The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-07-11
The Present Condition OF the
Crater OF kilauea.
lsaseial % Lac P. Q. ApyEnrlssa.l


THE RECENT ASCENT OF MAUNALoA.
HILo, HAWAII, July 6, 1898. This
was effected June 24th, 1898, by par
~ OF eight white men; Julian Mon
sarrat. OF Kapapala. the leader of the
party; DR.. VIM. Monsarrat, of Homo
lulu; Peter MeRae, of Pahala; w. Il.
Fennell, OF Punaluu; &. L. Stone, OF
Punaluu j. j. Silva, OF the firm OF
GOnsalves 4 Silva, photographers.
Honolulu, and Edward Z. Baker, Of
Hilo, with three native guides and
assistants.
The party was kindly entertained
by Mr. MOnsarrat at the Kapapala
Ranch, and partaking OF a 1 o'clock
breakfast on the morning of June Esd,
were In the saddle by O'clock, NOV
ing toward the place OF encampment
on the side of the mountain. n cav
alcade of seventeen animals in all,
horses and mules, moving in one di-
rection, was an inspiring circum-
stance To- men aud beasts, and espec-
tally the former. The party divided
about A. NJ, one portion of IL turn
meat by shooting wild cattle, the 9TH
er portion making direct for the place
of encampmeut which, reaching early
In the afternoon, the tent was pitched
and sundry other preparations made
against the arrival of the balance of
f,sa a n
emerged TO view from the thick cloud
which then enveloped that portion of
the mountain, the foragers bringing
an ample quantity of fresh beef with
them. The place where the tent was
pitched was 800 feet above the sea,
and from il the human eye could look
into the crater of kilauea and behold,
what seemed after dark, balls of fire,
or the illumination occaSioned by the
upheaval of the liquid lava of the
lake.
AT daylight on the morning of the
24th Of June the party, eleven in num-
Der, were in the saddle, headed for the
crater st the summit-fourteen ami
mails in all going along. Traversing
the rough pahoehoe of the mountain
side, the feet of the horses were cut
and made to bleed, while those of the
mules exhibited at the same time
scarce so much as scratch. The brink
OF Mokuaweoweo, or the summit
crater, was reached ut IL a. NJ. There
was n fresh wind blowing for the y.
E; human hands enclosed in gloves
and stockings even for protection,
aehed with cold. The temperature
was estimated TO be 409 or IS Fahren-
heit. However, the chilly wind drove
of mountain sickness mot one of the
party was affeeIedl, mountain sickness
being quite sure TO attack persons on
reaching Il, 900 or 1900 feet, in case it
is still warm at that altitude, as it
sometimes is. The ordinary path of
descent into Mokuaweoweo having
been, by the fall of rocks, rendered
no one descended 70 the
fiow except McRae, who, as he him
self reported, let himself down and
climed up a perpendicular wall of lava
Of thirty feet stretch, with nothing
but his toes and fingers TO hold on
to the little rocky prOtuberances of
say two inches projection. A stay
Of only three hours on the summit
did not afford sufficient time for a
Journey to the north end of the crater
whence a comparatively easy and safe
descent can be made to the floor be-
low. The party rendeZyoused on the
brink near the ice crack, and two
mule, carried down and utilized for
making ice cream at Kapapala Ranch
next day. One of the party traversed
the brink far enough TO the South TO
pass the Wilkes eucampment and
look into Southern Mokuaweoweo.
A considerable change has taken |
place in MOkuaweoweo Stree 1887. n |
small crater was formed in the floor of |
The main one ia the month of June, |
1857, the date of the eruption of that |
year. Mr.. Baker saw this crater in |
The month of February of that year. |
He also descended and went round it |
in 1855, aud Messrs. Monsarrat and |
rhurston descended to il in 1889. This |
1857 crater Is now all filled up. Five |
years ago IL was 200 feet in diameter |
and 200 feet deep, but the then vacant |
space OF it is now occupied by solid !
ava, which is continuous with the |
general floor of Mokuaweoweo. a !
little smoke Is now issuing from a |
place near the brink of this once era |
Ter, but the great volume of smoke |
now arising from Mokuaweoweo is |
from the old place whence it came |
prior 10 the formation Of the 1887 era
ter. Southern MOkuaweOweo looks |
the same as il did five, seven or ten |
years ago.
Of profound quiescence Mechanically. |
Judging from present appearances |
only, one is tempted to feel land this, |
too, despite the fact that appearances |
are deceitfulJ that MaunalOa will |
never again pour forth liquid fire, and |
its corpse never again terrify those |
living on IL with its cOnvulsive witch I.
.ngs, usually called earthquakes. Mr.. |
silva, one OF the party, an enterpris- |
ing photographer, took a negative Of |
the crater, which, developing well, |
will be q valuable addition TO Hawai- |
IAN islands views. The same artist i
the fourteen riders as /
hey sat on their animals by the side /
Of the great summit crater The cloud /
view which met the gaze Of the party /
On descending was Of the finest. For 4
hours the descending riders were look
ing down on the top Of a stratum Of /
cloud spread out like a sea below. The
upper surface Of the cloud stratum was
white, because the sun was shining on
e. But there was single cloud near
The sun just before IL set, and this cast
\ dark shadow on the white cloud sur
lace which was spread out in front Of
and below the eleven excursiODists
who were descending TO reach camp.
To Mr.. Monsarrat, leader Of the