The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-09-08
AT THE CYCL0RAMA.
HOW KlLAUEA LOOKS AT
CHICAGO.
A Lady's Description of a Wonderful
Work Of Art-The Volcano Re-
produced in Detail

A lady contributes to a California
paper this appreCiatlve description of
the cyclorama of Kilauea at the Worlds
Fair:
We stood on a small platform Ct
wood in the center of the great hell pit.
A brilliant, tropical sunset had left a
few rich brazen bands in the west; but
it was quite dusk otherwise, SO that the
moon, riding an hour or two high in
the east, cast mellow light over the
sky. Only the brightest of the stars
we're beginning to assert their rights,
now peeping out bravely for moment
and then growing pale, or disappearing,
to reappear in a few seconds The
volcanoes hole is on its side 1000 feet
above the sea level, while the highest
part of the monster, whose agonies are
here witnessed, towers to up the west
of us many miles away, attaining a
height of $4,000 feet. We looked off
Zone mile and half to the north and
south of us, three-quarters of mile to
the east and west, and where the view
was not obstructed by towering cliffs
of lava, we could see we were in the
center of a great circular pit, three miles
long, two and half miles wide, bord.
cred by perpendicular rock whose
glossy black walls reached up 1000 feet,
to the slopng sides of the mountain,
which rose as it gradually receded until
it seemed to meet the sky in the north,
south and vest but in the east the
mountain was lower and we could see
the slvery Pacific ten miles away,
gntlng under the moonbeams And
now, as the eye starts from the base of
the distant rocks and tries to grasp
the scene between them and your
| feet, a crimson river of blood is
seen near the rock base, Further on
this turns into lake of steel blue. Be-
yond the lake appears dark patches of
purple, smooth and polished-hardened
lava over which you perhaps passed to
obtain your present central position
situated to the west on the mountain
side. This side of the purplish lava
are rough masses Ct stone thrown up
in gray heaps like great round mounds,
or running out in jagged and pointed
cliffs, hanging over some pit of boiling
lava, which throws its brilliant hues
over the face of the cold lava next to it,
as well as over the forms of daring
tourists who have climbed SO near the
edge that you catch your breath and
wish to call out to them to draw back
from the edge before they become
dizzy with the sulphur fumes, or the
treacherous, spongy lava rock crumbles
beneath them and they fall into the
awful hole. Far off in the distance
are chimneys of lava much in the shape
of geyser chimneys. You can see the
inside of their red hot throsts glowing
brightly; but you must have care how
near you approach them, for at any
moment fit Of passion is apt to seize
them, and then woe to the luckless
person who may be in reach of the
Scorchlng mass Of bloody liquid which
they throw high in the air There is
one to our left, as we gaze to the south
west, which is in action. Above the
molten mass that it Kisses forth, color
ing the very air scarlet, is luminous
crimson cloud floating off to join its
paler sisters in the heavens. Between
US and this one of many cones, runs a
deep gorge, off of the edge of which
were you to fall you feel sure you
would not escape a broken head or
limbs. To the south rise great cliffs Of
lava the form of "The Needless" which
are colored beautiful scarlet crimson
by the reflection OF large lake of
active lava lying east of them. This
lake Of lava, covering several acres, is
the only one retaining its position and
activity year after year. Even since
the panorama came into form of the
great lava masses leaning far out over
it, has fallen in, greatly increasing its
size. The lava in this lake boiled,
glistened and shimmered in a way to
make one marvel. This lake is con-
stantly overlooking and river of fire
flows off from it towards the east, here
and there forming fiery cascades over
some precipice Of cold lava again
turning into polished steel-blue or
purple mass, rehecting the crimson
rocks. The whole air seems crimson
for some little distance above the crater
because Of the escaping steam and
smoke catching the vivid scarlet of the
lava below. The reflection takes more
of the blood hue, SO that you have
almost every shade of red in some part
!. of the scene before you.
AS we gazed night seemed TO draw
nearer, and, looking up in the sky, we
counted new stars just as one can at
twilight.