Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-25
How 1t Changed in a Night.

By some time after midnight the moon
was up and there was sufficient light to war
rant. an attempt to find the way back to
camp-not an easy matter as we found, for
the party lost its bearings ana wandered
about over the crumbling lava for some
time before finding the path which led
back to the deserted grass hut-not alto
gether deserted either as was discovered
after trying to go quietly to sleep, with no
water to drink. Next morning we found a
stream of poor water about hundred wards
away in the forest-enough to wash down a
cold breakfast before going back to take
last look at the new flow by daylight. Be-
fore reaching the point of observation of
the night before things were found to have
a very different appearance by the bright
light of day from that in the darkness of
night
What had appeared q vast, indistinct
mass, glowing like hot iron, was now seen
to be surface as black as and far more
shiny than the clinkers and cinder from a
blast furnace. That part immediately be-
fore US was now easily distinguished as a
small branch, leading from the main flow
into the old flow of '56, which we had fol-
lowed up. Far beyond and extending ap-
for several miles in width was the
main flow-a black, barren plain, with no
sign of life on it save one lonesome, forlorn
tree, SCARED and blighted, but still standing
upright and holding its branches aloft in
hopeless defiance. Clouds of steam arose
from the surface and intense heat danced
above 1t like a mirage. The imprisoned
steam caused explosions from every direc-
ton at short intervals
When crack opened in the surface and
The frey molten lava broke out, cracking
me crust into cakes and turning them up on
end, 1t could be seen that the crust was onlv
few inches thick. Along the border the
crust was hot to the touch, but it was prac-
lcabie to venture upon it aud go some dis |
ance without great discomfort and with no |
serious damage to shoe leather. A party of |
natives were lowering about the edges. |
irving aloha! to all strangers and manifest |
ng an enormous pride in the great spec
acle. They were eager to know whether |
here were bigger volcanoes than this in |
and, upon learning that there |
we're none at all, indicated their conviction |
hat il could not be much of a country. |
Many visitors secured souvenirs and speci- |
mems Of the lava by sticking q cane into the |
mailer cracks as they opened and obtain
ng enough lava to insert coins and other
rticles into before it cooled and hardened. |
Lava at a Waterfall.
Near at hand was q little ravine in which
stream of water had flowed. 1t was drv
ow, as the lava had filled up its sources
nd was making its way down its course,
1t this time 1t had reached what had been
title waterfall, 20 or 25 feet high. we
'atched the molten lava welled out and
ushed over the fall, spattering on the rocks
Glow and hanging from above in enormous
bids like gigantic candy thrown over a
hook ready to work.
he of
fountain could be traced by the steam and
noke which hung over it From the summit
rater of Mauna Loa to where we stood il
ad come 60 miles. Of course the whole
lass is not in motion all that distance, like
ne foW OF river. The upper portions are
llckly crusted over so as to form tube or
lnuel, which brings the molten supply to
ne terminus, where it breaks out fitfullv
nd works its way forward in an irregular
Ireetion. In this way the lava flows some
mes down declevity into a shallow
lvlne, and then laboriously works its way
p the other side and out again, apparently
efying the laws of gravitation.
1t Is curious fact that during periods of
.uption from the summit crater the crater
Kilauea in the slope of Mauna Loa
.pses into state almost of inactivity
-ilsuea is a vent in the floor of an enor-
ous pit, three or four miles in diameter.
the side OF Mauna Loa The volcanic |
res play in the lakes OF fire in this pit at
l times, and their surface can be watched
7 tourists from the cliffs about the lake.
: hen the surface of these lakes is lowered
I'd crusted over, with only an occasional
ibbling and sinmering, it is regarded as
lie OF the indications of an approaching
upton on Mauna Loa.
GUY STUART CoMLEY,