Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-18

EAT FIRE FOUNTAINS OF K
coils of twisted wire cables Of monster size. or
the form Of enormous serpents. Constantly
We were passing over or around huge rounded
domes-lava bubbles-that gave hollow sound
beneath the feet, and every now and then some
heavy weight Of our party would break through
these shells, making momentary panic. Some
of these fractured bubbles showed huge caverns
underneath. Innumerable earthquake cracks
sending out steam and sulphur vapors, were
encountered Our course for four miles to the
burning lake lay over this rugged steaming
territory.
BAD QUARTER OF AN HOUR.
In the latter part Of the trip the lava up
heavals grew more mountainous and difficult
to climb and the vaporous jets took the form
Of furious blasts of choking sulphur fumes.
The guides made Us stop here and take q rest
to get breath for the dangerous trip through
the sulphur district. We we're then required
to tie moistened handkerchiefs over our mouths
and were admonished not to breathe while
passing through the sulphur fumes. Also to
hurry through as fast as possible. 1t was Q
pretty bad ten minutes that followed. We had
to stride or leap across a series Of chasms Of
unfathomable depth that were spouting out
dense volumes of sulphuric acid fumes most
Irritating to the lungs. The women were
carried over by the guides. 1t was job to get
the fat woman over. Luckily the sulphur vents
were on the down-hill side of the ridge. and
we all got through somehow. Then we
stopped while, sprawled about on the lava
anting for breath like fish out of water. After
recovering wind somewhat. we went on, clam
bered over more piles, crags, terraces and
ridges OF rough lava, and on mounting q still
higher crest came in sight Of the object Of our
search at the bottom of the encircling lava hills
on which We stood. Here we left our water
canteens and lanterns and extra wraps, and
scrambled down the rough hillside to the brink
OF the lake.
WONDERFUL SCENE.
The scene presented defes adequate descrip-
ton. The open lake Of fire, some thirty feet be-
low our level at the moment and perhaps 1900
feet in circumference, was constantly changing
in form and boundaries. 1t seemed as if we
were literally looking down into the bottomless
pit-the fire that burns without ceasing. This
restless, boiling. surging abyss of molten fire
was an outward demonstration-the open
mouth-of the fires that rage in the
center of the earth. Everything was of the
supernatural. order. Amidst the whirlpools,
vortexes. jets spouts, boiling currents and other
forms of violent commotion of this troubled
abyss there was always a general movement
of the current to the southern end Of the lake,
where the fiery surf broke with ponderous
metallic roar, most unearthly and quite unlike
the swashy sounds of water breakers.
BLOOD RED SURF.
There was also something most uncanny in
the fiery spray that fell in splashes. dabs Of
crimson and deeper red, looking like clots Of
gore. The lava banks of the lake were at red
white heat and at several points the ponderous
surf had undermined them. forming terrible
cayerns, rooted with rock at a white heat. and
extending beyond the reach Of the eve. Into
these vast caverns or grottoes the heavy me-
tallic surf dashed with laundering crash that
shook the ground all about. The surf in some
places had pounded with such tremendous
power into these caverns as to force vent
through the roofs, forming spouting horns, or
chimneys above by accretions of falling lava, to
lofty height, through which there was con-
slant jet of fiery vapor and red-hot lava. Every
now and then large masses Of the undermined
cliffs would break away and fall into the gulf.
The throbs and tremors in the bank under our
feet indicated ominously that the same awful
forces were at work directly beneath US.
PERIODICAL FORM OF THE ACTIVITIES.
At first sight the grand colossal activities of
the place seemed to be confused turmoil, but
after q time it was seen that there was q GER
| tain sort Of order in the manifestations. After
a scene OF violent ebullition, in which the mol
ten flood had risen nearly to the level of the
banks, there was q subsistence Of some thirty
TO forty feet, and there was a period of COM
parative quiet. The surface of the lake be-
came coated with crust of cooling lava. This
crust at first took q delicate lustrous gray
color, like frosted silver, then deepened to .
| steel gray, mouse color and finally to a shade
almost black Then it seemed as if the fires
had gone out, the lake had dried up and there
was nothing more to be seen. But we notice
presently that the surface Of the lake is rapidly
| rising Inc black coat OF lava Is broken all
over by zigzag seams OF fiery red,
| through which wells up q flow Of red
| hot lava. The imprisoned gases below
the crust are lifting the whole surface Of the
lake In their Titanic furious efforts to secure a
vent-vast ridges of the gray elephsnt-col-
ored crust swell up, presenting a curious
| resemblance In color and the seams and
wrinkles in the hide, to some water monster
| like the hippopotamus rising to the surface.
/ Presently the crust gives way, large squares Of
it are engulfed and go under the surface as
neids OF river ice go down in spring fresbet,
only in this case the engulfng flood Is red-hot
! lava.
Then the released gases bound up with ire
mendous force, carrying Jets, spouts, fount-
aims Of red, purple, golden crimson lava high
into the air from thirty to fifty feet. The
| scene Is now one of Undesirable beauty and
grandeur. There is a combination Of heaven
! and hell-the sublime the beautiful and the
devilish. The predominant characteristics is,
however, one of beauty.
FIRE FOUNTAINS OF RADIANT
fairy-iike grace danced over the surface
of the lake. Then geyser-like torrents OF
liquid golden fire shot violently up, and
in falling convulsed the lake into enor-
nous whirlpools. And then again the jets
would take the form of glittering fireworks on
a colossal scale, sometimes outlined on the
black sky like the trscery of delicate silver
colored lace work or in the shape Of golden
wheat sheaves or in brilliant rockets emitted
with tremendous force that broke against the
wind into glittering golden spray of such ex.
ceeding tenuity that as il cooled it assumed the
shape of filaments of spun glass of the color
and fneness Of thistle down, filing the air and
floating off to settle down upon the rocks and
banks. clothing them with q furry coat that
takes the felicitous name Of Pele's hair.
PELEs KINGDOM.
Kilauea in this period Of sublime activity
and internal beauty seemed fitting home fol-
the goddess Pele. the most radiantiy beautiful
powerful and malignant Of the Hawaiian deities
She is credited in the Hawaiian mythology with
the beauty Of Venus and the malignity Of Gree
One could well imagine her a. disporting with
her attendant train in these dancing flames o,
these fiery grottoes- Mount Olympus seems .
tame, commonplace abode for the gods com.