Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1890-05-01

anu takeH W tHeir nospitaDle nome wnere We
were made comfortable with bath ard en
robed in one of those most delightful gar
ments for this climate, a white "holocu.'
After our friends hospitality for few
days we decided to start for the volcano
So. bright and early. our horses were
brought around, each one with Mexican
saddle, and As the roads are rough In some
places it is considered safer for women to
ride cavalier style" as they call It, At
ter some little hesitation at riding In this
novel manner We all got safely on and were
soon canterin2 along as comfortably as
though we had been accustomed to this
style of riding all our lives. The first part
of our thirty mile journey, after we had
left the town behind, lay through regu-
lar tropical forest. The road was mere
bride path. ltwas delightful riding along
in the early morning in the soft warm air,
surrounded by the different green of the
trees and ferns with occasionally a dash OF
scarlet. 1t was not unlike riding through a
large fernery.
After leaving the woods the trail lay
over large tract of "pahoehoe' Gold la
va, the sun beat down iercely. and as
there is very little vegetation on the pa
hochoe this part OF our ride was quite mo-
notonous. However, as all things have an
end. We breathed a sigh Of relief when,
late in the afternoon, we entered piece
Of woods and knew that In an hour or so
We should be at our journeys end
Very glad wewere TO alght before the
Nolcano House. and TO be- conducted to
our rooms and throw ourselves down on
the soft ''pulu beds" TO try TO rest our ach-
Ing limbs The fresh, crisp air soon re-
Nived us and when we gathered on the ve-
randa in the evening We felt almost ready
Tor the long walk TO the lakes of fire We
deferred this, however. til the next even
ing IN the meantime eontenting ourselves
with watching the red reflections on the
| clouds.
| The two lakes are situated In the middle
/ of large crater very much like huge bowl
and the Volcano House Is situated near the
I edge of the bank, so we had tine view Of
\ the volcano from .he house at night, al.
though i was nearly three miles distant
1 Early the next morning we were up and
ready 10 see all that was 10 be seen near
the house, the descent OF the crater being
left TIL evening as the view is much finer
st night than during the day.
One of the peculiar sights around the
house is the steam arising from the nu-
| merous holes. and the foliage OF the plants
that cros around the edges Of the holes
Is covered with crystals formed Of sulphur
with which the steam is strongly i'm
pregnatcd.
Some of the large holes have been nam
ed. a. for instance: The Devils Kitch- !
en- is the name OF one that sends ou,
steam IN blasts every few minutes.
After examining these holes We went to |
see q large bank Of sulphur which was al. |
SO steamng Near the bank house is
erected SO that any one can take a sulphur |
bath the hot sulphurous steam being led |
in from one OF the numerous steam holes. |
About four O'Clock In the afternoon we |
started out under the protection Of guide |
for our walk to the lakes Of living fire |
First we had to make descent Of about |
500 feet down the almost perpendicular
5''I~ sny tiisin oIasci, ahu -tiIrL tU,ii-
menced the tire-ome walk Of about three |
miles over hard and uneven lavs, with |
cracks here and there, from which steam
was ascending, and occasionally as II |
a, 4 9
fire below
The formation of tie lava on the bed Of /
the crater t. Ike frozen black sea At /
dusk We reached the first lake, but as this |
second
Just imagine large lake of boiling lava |
surrounded by walls so feet high. 1t was
now quite dark so sat down TO watch /
the different changes Of the red mass. II /
was never still more than minute or /
two at time. For while the lava will /
dash up against the sides of the wall
very much a. the waves of the sea dash |
against the cliffs then it will quiet down
and become As black night, when sud- |
denly red crack will appear, small at first
but gradually Increasing, until it runs all
around the lake near the edge; then an
other will shoot out into the middle, and
then others In different directions, until
the whole black mass il one seething lake
of boiling lava. Sometimes large foun-
tiins Of the molten mass will spout up and
portions are carried off and spun out like
glass This formation is called ..Pele's
hair" and i often carried off by birds 10
make their nests ,Pele" is the name OF
the goddess Of fre and was wor,hiped by
Hawaiians in ancient times.
After watching the ever changing lake
of fire until nearly midnight we made a
start for the house, and after long walk
/ and hard pull up the side of the crater,
4 we were glad to throw ourselves on our
4 beds, thoroughly tired out, but feeling
7 well repaid for our trip by this wonderful
and majestic sight
( Honolulu, the capital, on the island OF
/ Oahu is one of the prettiest little towns
any one could wish to see. 1t contains
4 doout -ptppD ihhapibdutS. IL 10 CuDo"Cl-
ed among trees fnd nearly all the houses
are surrounded by the most beautiful gar
dens. 1t has aptly been named The Para
disc Of the Pacific
The principal industry, and, in fact. the
only one of much Importance is the manu-
featuring of sugar from cane, a great deal
Of which grows on these islands, and
which yields large quantity of sugar Its
manufacture gives employment to large
number Of people.
As it may be of some interest to you and
to those who may read what | am writing
| will give you brief outline of the culti-
vation of the cane and its manufacture in
to sugar. The ground is plowed and pre-
pared in the usual way. The seed is OBJ
tanned by cutting the stalk of cane into
short pieces and is planted by putting one
end of each piece into the ground. The
cane-stalk Is jointed something like BAN
boo and from one or more of these joints
spring forth the young plants. For some
months nothing more is required than to
keep the plants free from weeds.
When the plants are about six or eight
oll - IL,