The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-03-31
The Crarer- OF mOkuawyoweo.

ED. L. u. ADVERTISER-Slr Inc wide
spread interest always felt in the status
of the active volcanoes OF these Islands
has been increased lately by the publica-
ton of Mr.. James Alexander's very in
craters of Mokuaweoweo on the summit
of Mauna Loa.
In addition to this published account,
Mr.. Alexander has prepared carefully
executed map of the crater, and an adj
mirable sketch OF its general appearance
as seen from the west This sketch sup
plements two taken from the east side in
September, 1872, one by Hon. III. NJ.
Whitney, the other by the writer on the
occasion of their visit, with quite large
party, to the summit to view the great
eruption that took place at that time.
The sketches then made, as well as the
one by Mr.. Alexander, agree very closely
in their general features, and the map
made by Mr.. Alexander (as we'll as an
other by Mr.. Lydgate some four years
ago., show that the survey by Commo-
dore Wilkes in 1871 is correct, excepting
that in the Wilkes map the meridian is
swung twenty-five degrees to the east, an
error due to the great local attraction.
Tho skvtcfr Irr,tiv,- BY Mr.. Alor-e,ado,.,
which has been photographed, is much
more satisfactory than the panoramic
view given in Captain buttons report on
the volcanoes of the Islands. Captain
buttons sketch is taken from point of
view so far to-the south of the crater
that the foreground cuts off most of the
lower plateau of the crater, and the per-
spective effect is to convey an erroneous
idea of the length OF the whole caldera.
Miss Bird, in her sketches of visit to
the Islands, gives an account of her visit
to Mokuaweoweo in 1873, one year after
the great eruption of 1872, and she states
that there was good deal of action then
in the lower basin, from which sprang
the magnificent lava fountain the year
before
Mr. AIexander's survey, compared
with that of Wilkes, shows that the most
important change that has taken place
in Mokuaweoweo is in the north crater,
which has apparently been enlarged by
the falling in of its sides. This is proba-
| bly, due III great measure to the split
ting action of ice forming in cracks in the
crater's edge. In 1872 these cracks were
| found running parallel with the edge of
| the crater, not more than six feet in
width on the surface, and extending to
depth of twenty or thirty feet. At the
! bottom of each we found an abundance
| of water covered with from one to two
! inches of ice. 1t was easy to determine
that if ice of that thickness is found in
| September, in the winter months the
whole of the water might become frozen,
and in doing so would of necessity exert
a very powerful pressure upon the deep
narrow cracks in which it was confined.
The elevation of Mokuaweoweo, as
given by Wilkes, is 1890 feet. Mr..
Alexander's recent survey shows that
we must transpose two OF these figures,
the real height being 1860 feet. This
is high enough to carry the visitor into
the regions of perpetual snow and utter
Iifeless desolation. His coup of tea"
must be boiled in water of the tempera-
ture of lS5 degrees Fab, and the chances
are that mountain sickness" and cold
will make the trip hard one. Still,
there is very much that is sublime and
interesting in visit to this lofty, isolated
mountain, especially to one interested in
volcanic phenomena. Yours, truly,
F. L. CLARKE
Honolulu, March 80, 1856.