trip may be accom-
plished
We started punctually to advertised
time on Friday last, and got to each of
the places OF call, including one TO Cooks
bay and obelisk, within the prescribed
periods. The two or three hours of roll
ing when passing the island channels,
showed how much we were indebted to
the shelter of the islands from the north
erly blasts, and we thoroughly enjoyed
the tranquil sail along the smooth
waters, with the shores in their rugged
ness and the majestic hills in the back
ground full in view. When nearing the
south point OF Hawaii we had a good
view OF the scarp, some twelve to twenty
miles long, and in parts reaching to
height of from fifty to one hundred feet,
looking like a huge railway embank-
ment of some Titanic race, which was
doubtless caused by a sinking of the
western slope, leaving a gigantic wall
bounding and supporting the eastern
slope. Turning the south point of Ha-
wall We soon arrived at our destined
haven OF Punaluu, where we were court
eously received by Mr. Lee, who con-
Quoted us to his hospitable hotel, the
model of all that hotel should be in
comfort and cleanliness, in punctuality
and in variety and plenty of we'll pre-
pared provisions. We hope that hotel
SO well appointed will be duly appre-
ciated by the public, and the patronage
bestowed upon it will amply repay the
spirited proprietor, whose wishes for the
comfort of the visitors are well seconded
and carried out by Mrs Lee.
After hearty supper, for which the
voyage had provided an appetite, we re-
tired to rest to be awakened in the morn
ing at 6 O'Clock for an early breakfast
and a start at o'clock by the tram,
drawn by six mules for five miles to the
Pahala sugar plantation, said to be the
largest in the world save one in Cuba.
Thence we started for eleven miles drive
over a fair natural grass road in a COM
Portable carriage drawn by four mules,
with an accompanying outrider on his
own special one to open gates, etc, so
that the driver might have only his
team to attend to.
We arrived in 21a hours at the Half
way House. A substantial lunch was !
provided, after which we bestrode our
mules for ride of the last eleven miles |
to the Volcano House-a ride of much !
interest to those who love Nature in her |
wildness, and the rough remains of her
efforts thousands of years ago, when her /
prentice hand had the early world in
her moulding, of which the miles of |
scoria and lava in all fantastic shapes; |
now in domes of glossy black, now in |
areas OF real tesselated pavements, all /
accurately fitted as we see in Staffa and |
the Giants Causeway at home, or now
again crystalized into ropes and cables ,
of all sorts and sizes, Enthusiastically and
carefully coiled as in a ropemaker's
yards and sheds. 1t is not only curious,
but apparently wonderful to contemplate
the twisted fibres and strands of the
smaller ropes as they form parts of the
larger cables into which they are spun.
We do not attempt to settle whether or
not these were the originals from which
our present twisted strands had birth
We noticed at times some stony lizard, or
or fallen giant in his
armour lying helplessly in their stony
bed, and we thought of Mr. Darwin, and
wondered if he could get an idea from
these resemblances to substantiate his
''Origin of Species" or OF a new one,
1.-The Permanence of Nature in her
Varied Kingdoms"
Well, we were fairly tired by the time
we reached the Volcano House, where
we found kind Mr.. Mayby and all we
and rest To visit the
crater the first evening would require
more youthful vigOr and ''go'' than we
NCIC hhSlg W iitIllIcSJ dI All advance on
he "three score and ten," so we went
o bed and slept. N. B.-No mosquitoes.
On the next day We started down the
.igzag path lately made by Mr.. Wilder,
or which many an unborn race of COM
ng humanities, specially female, will
bless his name. 1t is rather too steep
or ride down, and as it is but short
nile to the lava, it is best to walk down,
which we did, admiring the many {
'arieties of ferns and other vegetable
productions of nature on our way down.
md why tell of the two hours walk
ver cold and hot lava of the crater and
Is boiling pot, and the acres of ever
arying lines OF light-nOw bright, now
ull; now dazzling one with more than
he intensity of the suns MONDAY bril-
ancy, and now becoming lurid, as the
urface speedily hardened on exposure
, the air. At one time the New Lake,
)r half a mile or mile in diameter, i
lOws a row of glowing terraces or I
lnks of gigantic warriors, eager for the |
'ay. Here, at our feet, up flew great I
alls of fire from score of stores, where S
ulcan keeps his rockets; there, broad /
! i a