The record-union., 1891-03-22
A LAKE OF FIRE.
A Description of Trip Down a Vol
canic Crater.

The greatest event of the trip was, Of
course, the descent into the crater. We
started at $3.50 o'clock in the afternoon. so
as TO reach the lake OF fire just before
dark. The crater is at a hight of 1910 feet
above the sea, and is on n shoulder of
Manua Loa, whose hight is 1865 feet
This crater of Kilauea is vast pile, aver
aging three miles across, with walls from
300 to 700 feet high.
Most of the floor of the crater is covered
with black lava, cold and dead, the pres
ent activity being in space at the farther
side from the Volcano House. All could
think as looked down into it was "abom-
ination of desolation." In some places
| the walls are as bare as the floor, in others
streaked with red and yellow, and others
| have some vegetation. The descent into
the crater is over a steep and winding
| trail for about a mile, and then we are on
the floor of the crater
AS seen from above, this floor looks
level, but as we reach it, it proves to be
very uneven, mass of cold, black lava
IN some places fine dust, in others small
fragments or large rocks, sometimes like
coils OF rope or wire, and again heaped up
in hillocks. There were many cracks to
be constantly looked out for, lest we fall
in, and from some of them came hot air
with no odor, and from others sulphate
fumes. The lava is fortunately rough, so
there is no danger of slipping, otherwise
our walk would have been even more
tiresome.
AT last we reached place from which
we could see Dana Lake, tho present scene
OF activity, or lake of fire. We were on a
ledge OF rock q few rods away from and
above the lake, and there we sat awe
struck and spellbound. The lake is sup
posed to be about 400 feet long by $50 or
300 feet wide. At first tho most activity
was on the farther side and the two ends,
where the red-hot lava dashed aguinst
the shore like tho waves of the sea in n
storm. A large part of the lake was COW
cred with black crust of partly cooled
lava, which tho red-hot mass underneath
was constantly lifting or breaking through
red lines running across or around it.
Sometimes rim of fire outlined the
whole lake; at other times the fiery foun-
tains spurted high in the air and fell in
luminous spray, scattered over the crust
rattling as it fell. Sometimes great mass
of fire was thrown on to the rocky wall,
and cooled and turned dark as we looked
The vapors as they rose above the lava
walls had the same fiery light as the seoth-
ing mass below, and the walls, too, were
lighted to redness by tho fire and pima
cles OF rock between us and the lake stood
out in black and bold relief against the
light beyond.
No words can describe the glowing
color of that fire, fearful, yet beautiful
and the brush of the most sllillful painter
can give but faint idea of it. The night
was somewhat cloudy, but the young
moon tried to struggle through, ONLY to
pale it's Intellectual fire" before the aw-
full light of the fiery furnace below. The
guide and most of the gentlemen of our
party went to the edge of the lake, and
there in the scorching heat dipped out
lava, and as it cooled put coins into it, to
bring away as souvenirs.
hny or nrl t,n,. l,zt,.
lake they looked like black demons
around fiery pit, and one of them said
on his return that if he were to paint n
picture of the volcano he would paint
imps and demons lowering around it. 1t
was scene to inspire the pen of u Dante
or a Milton. We would gladly have staid
there all night If there had been any
shelter, but ut last were Obliged to start
on our homeward march.- 49, Wdltham Free
Press.