Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-05
THE CRITICS REVIEW,

|
The Hawaiian Islands Row of Titan
ian Coke Oveus-A scientist's Entertain.
ing Information.
THE Hawaiian Islands have been associate,
in many peoples minds during the pas
few years with lepers. Father Damien's bray,
work at Molokai has made that little island in
that singular group. of notable INTEREST," to every
body who is able to appreciate saints, martyr.
and heroes
There is another interest however, attaching
to these islands. from the point of view of sci
ence. Here is the habitet of the volcano
For one who wants to study the volcano, and
find out its habits and guess at its reasons fol
being the Hawaiian group affords wide op
portunity. In the first place, these
Hawaiian volcanoes are immense. The
whole chain of islands is volcanic in
its origin 1t is big cinder-pile beside the
door Of one of natures red-hot furnaces. The
| great peaks tower up more than ZOO feet
above the ocean, and extend down more than
5000 fathons under the surface. Over 10000
feet is the height, then from the real base to
| the summit of these great ash-piles
Imagine line of coke ovens, each oven being
mile or two wide. every cne roaring and far
| ing, painting the sky red, some times overflow
| ingin streams of liquid fire as big as the Monon-
gahela river, Is of these gigantic coke in a
| row, and you have an idea of the way in which
| the Hawaiian Islands looked up against the
| horizon at night when all its volcanoes were in
| active operation.
| Mo wonder if the scared voyager, in those
ignorant and superstitious days. looked out
over the sea toward Hawaii, and set It down in
| his geography that yonder was the abode of
the arch-fend, among the unquenchabIe burn
lDgs of the pit which has no bottom.
| Out of the Is coke ovens only three are burn
| ing now. From the other dozen the fires have
| long since been drawn. Only the cinder piles
| remain to mark the site of all this former rush
and hurry OF natures gigantic operations.
These three, however, are quite sufficient for
Kllauea, the largest one, is nearly three
miles in length, and, when it is
| empty is more than Thousand feet deep.
Think of that gigantic bowl. three miles from
rim to rim, and a thousand feet from top to
bottom! The cauldron which that carried of
from Jotunhein was nothing to it. Here the
student may watch the volcano work. The
place is accessible and habitable, not like
Etna There are no great clouds of poisonous
vapor as at Vesuvius. There is good safe
crust over the lake of fire. 1t is not SO hot but
if one is willing to take the chances of what
the volcano may do during the night, one may
sleep there comfortably. 1t is true, there may
be little eruption at any moment, causing
a big river of fire to make a rush upon the
sleeper's camp But this to the scientific
student, is only one OF the anticipated annoy
ances.
n NOLCANO, IL SeeIns. TdTel1 uoco oaho
thing twice in the same way. You can
never positively tell either when it is going to
break out or where. Sometimes it overfows,
sometimes it underflows. That IS, 1t may be
have as this great volcano of Kilauea did in
1910, when after the warning signal of mighty
earthquake, the lava stream broke out n miles
from the mountain, having found some under
ground passage. Thence it hurried to the
ocean, and leaping down over a steep place
into the sea- perished in the waters, and made
everything else that lived in the waters there
about perish with 1t, so that for 20 miles the
coast was washed with boiling water, in which
the fish had all been cooked.
The latest reporter of the proceedings of this
eccentric volcano and its two companions is
Prof. James B. Dana, of Yale University.
of Volcanoes, With Contributions of Facts and
Principles From the Hdwatidn Islands. (Dodd
Mead & Co., H. Watts d Co. $5) 1t is hand
some book, portly In size. with broad band OF
red across the cover typical, no doubt, of vol
canic fire. There is an abundance of illustra-
tion. with maps In plenty. Cones and craters,
pictures There is q valuable bathymetric map
of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the
islands are pictured from several points OF
view.
PRoF. DANA both begins with chapter on vol
canoes in general, in which are discussed
the rocks, gases, and lava streams, which
ent forms of cones resulting from these differ
ences of materials and action. There is dis
cussion of the methods and causes of volcanic
action. There is still great uncertainty as to
what really causes volcanic eruptions. 1t seems
certain, however, that water has a good deal to
do with it. The water, partly from the rain,
and partly from the ocean, flows under the
earth, and strikes this red-hot rock away down
under there, heated, nobody knows how. That
makes steam, and the steam forces Its way up.
The lava bolls. By and by the lava bois over.
The greater part of the book is taken up with
a study of the phenomena presented at Hawaii.
Prof. Dana has supplemented his own observa-
tions with research into all available records
of the>actiOn of these volcanoes for nearly 70
years. These records are accompanied by
sketches, showing how the crates OF Kilauea
looked at the time of each eruption.
80
THE following account of an eruption in 1883
is taken from missionary's record, and is
interesting even from an unscientific point of
view:
THE army of Keoau, an Hawaiian chief.
being pursued by Kamehameha, were at the
time near Kilauea- For two preceding nights
there had been eruptions, with elections of
stones and cinders The army of Keoau set out
on their way IN three different companies. The
company in advance had not proceeded far be-
fore the ground began to shake and rock be-
meath their feet. and it became quite impos-
sibe to stand. Soon dense cloud OF darkness
was seen TO rise out OF the crater. and, almost
at the same instant, the thunder began to roar
in the heavens and the lightning to fash. II
continued to ascend and spread around until
the whole region was enveloped, and the light
was the more terrific, being made visible by an
awful glare from streams OF red and
blue light, varously combined through
the action of the fires of the pit, and
the flashes of lightning above. Soon followed |
an immense volume of sand and clnders which |
were thrown to great height, and came down
in destructive shower for many miles around. |
A few of the forward company were burned to |
death by the sand, and all of them experienced |
a sutfocatlng sensation. The rear company,
which was nearest the volcano at the time, SUI |
fered little injury, and after the earthquake
and shower of sand had passed over, fastened |
on to greet their comrades ahead on their |
escape from SO imminent peril. But what |
was their surprise and CONSERVATION to find the
entire company collection of corpses Some |
were lying down, and others were sitting up |
right clasping with dying grasp their wives |
and children, and joining noses 1.-THE mode of |
leave, So much % ike life they s looked ID that at
first they supposed them merely at rest, and |
it was not until they had come up TO them and |
handled them that they could detect their mis- |
take"
PRoF. DANA is in a position to speak |
with the voice of authority. He brings to
the making of his book the qualification of ex- |
ceptionally thorough geological knowledge, of |
the habit of exhaustive investigation, of the |
gift ef observation, emphasized by carefulness |
patience. persistence and trained scientific |
Judgment, and of the ability to state results in
a manner at once clear and attractive.
1t is not often remembered by tourists that |
these great volcanoes are only two weeks dis |
tant from New York They might well repay |
a visit. Hardly three weeks distant from |
Europe and not two from New York, with |
much to be seen on the way and tropical ISL |
ands growing corals and tree ferns at the end, |
the route should be common one with tour |
ists The magnitude and easy access of the |
great craters; their proximity, while nearly |
To- 900 feet apart in altitude; their strange un-
in ordinary action although alike in L