The Oskaloosa herald., 1893-02-09

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EEw AND NY COW PLExIon IS sETTER.
NY 90 dScs3t says it scts gently on the stomach.
drink T made hrQm herbs, and Is prepared for nss
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LANES EDTGTNE
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sSSh day in 9rSer 70 De healthy this necessary
lone traveller from California waiting to
go down. People always visit the vol.
cano at night, since the fires show to bet
ter advantage. We started with guide
and soon stood on the brink of a preci-
pice from which we could look down
Ito circular hole five hundred feet
deep and three miles across. Columns
of smoke were rising everywhere, and
all of the center seemed to be one dense
mass that reached to the clouds. Kill
auea is unlike most volcanoes. They
generally belch forth their fire and
smoke from the top Of high peak. To
reach the crater of Vesuvius you have
to climb mountain four thousand feet
high that is almost as steep as the pyr-
amids. Although Kilauea is the same
height the ascent is so gradual that you
are hardly aware that you are on the
mountain. This shows the great heat
of its lava flows, which after having run
thirty miles, spread out, forming great
plains almost on the level with the sea.
The banks of the crater are too steep to
descend except by zigzag trail cut in
the rocks. Standing on the top and
looking down you see what seems to be
a black and level plain; but when you
reach it you find great canyons and per-
pendicular cliffs hundred feet high. 1
hurried on ahead but was soon stopped
by fissure in the rock about six feet
wide and seventy feet deep, in the bot
tom of which the lava had been lately
running. We soon came to where the
smoke was rising all around, and had to
wind about to find currents of fresh air.
There were great fissures everywhere
that had been lately spouting lava.
From large hole of unknown depth
the smoke was shooting upward in tor
rents. Two miles through such scenes
as these and we stood on a high bluff
and looked down into a dark and dis
NAL canyon formed by the caving in of
q large section Of the crater. It looked
like the valley of the shadow of death" :"
but they who would see the glories of
Kilauea must pass through this.
Our guide went before, pointing out
the dangerous places, and we safely de-
scended into the depths. On one side
of the trail was precipice from which
a mass of rocks had lately fallen, cover
ing the path and almost catching a
party of tourists. Half a mile up the
canyon and the guide said we were near
ing the boiling lake. There were strange
noises mingled with rumbling and crack
ng as if an ice gorge had broken loose.
The guide started to run and called to
us to follow if we wanted to see the fire
break out. A strong puff of wind blew
the smoke into our faces, but we held
our noses and ran. managed to reach
the edge and look down, but had to run
back fifty PAGES or more before l dared
take full breath, and even then my
lungs were so filled with the poisonous
fumes that 1 hardly got over it that
night. The boiling lake, or lake of fire
and birthstone, as 1t would more prop
erly be called, is about three hundred
feet long and half as wide. Except on
the north it is surrounded by high banks
which on the west are one hundred feet
On the north we could walk to the edge
and look at the seething lava which had
sunk down some fifteen feet, but which
frequently boils over and runs down
1 the valley.
The grand exhibition of fireworks i:
not going on all the time. The fires fre
quently cease, the surface of the lake
will cool, harden and remain quiet fol
hours; then it will break forth in ragG
which may lasta few minutes, and some
times for days. Many people after hav
ing gone to much trouble and expense
go away disappointed, sometime:
through necessity, but more often be
cause they are nervous and want to gel
out of the dismal place as soon as pos
sible. After waiting an hour or two
and seeing nothing satisfactory my
chum wanted to go, but / said I was go
ing to stay all night. He thought il
would be awful to stay alone in such {
place. Finding his warnings were il
vain he took my name an address anC
said if I failed to materialize an tht
morning he would write to the widow
which would have been very appropri
ate since he was JUSTIN age and bach
slor. After considering the mattel
further he had about concluded to sta.
and take chances with me. The guild.
gave us little encouragement by say
ing that although there had been man!
narrow escapes among the hundred
that came every year, none had eve
been hurt. 1t was his opinion that the.
were guarded by Providence. God hat
placed here the greatest wonder in tn
world and wanted everybody TO see II
If he should permit some one to &c
killed others would be afraid to come
Very good reasoning, we thought, for
poor Portuguese, from which we took
little comfort. While discussing thi
subject there came great noise as o
rocks breaking and falling. We though
the crater was caving insome where, an,
started to run. Even the guide wa
somewhat frightened, but he and 500
saw what it was and stopped, while th
bachelor made tracks as far as he dare,
to alone, where he continued to wav
his hand and entreat us to hasten ou
of that horrible place. Some rocks ha,
broken loose and came tumbling dow
into the lake, from which we were in n
danger. The Portuguese took the Ian
tern and hastened on TO reassure th
| frightened man and guide him oui
Twice they called to know if had no
changed my mind. Halfundecided an
fearing that / would give in listene
until their voices died away down th
dark valley and finally the light disaT
peared. This settled the matter, fo
had known the whole thing was goin
to blow up / could not have got on
that night alone.
''The fates had burned the bridge DER whic
to dee,
And left tbs world 10 Pele and TO me. p
! climbed to alittleeminence TO watc
the show begin. The lake was froze