Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-11-20
LnItr Of living LnNn.

There is on the island of Hawaii a lake
of living lava. 1t is on Mount Kilauea.
II Is n pit about three and half miles
wide, nearly ellptca in form, and sur
rounded with cliffs almost inaccessible to
human foot. Capt. Dutton thus describes
1t in Our Earth and Its Wonders The OBJ
iect upon which the attention Is instantly
fixed is a large chaotic pile of rocks stu
ated in the centre of the amphitheatre,
rising to height which, by an eye esti-
mate, appears to be about $50 to 400 feet.
From innumerable places in its mass vol
umes of steam are poured forth and borne
away to leeward by the trade wind. The
color of the pile is intensely black, spotted
and streaked here and there with red. 1t
is so shattered and broken that it has a
craggy. omnous aspect, which may be call
ed hideous
Around it spreads out the slightly undu-
ating floor of the amphitheatre, black as
night. TO the left of the steaming pile is
an opening in the floor of the crater, with
in which we behold the rudy streams of
boiling lava. From numerous points in
the surrounding floor clouds of steam issue
forth and melt away in the steady flow of
wind. Desolation and horror reign SUI
preme The engirdling walls everywhere
hedge it in. But upon their submits and
upon the recedng platform beyond are all
the wealth and Insurance of tropical veg
citation, heightening the contrast with the
desolation below.
The pool of burning lava is about $50
feet long and little over 800 feet i'm width,
surrounded by vertical walls - to 20 feet
in height. When We first reach it the
probabilities are that the surface of the
lake is coated over with a black, solidifed
crust, showing a rim of fire all around its
edge. At numerous points at the edge of
the crust Jets of fire are seen spOuting up
ward. throwing up spray of glowing lava
drops and emitting dull. smmering
sound. The heat, for the time being is
not intense. Now and then fountain
breaks ont in the middle of the lake and
boils freely for few minutes 1t then be-
comes quiet, but only to renew the opera
ton at some other point.
Gradually the squirting and the fretting
at the edges augment. \ belch of lava is
thrown up here and there to the height Of
five or six feet and falls back upon the
crust. Presently, and near the edge, Il
cake of crust cracks of, and one edge of
il, sliding downward, dcscends beneath the
lava, and the whole cake disappears, dis
closing naked surface Of liquid fire.
Again il coats over and turns black. This
operation is repeated edgewise at some
other part of the lake Suddenly net
work of cracks shoots through the entire
crust. Piece after piece Of it turns its
edge downward and sinks with a grand
connection, leaving the whole pool a single
cNpansc of liquid lava. The lake surges
ferbly for a while. but soon comes to rest.
The heat il now inSupportabe and. for
time. il is necessary to withdraw from
the immediate brink. Gradually the sur
face darkcns with the formation of a new
crust, which grows blacker and blacker
until the last ray OF incandcScence disap-
pears This alteration Of the hardening
Of the surface of the lake and the breakup
and sinking OF the crust goes on in a con
tinuous round at a regular period of about
two hours.