The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-03-25

where the four lands of Keauhou, Ka-
huku, Kapapala and Kaohe meet, which
is at the cone in the central crater. We
then descended the mountain, carrying
more weight than was agreeable, until
We were met by our natives bringing up
our mules, for which we had signalled
by fires. On the way down, violent
thunderstorm was raging below US, while
we were above in clear air. On my next
trip up this mountain, found a tree on
the slope below completely rent TO splin-
tiers, and parts of it thrown several rods,
by the lightning OF this storm.
During the next month assembled the
mountain again, this time carrying an
excellent engineers transit. AS / had |
no guide, I marked most of the way up |
by strips of cloth fastened to rocks to |
find the way back; and taught by our
former experience, took donkey load
of fuel, as we'll as load OF grass for
making spherical survey signal, which
served me several nights as bed.
! When about half way up the mountain,
one of our pack donkeys broke into
lava cave, and slid downwards nearly
out of sight. 1t was extricated with
| great difficulty by direct upward lift
| with ropes. / then sent one of my men
down the mountain with the donkeys,
retaining the other man with me. The
first night on the summit was uncom-
Portable enough for us, with storm from
the north At midnight We observed
with a lighted candle that the roof OF the
tent was a-sparkle with icicles, and on
touching it, found it frozen stiff as bull
locks hide. In the morning we found
beautiful sheet of snow an inch thick
over the tent and over all the CHASTITY
blackness of the rocks. Every morning
of our stay upon the mountain We found
the water frozen in our kettles and hoar
frost on the rocks.
In the clear frosty air 1 was able with
{ my transit to take the bearings of a
dozen survey signals on the slopes and
, summit of Hualalai.
The new spherical signal which had
erected was afterwards accurately deter
, mined by observations from more than
} twenty stations on Mauna Kea, Huala-
= lai and in South Kona, and thus trig-
r nometrical station was at last located on
8 the very summit of Mauna Loa.
) On the second day descended from
the west brink of the crater down the
] track of high avalanche of rocks upon
3 the second plateau, and again from this
r plateau by the path of another avalanche
Y into the central crater, stepping eau
j tiously down upon the black floor OF the
crater, lest it should break under our
q weight. We found this caution unnec-
essary, for much of the crater bottom
] proved to be the most solid kind OF pa
# hoehoe.
h Here we stood as on the CONCEALED sur
O face of tossing sea that had dashed It's
r fiery surf thirty feet up on the surround
e ing walls We travelled directly south
e for the cone, the boundary corner, which
r l was to locate, erecting two flags about
: $500 feet apart for the ends of our base
Q line In some places, where there ap
g peared to have been violent action, the
o lava broke under our feet, letting u!
e the pahoehoe was covered with pumice
f. indicating the violence of the former
|, surging and tossing of the lava, for pun
J, ice and other light lavas seem to be the
/, froth and foam of the fiercest eruptions
N Just before reaching the cone we came t
n deeper basin, twenty or more feet be
d low the rest of the crater bottom am
rs about 400 feet wide, covered with tn
D. most friable lava, swollen upwards a
10 though raised by air bubbles, and this
" basin extended in a lava flow to tn
northeast along the side of the crater.
Probably this was the place of the las
= eruption and of most of the eruptions O
- this central crater We found the COM
10 to be composed of pumice and friabl
In lava still hot and smoking, and very diff
- cult to ascend, but we succeeded in climb
T ing to its top, 40 feet high, and in set
a ting up a flag there for the boundar.
" corner. We then descended between thu
r the east and west peaks of this cone owe
s. huge rocks and deep chasms.
~ From the fact that this cone is rep
n resented on Mr.. J. NJ. Lydgate's map {
III 1874, conclude that it has been of lon
d continuance, probably composed of tn
th cinders of successive eruptions, and tina
is the deep basin to the windwar
IN of it, like Halemaumau in XII
ID auea, has continued many years, an
III is situated at the great central volcani
or throat of the m ountain.
:, (To be con tinued.)