The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-06-28
OUR LETTER FROM HILO.
MATTERS AND THINGS ON THE
BIG ISLAND.
The Work Of Development Subsidences
Of the Coast Line The Road
Board, etc

is repete with that beauty Of scenery
where every prospect pleases, and
only man is vile; there is instead
ride OF most dreary monotony through
a section almost depopuIated, over
d lavds in many places as bare and black
and shiny as on the day they first con
gealed in others covered with heavy
forest grOwths, while here and there
scattered along are spots covered with
a scanty heritage of grass that finds but
a preCarious foothold in the hollows
and crevices Of the rocks. 1t is
delightful Contrast.to enter some dense
cocoanut grove and halt to rest for
awhile under one of the palms, there
to sip the cool and refreshing milk Of
the fruit. AT such times the silence is
unbroken save for the soughing of the
wind through the broad leaves over
head, or the gentle murmer of the
swell. In these groves are often laid
the scenes of many on old Hawaiian
legend. The one at keahialaka con
tains on old heiau Of sports, while near
the one at Kahaualea was erected the
great sacrifcial heiau, from which in
war times signals were transmitted to
distant South Point and East Point.
This heiau is to-day in almost perfect
state Of preservation.
But what strikes the traveller most is
the sight of some of these palms, evil
IDENTITY thriving though surrounded en-
tirely by water, while the dead stumps
of others can be seen standing out Of
the sea as much as 500 feet beyond the
present shore line. This striking fact
is more noticeable near Kapoho, Pc
hoiki and KaimI than elsewhere, and
illustrates the subsistence of that whole
portion of the Puma coast line in late
years.
One would be led to suppose that
this process was still under way, judg-
ing by the present location of prorli-
nent point on the Kapoho coast which
less than twelve years ago was at least
one hundred feet distant beyond high
water mark while to-day the sea washes
four hundred feet beyond it; again,
the fish ponds Of Kapoho, which at
one time were the determining factors
in the value of that land, have now
sunk entirely beneath the waves.
This remarkable subsistence of the
coast line extending around the VIII ole
south part of the island, from Kapoho
to Kahuku, was, or is, direct result OF
the earthquake of 1868, when that
whole portion of the island was rent
asunder and portion of it pushed for
several feet into the sea. The enormous
pressure of material with which Kilauea
must have been filled at the time, and
which found its exit in the flow that
destroyed the better part of kahuku,
forced its vent in the crack which ran
diagonally through the crater and back
of the Kapapala ranch, thence above
the village of Waiohinu until it reached
Kahuku, while from the crater the
crack also extended in an easterly di-
rection toward the Puma coast, though
it is lost somewhere in the impenetrable
woods of that district
At point about three miles below
the volcano it crosses the Keauhou
road, and there the creek is about eight
feet wide and very deep. A little to
the north and west of Waiohinu the
road was cut squarely in two, and one
part of it showed by the other little
more than the width of the road, OF
from IL to IS feet, while between
Punahuu and Ninole the road wDs en-
tirely submerged. At this place the
coast sank from six to eight feet al
Keauhou about five feet allowing the
sea to make in for several hundred
feet of the land
This sudden submerging of SO i'm
mense a tract, if but a few feet
probably induced the disastrous tida
wave which followed up the cataclysn
and caused the destruction to so much
life and property. 1t is the only in
stance of subsistence of the Hawaiian
coast noted in modern times, though
from the many wide and deep crack
in the interior of Puma, which, bidder
beneath the dense foliage of troplca
jungle, are unperceived by the traveller
until he stands at their very brink, it i
not improbable that even more Sudder
remarkable geological changes have
occurred in the dim and distant past
Plantation affairs through Hamakui
do not look very encouraging so far
the actual tonnage of crops just harvest
ed is far below the approximate figure
given some time ago. Kukaiau on tn
extreme east end of the district pan
out but 800 tons, and the dry month
of May and June have given planter
but little encouragement for the ensu
ing year, There is a buoyant feelin
however, among the small farmers an,
homesteaders, many of whom hav
harvested their first crop of hig
grade coffee, one individual alon
showing a yield Of 1000 lbs from e a
acre. The Honomu plantation in Hill
has for some time past gone into COTE
culture, and already shows an extensiv
araa dayaloned Mr. pvCr1ft of pm