The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-27
LAKE or LIVING LAVA.
Situated on Mount Klsues, in the
Sandwich Islands.
Frona o. Earth M Is Wonders.

O1tIO W ACQ 1871
From our Earth and It's Wonders
There is on the island of Hawaii lake of
living lava. 1t is on Mount Kilauea Ii is
pit about three and half miles wide,
nearly illiptical in form, and surrounded
with cliffs almost inacce sble to human
foot Capt. Dutton thus describes it: 1.-THE
object upon which the attention is instantly
liked is large chaotic pile Of rocks situated
In the center of the amphitheater, rising to
hight which, by an eye estimate, appears
to be about $50 or 400 feet. From lnHumer-
able places in its mass volumes OF steam are
poured forth and borne away to the leeward
by the trade wind. The color Of the pile is
intensely black, spotted and streaked here
and there with red. 1t is go shattered and
broken that 1t has a craggy, ominous
aspect, which may be called hide us.
Around it spreads out the slightly I'M
dulating floor of the amphi' heater, as black
as night. To the left of the steamlng pile is
an opening in the floor of the crater, within
which behold the rudy streams of boiling
lava. From numerous points in the SUR
rounding floor clouds OF steam issue forth
and melt away in the steady flow of the
wind. Desolation and horror reign SUI
preme. The engirdling wells everywhere
hedge 1t IN. But upon Their SUBMITS and
upon the receding platform beyond are all
the wealth and luxuriance Of tropical vege-
tation, frightening the contrast with the
desolation below.
The pool of burning laYa is about $50 feet
long and little over 800 feet in width, sur
rounded by vertical walls Is to 20 feet in
height. When we first reach 1t the prob-
abilities are that the surface of the lake is
coated over with a black, sohdifed crust,
showing rim of fire all around it's edge
AT numerous points at the edge of the crust
ra HTV 81
throwing Up spray of glowing lava drops
and emitting a dull, simmering sound.
The heat, for the time being, is not intense.
Now and then a fountain breaks out in the
middle of the lake and boils feebly for O few
minutes. 1t then becomes quiet, but only
to renew theop Grafton at some other point.
Gradually the squirting and fretting at
the edges augment. A belch OF lava is
thrown up here and there to the hight of
five or six feet. and falls back upon the
crust. Presently and near the edge, a cake
OF the crust cracks off and one edge of it
sliding downward descends beneath the
lava, and the whole cake disappears, dis
closing a naked surface OF liquid fire. Again
it coats over and turns black. This opera
ton is repeated edgewise at some other part
of the lake. Suddenly a network Of cracks
shoots through tie entire crust. Piece after
piece of it turns its edge downward and
sinks with q grand commotion, leaving the
whole pool a single expanse OF liquid lava.
The lake surges feebly for while. but soon
comes to rest.
The heat 10 now iusupportable. and for
time it is necessary to withdraw from the
immediate brink. Gradually the surface
darkens with the formation of new crust,
which grows Hacker and blacker until the
last ray of incandescence disappears. This
alteration Of the freezing of the surface of
the lake and the breakup and sinking of the
crust goes On in a continuous round at a
regular period of about two hours.