The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-04-08


all we can say is we wish it had re-
NAMED alive until our arrival"
Rev. Edward p. Baker, Of the
Protestant church, Hilo, on the 18th
inst. descended to within fifty feet
of the bottom of Halemaumau,
abandoning the intention of going
all the way because stones were
shooting out of the side. He says:
I" Where is the lava which has de-
parted from Kilauea? Echo answers
where. Some future report from
the Puma seacoast may give an
answer. Meantime we can think of
it as having entered and cooled in
underground cavities and channels.
No one should dogmatize, but the
experience of 1868, along with the
fact that the fires of Kilauea are not
known to have found vent in any
other place, gives fair reason for
hoping, perhaps believing, that
those fires will return to their old
hearthstone.
Before breakfast on Monday
morning we visited the sulphur banks,
on the sides of the first steam ter
race mentioned above. Those on
the right, going down from the
house, are 10 to Is feet high, with
the vapor streaming up out of the
ground constantly adding to them.
A house has been built over one of
the countless apertures, for the pur-
pose of giving sulphur baths, the
subject putting himself into box,
like piece of timber in u steam
chest and perhaps for the same pur-
pose-to be more easily bent in
desired shape. 1t would be good
idea to send all "crooked sticks"
in that case, to the Volcano sulphur
bath. However, it was with us as
with Paddy on the wine question,
when he said his name wasn't
Timothy and there was nothing
wrong with his stomach. All three
were supple enough to be doubled
over the rail Of the steamer coming
down, and not one felt possessed of
a malady that a sulphur bath would
cure. A remarkable fact is observed
in the luxuriant growth of ferns
and other wild vegetation all round
some of these vapor outlets; while
roses and other shrubs grow rank
where the clear steam comes up the
most freely, their foliage concealing
the apparently bottomIess pits and
bitches in many places. This would
be dangerous country for chicken
thief to 60 providing round at night,
as he would likely as not find him
self instead of the chicken boiled
for breakfast next morning.
About 9 o'clock, accompanied by
Mr.. Maby and the guide, Mr.. Pea,
bright-looking young native man,
the party set out for tour of the
crater, or caldera, as shall call the
whole lava bed, in obedience to
Captain Dutton and to distinguish it
from the subterranean vents in its
surface. Before taking the reader
along, it will be proper to give
brief description of the ground in
general, for the benefit of those who
have not been at the place. Standing
on the Volcano House verandah and
looking southwark to the front, an
oblong plain, sunk hundreds of feet
below the level on which you stand,
lies stretched before your vision.
Say half way lengthwise, and about
quarter of the distance across from
the west side, are situated the three
points of recent observation-disclosures
as Halemaumau, the New Lake, and
the Little Beggar. AS the eruptiOns
progressed the two lakes, Halemau-
mau and the New, built high ridges
round their edges as their surfaces
rose, until the former was partially
surrounded by enormous cliffs and
crags towering up 400 or 800 feet,
and the floor of the latter became
elevated, it is said, higher than the
cliffs enclosing the caldera, or main
crater. The Little Beggar was an
eruptive cone standing short dis
lance off from line between Hale
maumau and the New Lake. 1t has
always been given out that the cir
cult of the caldera covered dis
lance of nine miles, but since that
measurement was adopted the lava
has eneroached upon large addi-
tional area at the south end. When
it is added that the whole area with
in those nine, or maybe twelve miles,
is one field of lava many. tiers deep,
it will not be difficult for the minds
eye to take in a fair view of the
caldera of Kilauea. AS it appeared
when its fires were active l have to
imagine with others who never had
the fortune to see the sublime spec
tacle, aided by the verbal and
painted descriptions of it, which
have been abundant. To describe
what it looks like now was my COM
mission to the Volcano, First we