The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1892-04-23
CHANGES IN KILAUEA
IN FIVE YEARS.
BY S. E. Bishop.
VOLCANO HOUSE, April IL, 1892.

CaDO was III company Will LIoiSoSol
j. ID. Dana in July, 1889. The then
existing condition of the crater is
described and illustrated in Dana's
+" characteristics of Volcanoes.
Some account was also given in The
Friend of August and September,
1889.
The present state of the great in
ner crater of Halema' uma'u is totally
changed from what it was then, and
very much to the advantage of the
observer. As sit writing in the
fine reading room of the Hotel, / can
plainly distinguish the entire circuit
of the walls of Halema uma'u as
well as the great ash or pumice fields
at the S. w. end of the outer crater
of Kilauea. A faint blue vapor from
the fire lake scarcely wells them in
the least, while dense clouds Of
steam then made mystery of much
that lay behind them; the high SUM-
nit of the debris mound also cut off
the view of the same parts from this
house.
AT the former visit, this unsightly
pile of ruin numbered the pit and far
overtopped its walls. 1t 30 filed the
area of the crater as to meet the
talus of the cliffs, compelling the up
pressing lavas to bore such vents as
they could between the inner and
outer debris, making three or more
small fire lakes. At the time of our
visit the only one of these not mainly
hidden by smoke, lay at the middle of
the west side about $50 feet below
the main floor of Kilauea. 1t was
closely crowded between the debris
cone and the precipice, and was about
200 feet in diameter. Our party
christened it "Dana Lake." and it
continued to be the chief center of
interest until year ago. No trace
of all these things remains except
the outer walls of the pit.
What have we now? Here is the
great well-like pit, like huge quarry,
or Kimberley diamond hole, about
half mile in diameter, nearly circu-
lar, with vertical walls for $50 feet
down, and $50 more of sloping talus
or debris. In spots the talus reaches
nearly to the top, elsewhere often not
one-third the height. 800 feet down
lies what looks like perfectly level
floor of fresh black lava. Thisl about
1900 feet in diameter, bounded b.,
the irregular slopes of rock-ruin all
round the pit. Exactly in the center,
920 feet in diameter, more or less,
lies the immense tire-lake. 1t is not
far from true circle, large enough
to fit pretty closely inside the four
square fence of the Palace Yard, ]
should think, or between the sides OF
the Park race track.
The smooth, semi-liquid crust OF
this seventeen acres of lake is 80
feet below the black floor around it,
which averages $50 feet wide. The
bank is everywhere vertical, and
clean cut, with few irregularities.
The entire arrangement is so orderly
and symmetrical as to suggest an
artificial swimming tank. There is
not the minutest suggestion of the
wild overhanging peaks and turrets
that adorn Tavernier's pictures, and
that made so horrescent the Hale.
ma'uma'u of '82 to '85. The lava
has come up in normal form. The
forces are marshalled in field dress
and array.
1t will be remembered that or
March 6, 1886, after season of I'M
usual activity and immense overflow
Of lavas, Halema' uma'u collapsed
: its lava drained off underground
! carrying down also the entire con
tents of the "New Lake" adjacent
The enormous masses of overhanginl
cliffs all fell in. There only remain
ed black fireless pit Of 700 feet il
depth, in dimensions much like XII
lauea-iki. The debris of the crate
walls which fell in would seem tt
. have choked the main shaft through
: which the lava ascends from the Plu
tonic depths. IL was slow in return
S ing. When it finally appeared, i
r came pushing up before it an enor
s nous mass Of debris, which was lift
Y ed the whole 700 feet and 200 more
e blocking the crater and impeding it
action as above described.
Exactly five years later to a da,
, on March 5, 1891, second COLLAPSE
e occurred, leaving pit like the form
: err one. But the return of the lava
e was speedy. The unsightly cone o
4 debris had gone down into the depth
!. forever, perhaps into some wide en-
y largement of the lava shaft or due
;, far below. Enceladus was rid OF hi
Il numbering Etna. The fire fountain
welled up large and free, rising il
less than year to within 800 feet O
the upper brink of Halema una u
then slightly sinking again to it's pre-
sent level.
n The entire amount of present ebul
( lition in the lava is probably quit
equal to the combined action of TIL
n lakes of 1887, but being distribute
II over several times the area of liqui'
;, surface, is much less crowded, leay
e ing larger proportion of dark crus
n than on Dana Lake. At the sam
g time the boiling fire appears in large
n single masses than then, but perhap
= scarcely as impressive to the eye
d We then stood within 200 feet of tn
It fires. Ordinary observers now 81
e comfortably on the upper brink, lao
i feet away from the surging fire four