The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-09-14

CLOUDS OF OuSU. OcCdSlOudl uOchS OI
quails or pigeons were the only living
creatures to be seen.
At length the vegetation began to
be more dense, the patches of piipii
grass and the groves of the beautiful
and useful mamane or sophora tree
more frequent, as we approached the
Hilo district. Barbed wire fences
showed that we were approaching
civilization, and at last we came in
sight of the Kalieha Sheep Station
with its neat buildings, its water
tanks and telephone lines, and
general air of thrift, all testifying to
the energy and foresight of its man
ager, A. Haneberg, Esq.
Nearly every afternoon this region
is enveloped in dense fog which
pours in from the east, driven by the
trade wind. At night, during our
stay, the thermometer generally fell
below 400 Fair, and frost is not
uncommon. The elevation, accord
ing to the barometer. is about 67O0
feet.
Quails abound, and the mountain
geese and wild ducks are found in
the " Middle Ground" The mon
goose has not yet arrived there.
Wild cattle and boars are still nu-
merous on the slopes of Mauna Kea,
and the former supplied the best
beef we have tasted in these islands.
The present manager has been at
much labor and expense in extirpat
ing two pests, which are said to have
been accidentally introduced from
New Zealand, viz, the Scotch thistle
and the gorse.
Here Mr.. Preston established an
astronomical and pendulum station,
and made complete series of obser-
vations, as at Kawaihae, while sur
veys were made to connect it with
the primary triangulation. The party
was then joined by Mr.. E. D. Bald
win, from Hilo, who brought two
pack animals and muleteer, and by
Mr. j. j. Muir, from Mana. Mr..
Baldwin had visited the summit in
1890, and had afterwards made a
valuable map of the central part of
Hawaii.
The first start for the summit was
made on the morning of July 18th,
but an ambitious mule, which had the
honor Of carrying the magnetic in
struments, ran away in the thick fog,
and was not found till 3 P. NJ, after
six hours Of searching. Fortunately
no harm had been done to the instru-
ments.
The next morning the thermometer
stood at $50 Fair. The fog cleared
off early, and a finer day for the
ascent could not be imagined. Mr..
Haneberg now took command of the
pack train, and had the caravan
loaded and set in motion by Z: As AM,
the guide riding in front, followed by
eleven pack mules and as many men
on horseback. One sturdy brute car
ried the pendulum receiver, weighing
about one hundred pounds, on one
side, balanced by bags of cement on
the other.
After riding nearly two miles due
east from the ranch, we turned to the
north, gradually ascending through
a belt of country thickly covered with
| groves of mamane.
We crossed a shallow crater
just east of conspicuous peak
called "Ka lepe q moa," or cocks
comb, aud began to ascend the noun
tain proper. After climbing a steep
ridge through loose scoria and sand,
the party halted for lunch at an ele-
walton of 10,500 feet. The upper
limit of the mamane tree is not far
from 10000 feet. The Raillardia,
apiipii, extends a thousand feet
higher The beautiful Silver Sword
| (Argyroxiphiuml, once so abundant,
is nearly extinct, except in the most
rugged and inaccessible localities.
The trail next turned to the east,
winding around an immense sand
crater called "Keonehebee," 1850
feet in elevation, which stands at the
edge Of the summit plateau. Further
to the southeast we were shown a
pillar of stones which was raised to
commemorate Queen Emma's jour
ney over the mountain to Waimea in
1888.
The summit plateau, which is per-
haps five miles in width, gradually
slopes up from all sides towards the
central group of hills. 1t IS studded
with cones (most of which contain
craters), composed of light scoria,
like those in the crater of Haleakala.
The surface of the plateau is strewn
with blocks of light colored, fine
grained, feldspathic lava, inter
spersed with patches of black sand.
The rarity of the air was now felt
by both men and animals, and it re
quired forcible arguments to make
the laggards keep up with the col
umn. at last, about 3 PM, we clam.
bered over the rim of low crater
west of the central cones, and saw
before us the famous lakelet of
Waiau, near which we camped. 1t is
an oval sheet of the purest water, ar
acre and three quarters in extent
surrounded by an encircling ridge
from 80 to 1876 feet in height, except
at the northwest corner, where there
is an outlet, which was only two fee
above the level of the lake at the