The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-12-07

The crater of Kilauea, on the island
of Hawaii, indicated on the above
map is constantly changing, and like
the views in kaleidoscope, it is
seldom seen twice alike. Shortly
after the collapse which occurred
March 6, 1891, when the immense
pile of rocks, that had been for years
upheaving, over the site of the an
cient Halemaumau crater, till they
lowered above the western walls of XII
lauea, suddenly sank and disappeared
in the subterranean depths beneath
the crater, accompanied with trem-
endous earthquake, leaving nothing
in their place but an empty basin
two thousand feet or more in dia-
meter at the rim, and several hun
dred feet deep. Shortly after this
great disturbance, when as it might
seem, Madame Pele had decided to
change the scene of her exhibition,
and Introduce new role, the molten
lava began to re-appear April 10, in
the bottom of this huge basin and
soon formed a small lake, which has
been steadily increasing in depth and
size, till it is at least 1900 feet i'm
length, and 800 feet deep, of an ire
gular oval form, and surrounded by
almost perpendicular walls
But what sight it presents! The
golden red lava, spouting, seething,
Missing in every part of this large
caldron, never still, but ever moving,
rising or falling, and flowing steadily
towards :
pour back into and descend through
the same two vorteXes, from which il
is continually elected as from foun-
tain, thirty to fifty feet high
near the center of the lake. Besides
these large fountains, which seem
to feed the lake and keep it supplied
with fresh lava for the grand DISPLAY.
there are innumerable smaller ones
playing IN every part of the lake, re-
minding one of the splash when a
cannon ball falls into the water. The
number of these is very large, and
quite impossible to count when the
lava is very active, as they are con-
stantly in motion, some disappearing
and new ones being formed. At times
they probably number thousands, the
smaller ones resembling torches, the
larger ones miniature fountain lets,
varying from two to ten feet high but |
all surprisingly brilliant. How thew
are formed has not been accounted for.
but like meteors they come unherald- |
ed and then disappear.
The shores, like the illuminations
of this grand lake, differ from anv
previously seen by the writer. Former
lakes in Kilauea have been surround
ed by caverns, into which the lava
was driven, thrown up and out, with
splashing noise. This one is different
IN this respect, being surrounded on
every side with shore like that of a
fresh water lake, on which the molten
lava flows up like water on theShore.
The resemblance is perfect-waye fol-
lowing wave, the white foam of the
water being changed to brilliant red
In all its various hues, but otherwise
a perfect sea beach surrounding the
whole lake. Now, picture such a
scene, a molten sea, with it's red
waves breaking gently along the
shore and receding, followed by sue
;esslve waves, painted in the most i
brilliant red, and always in mo-
ion; the interior of the lake
marked with innumerable red 8
'ipples, and scattered among the 3
whole thousand lighted torches ali :
n motion, forming a changing PIANO.
anna, and you have a picture of tha .
ava lake as 1t IS now seen; one of the |
Arrest and most beautiful sights ever I
Exhibited in the volcanic history of +
his or any other country. 1 have q