The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-05-02
THE VOLCANO.
Prof. W. T. Brieham's Report

Prof. W. T. Bneham's Report
of the Recent Breakdown.
BY permission of Prof. W. D.
Alexander, Surveyor General, We are
able to give our readers an account
of the late breakdown OF the Volcano.
furnished by Prof. W. 7. Brigham
for the Surveyors Office. Prof. Brig |
ham has also given al account of the
Volcanoes condition prior to this
breakdown. The following interest
ing description is what he has to say
iu reply to a request of the Surveyor
General:
On the 81 of April, at your request. !
visited he crater again. and found the
foIlo ing condition OF hings: From the
house, the absence of the Two landmarks
the peaks and the column OF FIN Ike
Was al once noticed, and as night fell The
accustomed look towards Haiemanm al
| met not the iainiest giimm-r of light
all was ~ COLI and dea as the grand
old dome of Mauna Loa ten thousand
feet above It.
| The next morning the yawning Dit Was
clear cut rs seen from the house, ami
| only pale blush smoke arose from i's
| iips. Beyond, to the southwark. WAS
white sm Ike that rose anu fell, bus War
| not Of considerable extent. On desceni'
| ing into the crater, the crack Was f"und
unchanged. Many smaller crac.s inter
sect.d the trail. especially towards the
| middle of The crater, but the condition oi
the stone monuments an the rock called
The Halt Way HOUSE," showed cOrrlu-
sively that there had been very little
disturbance in the crater it's II; not on-
Of the stone piles had been Upset. The
lava flow noticed ON the previous WISH
was still warm. and on the h'r.irIs OF
the depression Was red hot Tie entire
tire area WAS gone. Peaks, cones and
DO ls had vanished, and in their place
Was pl,-craier of ellipiical utline,2 go
by 3. 600 feet, the major axis beng ne r.
iy east and west The walls were pr
wndcular and qrite impossible. The
estimated depth was 500 'e-t. There
were many concen rio aud radial cracks
making it dancer. us in many PLACES t.
apIuo ach the edge. Almost all the
smoke proceed from the hot uppvI
crust If the br,t-r, nom C ima from tn.
bottom and while every portion II ti.'
pit Was clearly seen, the heated air con
stautly rising from the border made
photoyraphiny II partial fai.ur rtioii
vi the cracked lip hai sunk, l-avln.
steps tuwaris the pit. f'ri- Was III
pl-te ali rnce ri any black in the VA !,
ur boliom; all shades al brown, d a"'
yellow, but generally light; not in il'
least fresh looking. Except itr sZ5 l
| 4 ~ 4,
might have hem IA old The walls w. r,
. in remarkably even layers, no cavities
dykes or great irregularities wnr.. to- tn
se-n. 1t was a wall of mas nry whrs
) cement time had T., numb ed amt 1t won
hardly have sa-meu out OF place iia'
some vine trtilied its te>Ioons Il 'wn il
: e .ur es The notion WAS a cmiiIsr'
, mass uf lava blocks of ihs. same color :,
the walls, and was deeper at III IVES
side. Tir. impression was that The lo
, of the peaks was there.
Owing t" the had arrangements of t..
Inter Island s N Co, We We're hun
1 ri.d away at dayhreak the sec
ond morning, and 80 had no opppl
tunity 10 photograph from the wt~ter
= wall, NOR TO fake tie desired measure
ments The tocarion is huw-ve
settled with sufficient accuracy AZ tn
;. whnle area covered BY the last breat
;, down and the pool to Tie eastward d
we'll.
u No word could be heard of any surfac
:, II W makai If the cra'er. bu, from IN
steamer as We left Punaluu Saturia
D afternoon. a dense smoke wa Seen n,ld
~ way hetw-rn kiaU-a AMI the sea. whic
might have been forest fire, or an uu
break
? 1t is useless to speculate as to the r,
tu,n vi the fires: the present condItio
Z" ol the pit precnties any approach I
4 them were tn bot IN d"ttei with fir,
;, pouls In 1886 the wall was slipping u
one side at least, sff riding Access IL II
d bottom. Any earthquake may h'wrv.
tOppl down enough 81 the pie-en, Wa
10 make descent possible and the fir.
J may I've visible in Week or not f,
n months L. its present condition h
auea il most interesting to II veolosis
j. as i'm the walls of It's included pit l. a
:. epitome ot the formation of the monr
ain itself, clean-cut section vi 81
IL Ieet."