The Hawaiian gazette., 1893-07-18
LAST ASCENT OF The MOUNTAIN
The Present Condition of the
Crater of KiIauea.
MAUNAL0A.

| THE RECENT ASCENT OF MAUNALOA
HILo, HAWAII, July 8, 1S9S.-Thi'
was effected June oath, 1898, by par
ty of eight white men: Julian Mon
sarrat, of Kapapala, the leader of the
party; DR.. VIM. Monsarrat, of Homo
lulu; Peter McRae, of Pahala; w. T,
Fennell, of Punaluu; c. E. Stone, Of
Punaluu J.J. Silva, of the firm Of
Gonsalves & Silva, photographers,
Honolulu, and Edward P. Baker, of
Hilo, with three native guides and
assistants.
The party was kindly entertained
by Mr.. Monsarrat at the Kapapala
Ranch, and partaking of 4 o'clock
breakfast on the morning of June 23d,
were in the saddle by 5 o'clock, NOV
ing toward the place of encampment
on the side of the mountain. A cav
alcade of seventeen animals in all,
horses and mules, moving in one di-
rection, was an inspiring circum-
stance to men and beasts, and espec-
tally the former. The party divided
about A. NJ, one portion of it turn
ing aside to obtain supply of fresh
meat by shooting wild cattle, the 9th
er portion making direct for the place
of encampment which, reaching early
in the afternoon, the tent was pitched
and sundry other preparations made
against the arrival of the balance of
the company. About ) p. NJ. they
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 $500 feet above the sea,
and from it 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
oath of June the party, eleven in num-
Der, were in the saddle, headed for the
crater at 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 at II A. NJ. There
was a fresh wind blowing for the n.
E.; human hands enclosed in gloves
and stockings even for protection,
ached with cold. The temperature
was estimated to be 400 or As Fahren-
heit. However, the chilly wind drove
off mountain sickness mot one of the
party was affectedl, mountain sickness
being quite sure to attack persons on
1900 or $4,000 feet, in case it
is still warm at that altitude, as it
is. The ordinary path of
descent into Mokuaweoweo having
been, by the fall of rocks, rendered
no one descended to the
flow except McRae, who, as he him
self reported, let himself down and
climed up 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 comparatively easy and safe |
descent can be made to the floor be- |
low. The party rendezvoused on the |
brink near the ice crack, and two |
large blocks of ice were loaded on a
mule, carried down and utilized for |
ice cream at Kapapala Ranch
next day. One of tie party traversed /
the brink far enough to the South to
pass the Wilkes encampment and |
look into Southern Mokuaweoweo
A considerable change has taken
place in Mokuaweoweo stree 1887. A
small crater was formed in the floor of |
the main one in the month of June,
1887, 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 1888, and Messrs. Monsarrat and
Thurston descended to it in 1889. This
1887 crater is now all filled up. Five
years ago it was 200 feet in diameter
and 200 feet deep, but the then vacant
space of it is now occupied by solid
lava, 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
.er, but the great volume of smoke
now arising from Mokuaweoweo is
rom the old place whence it came
prior to the formation of the 1887 era
ter. Southern Mokuaweoweo looks
-he. same as it did five, seven or ten
years ago.
Maunaloa seems to be in condition
Of profound quieseence Mechanically.
Judging from present appearances
only, one is tempted to feel land this,
100, despite the fact that appearances
are deceitful) that Maunaloa will
never again pour forth liquid fire, and
It's corpse never again terrify those
living on it with its convulsive witch
ngs, usually called earthquakes Mr..
silva, one of the party, an enterpris-
ing photographer, took a negative of
he crater, which, developing well,
will be valuable addition to Hawai-