Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-03
THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.
Their Physical Phenomena-viatts to Extinct
and Active Volcanoes Described.

tentive audience OF ladies and gentlemen at the
rooms Of the Y.M.C.A. All intelligent Ameri-
cans. he remarked, take lively interest in the
past and present history Of Hawaii and in its
moral, material and political future. These
islands contain the graves and the homes of
many Of our best countrymen and women.
The brightest page of Christian missions is
there written and much Of the beauty, charm,
comfort and prosperity Of Hawaii is owing to
the taste, the enterprise and the capital of our
people. 1t is but natural, therefore, that this
and some other portions of the inhabitan.s-in
view OF the intrinsic weakness of the throne of
q noble but vanishing race-and for other good
and valid reasons should desire union with our
country rs the ocean state of Hawaii.
As the first lecture treated Of the people.
their probable origin, their Christian civiliza-
ton, the causes of their physical decay and Of
their present material prosperity, the one last
evening was mostly devoted to the physical
phenomena Of the islands, including visits to
some of the extinct and active volcanoes. The
description OF the great extinct crater on the
Island Of Maui-the ruin of which stands 10, 600
Feet above the sea, with a circumference of 30
miles, lnclosing, at depth of 600 feet, sixteen
secondary craters-the whole a most complete
counterpart-excepti in size, to the great lunar
crater named Schickard-proves Haleakala to
be one OF the unique wonders of nature. When
this great crater became extinct no doubt the
were transferred to the great Island Of Hawaii,
where, at this hour and for the last so years,
their mighty manifestations and devastations
have been experienced and recorded by
thoughtful and able men.
WONDERFUL ACTIVITY IN HAWAII.
To the scene of this wonderful activity in
Hawaii the lecturer directed the attention Of
his audience. From the palm-embowered city
of Lahina he took passage in small native
schooner bound for Hilo and the captain put
him off on the coast of Hawaii at the nearest
point for reaching the newly erupted crater.
Here he engaged a canoe, with an out rider TO
prevent capsiZing. to convey him some forty
miles along the coast to the ancient capital of
Hawaii. as this was the only possible point,
owing to the dense forests and fresh lava flows,
for ascending the island 70 the new active
crater high up OF the side of Mauna Loa. TO-
900 feet above the sea. In this canoe ride of
forty miles ne sailed over vast fields of beauti-
tlfll corals. plainly seen in the deep. clear
waters, and along the Shore where the great
lava stream, slowly rolling down through the
valleys, poured into the sea. burying the silent
coral workers and their wonderful marine gar
dens, throwing up vast clouds of steam and
uttcring. with voice of thunder, its protest
against the mighty foe which checked its head
long and fiery career.
LAvA-CovERED PLATEAU.
The Island of Hawaii, as he thus approached
it and sailed along its shore. seemed to rise
from the sea, like n vast grim fortress. built up
by the force of internal fires whose molten
lavas had spread and cooled. over and over
again. in all sorts Of fantastic shapes, on every
side. often cutting their way through the zone
of forests to the sea. The central portion of
the island above the tropical forests is for the
most part a vast. desolate lava-covered plateau
about 5000 feet above the sea, and from which
spring three great. wide-based volcanoes each
Z a E. l. Il. n
kea and Mauna Hualalai. The SUBMITS of
these ancient craters are now extinct and are
covered and filed i'll with eternal SHOWS, which
drift and whirl, sparkle or repose in the upper
air. and for ages no subterranean fires have
robbed them of their spotless diadems. But
though these SUBMITS are thus silent and snow
crowned yet the great bosom of Hawaii is ever
with wrath. 1t is a remarkable fact
that nearly all the eruptions on Hawaii in the
of man have burst forth not from the
submits. but from the sides of the great vol
canoes and even low down on the sides of
Hawaii, and that in the ancient crater of Kill
auea. only 5000 feet above the ocean, there has
existed for ages and is seen today a mighty pit
called Hale Maui au-the house of everlasting
vast sea OF molten lava is in
constant agitation, but with no outlet and no
with other craters which play far
above it.
SEEKING AN ACTIVE CRATER.
Kailua, unable to obtain a guide, resolved to
ascend alone to the mouth of the new and
active crater some twenty miles distant, and
high up on the mountain side, some 10. GOO feet
above the sea. For the first few miles he
passed from the shore Of the ocean up through
4 cultivated belt of land and then reached the
tense virgin tropical forest, with an under
yrowth Of creepers and vines. Passing through
This zone of tropical trees land was reached
-lare. fhn Il bad nrr| a,,I ALL l.
lore reaching the forests or the ocean below.
In the central portion of this plateau. but
nearly filing it, the three great volcanoes up
lifted their heads. Many parts Of this lava
able land were covered with shrubs and low
rees: others with coarse black sand. scoria
md masses of lava left in various shapes as the
stream flowed along and then cooled and
tracked, leaving the surface everywhere rough
md jagged with many deep and dangerous is
ures.
VAST HEATHER TEMPLE.
On this rugged, uninhabited and utterly
iesolate table land are the ruins of vast
ieathen temple and under the shelter Of whose
walls the traveller encamped for the night
This seems to be about the only temple owing
10 its massiveness and distance from human
which escaped utter destruction
when idolatry was overthrown in 1919 The
walls some twelve feet high and thick, 400
eet WIDE and 700 feet long, ana all composed of
arge blocks of lava. The most remarkable
eature of this temple that. in its inner
'ourt and near the high altar. there once stood
cunningly constructed wicker-work obelisk |
he seat of an oracle which gave forth responses
70 kings and chieftains when they wished to
consult the gods on affairs of importance |
But the grim idols which once looked ont on |
hat awful scene and the vast train of pilgrim
yorshipers who once struggled up to this lava
emple are gone forever. The last human |
acrifices took place in 1873 only seyenty-two