Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-03-20
HAWAIIAN VOLCANO.

AHAWAIIAN VOLCANO.
A Visit 10 the Seethfng Crater of
KiIauea- Home OF the Goddess
PeIe.
We started for the volcano. writes q
correspondent of The San Francisco
Alta from the Hawaiian islands, i'm
mediately after breakfast one beauti-
full morning in February, about a
week following our arrival at Hlo-
the favorite starting point for tourists
visiting the woudrous work of nature.
Our horses were freshly shod for the
journey so trying to their soles, and
our saddle bags sucurely fastened to
the rear of our saddles, together with
a rubber coat to protect us from the
rain which might be expected to fall
at any hour Of the day. A lively dash
of about two miles was all the really
enjoyable riding vouchsatad us. After
that came several miles of swamp.
hidden by tall, rank grass. An heur's
ride brought us to tropical jungle or
forest, overrun with perfect riot of
vegetation. The murmured melody
of a brook fell upon my ear as it
swiftly sped along on its laughing
Journey to the distant sea. Gentle
zephyrs whispered through trembling
bowers, upon whose glitter1ng verdure
the sunbeams spent their golden
gior-. Tall palms reared their heads
in stately pride, and the sweet carol
of many birds lent an lndescrlbaele
charm to the scene The ever chang
ing aspect of the glade, arrayed in its
robes of gorgeous hues, bright as the
Eden of sacred story, babe my fancy
revel IN dreams or Paradise. The
fair, sweet scene gladdene3 my eyes
and filed my heart with indeanable
ecstacy.
Oh, to forget sins curse and sorrows wall
And dream my life away in such a vale
After lingering about an Eour in
this lovely spot, the beauties of which
can only be likened unto vision of
the promised land, we resumed our
journey, which, when well out of the
woods, soon became toilsome and
weary. Stretched round and about
US was nothing but a wilderness of
lava. Arrived at the Halfway house,
we shared the keepers noontide meal ,
which consisted of few canned sar-
dimes, some soda crackers, and glass
of water, for which we were charged
the excrbitant price of 81 apiece. 1t
was in no enviable frame of mind that
we resumed our monotonous journey.
| Not having a guide with us, we lost
the trail severav times, consequently
before we had arrived at the last half
mile post the queen of night had
dropped her sable mantle down and
pinned it with star" The last mile
of the road was excellent, and was
rapidly covered by our weary steeds
in expectation of good meal and q
warm stable. Poor brutes, how sadly
were they disappointed. Their expec
tations were far from being realized
The landlord claimed that he only
kept sufficient grain for his OWL
stock, and as for use of the stable, thai
could not be thought of, for it NIGH
interfere with the comfort of his OWE
animals. So our poor tired horse:
were turned into sparse, dry pasture
to pick for themselves.
The first appearance of Kilaues
invariably dlsappoints. Ones previou!
IDEAS of volcanoes are altogether Sc
at naught. AS we drew up | seemed
to be scarcely aware that we had a
rived at the brink of the largest active
crater on the globe. gazed hal
vacantly at the scene before me, anC
then turned away to look after oul
horses and baggage. My companion
openly avowed that it was not wha
he came for. My ideas of volcanoes
as well as those of most pesple, arr
taken from the stereotype representa-
tons of Vesuvius, Alma, and othel
conical- shaped mountains. vomiting
forth flames, smoke, stones, and ashes
with red lava running down theil
sides, that are to be found in al
standard biographies. Hence, IL
approaching KiIauea the inexperienced
visitor looks up, rather than down
and expects TO find burning noun
tain before him, furious with heat anG
stunning with noise.
Our long and tiresom days journey
had prepared us to devour almost any
thing which the proprietor of the
hotel might choose to set before us
| We were somewhat chagrined, how
ever, to find only a little cold, roasted
wild pig and few sweet potatoes with
which to satisfy our ravenous hunger
Notwithstanding the very inferior
quality and small quantity of the
viands before us, we did them ample
| justice, for our vigorous appetites
would not admit our being over par
ticular as to what we ate. After sup
per we adjourned to the veranda oil
the hotel to enjoy quiet smoke, ahd
to gaze upon the unearthly glare OF
Halemaumau, some five or SIX miles
away the smoke of which ascends
with livid reflection to the sky and
hung above the lake like huge, red
cloud, with n streak of yellow under
it which seemed to be III motion. In
the blackness Of the abyss before us
ruddy seams came and went and some
times slender threads of orange tlased
through the darkness. This, we learn
ed was an overflow of lava from New
Lake, which had occurred only the
day before. We remained en- the YER
anda, silently contemplating the
magnificent spectacle, as long as the
chill evening air would permit. On
expressing oar wish to retire, we were
shown to our rooms, which were very
well furnished, more particular so the
beds, which had ample feather mat
tresses, a plentiful supply of pillows
and blankets, and an abundance Of
| fleaS.
The next morning broke bright and
clear, and enabled us to see exactly
where we were-In large frame
house not far from the edge of great
hole in the world, from five hundred
to one thousand feet deep and some
nine miles in circumference. Mauna
Loa, to the right, swept up from the
plain ten thousand feet above US.
Mauna Kea, with its snowy crown,
rising still higher, appeared in the
northwest scarcely farther off. The
atmosphere Was clearer than crystal.
Distances on all sides were to the eye
amazingly diminished. This is one
reason why Kilauea fails so much al
first, nature having done all her work
on a gigantic scale. A trial of dis
! tances on foot soon determines this
fact, and respect and wonder at the
scene proportionateiy increases. So
perfectly distingalshable are objects
on the further bank of the crater that
the visitor is slow to believe that the
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