The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1893-04-11
LATEST FROM THE VOL
CANO = TIE MOLTEN
LAKE VERY
ACTIVE.
Visitors Ride on Horseback to
the Edge OF the Lake.
STEAMER K1NAu, April 4, 1898.

4
Volcano of Kilauea, my first visit
having been made in December, 1855.
1t is with great satisfaction record
the fact that, while every visit has
been source of much pleasure, this
one has proved far more delightful
than any previous one. The reasons
for this are many, and chief among
| them are the increased facilities for
comfortable transit TO and from the
| Volcano, the superior aecommOda-
| tions in the way of rooms, meals, and
| baths at the Volcano House, and the
| condition OF the active lake of fire
itself.
! To begin with the steamer kinau, |
/ have to own that there were no sur
/ prises for me either going or return
| ing. The service on this excellent
! steamer has invariably been of such q
| high grade that do not expect or de-
sire any improvement. The officers and
/ employees so ably execute the desires
of the Wilder Steamship Company,
| that the passenger on the Kinau is a
person to be envied. Our first sur
| prise was at Hilo where we found MIR.
Vierra presiding over a new and far
more commodious hotel, and at his
| hands we received the most courteous
and kindly attention.
March S0lh will be pleasant date
/ for all of our party of Raymond x
| Whltcomb people, rs we had added to
the delight OF beautiful Hilo the
! charm of carriage drive to the novel
! japanese village ut Hainaku Planta-
| ton, and also visit to Cocoanut Isl
| and. In the evening in response to
| the kind invitation of Mrs. Judge
| Austin, president of the Ladies' Aid
| Society of the Foreign Church, our
party attended the sociable in the
church parlors and spent a most de-
lightful evening, our Hilo friends
fully making up in genuine hospital
ity what We lacked in boots and
gowns suitable for such an occasion,
so that for once at least in our lives
we enjoyed a social treat without
being dressed as deliberately as our
old time friend McGinty, who is gen.
orally credited with going down
dressed in his best suit of clothes"
Our journey from Hilo to the Vol
cano House, thirty-one miles, was
uIOlAAGA BLAoCI -OAAS 1AAa OAAS
half miles being driven over the eX-
cellent macadamized Government
road, leaving only nine and one-half
miles to be toiled over on horseback.
The attention of the Minister OF
the Interior, and of all concerned,
is most respectfully called to the
necessity of speedily completing the
Volcano Road. As scheme of inter-
nal development and improvement
this road is wise and timely enter
prise; but a. an inducement to tourist
travel alone, it deserves the heartiest
support of every public-spirited citi-
zen of these islands, and instead of
leaving the enterprise to progress as
slowly as 1t has the past two years
the road should be finished in a very
few months. 1t is excellently built
and when completed it will prove the
most beautiful driveway in any coun-
try, and at the same time furnish
charming and easy route to the great
est Volcano on earth.
Our visit to Halemaumau Saturday
afternoon and evening was the crown
ing feature of our long journey of 5000
miles. 1t would be presumption for
one not inspired to attempt i'll an art
icle like this to describe this marvel
Gus lake of fire. have no idea of so
doing. 1t is so grand, so beautiful, so
unlike all other natural wonders that
those who fail to see it must forever re-
m in ignorant of one of the most pro-
found Impressions of which our ma
lures are capable. l can only speak
of some changes since my last visit a
year ago. The vast amount of activity
may appear more readily when | say
that the entire crater of Halemaumau
covering an area of over 100 acres, has
filled up at the rate of over ten feet a
month, or 125 feet during the past
year, and the lake of molten lava to-
day covers nearly fifteen acres.
Thanks to the enterprise of Peter
Lee, the able manager for the Volcano |
House Company, we were able to |
mount our horses at the door of the |
hotel and ride with perfect ease and
safety over a trail directly to the edge |
of Halemaumau, three miles, where |
we found not only a most excellent |
house for our comfort, but also we'll |
built stable for our horses. A tele- |
phone is the latest addition to this |
house, and you can now talk to your |
friends in any part of Hawaii and re-
port every new "hOp'' which Madame
Pele gives to the seething cauldron
just below you. I feel like compli-
menting the Volcano House Company
on the enterprise they have shown,
and on the fact that their business is
being so ably conducted by such a man
as Mr.. Lee. He in turn is fortunate in
having the competent services of Mr..
Charles Brewster as chief steward of
the Volcano House.
Many courtesies were shown the
Of our party by prominent
citizens of Hilo, aud our stay in that
city will furnish material
for many pleasant memories. Our
party was also highly favored in hav
ing with US on this trip Mr.. J. j. Will
liams and Mr.. w. Charl0ck, VINO
have been untIring in their efforts to
make tile trip a delightful one, aud
they have the sincere thanks Of the
tourists for their many kind services.
HENRY c. LYON.