The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-08-28

history of these volcanoes, says MI
Dana. lis such as has been supplied by
no other volcanic region. Commonly 1t
is the eruption that draws attention to
the volcano: and the course of the flow,
the characteristics of the lava, and the
of the fiery stream and the
earthquakes, make up nine-tenths OF all
the published facts. At Kilauca, on the
contrary, it is a history of the inner
workings of the volcano; of the move
ments and changes that take place with
in the crater over the various parts OF
the great area where come into view
the outlets of the snbterranean lava
column: and of these events as steps in
the line of progress from its emptled
condition after great eruption till
ready again for an outbreak. In Nesu-
vius, the crater may be accessible for
time after a discharge ...... but in
general, long before the time of erup'
ton, the vapors and cinder elections
make access to the bottom impossible
The crater of Etna is far away from
habitations, and it has therefore had no
regular series of interior Investigations.
Kilauea alone is always accessible.
1t is difficult, without a diagram, to
give the reader an idea of what the i'm
mense crater of Kilauea is like. Its
length is $4,000 feet, or very nearly
three miles, and the breadth somewhat
less. The form of the crater internally
is peculiar. If one were to dig little
hole in the ground, roughly oval in
shape, say three yards by two, and a
foot in depth, then into the middle of
this hole sink large flower-pot till the
rim was level with the bottom of the
xcavation-something like the shape
of the crater of Kilauea would he OBJ
tanned. When the crater is, so to speak,
empty,-that is, during the collapse
| that follows great eruption-the height
of the vertical exterior walls of the
crater is something like 800 feet. AT
this depth there is a more or less level
platform, called the Black Ledge, all
around the central pit. which pit is in
its turn still from four to six hundred
| feet deeper. The great extent of the
area covered by the crater, and the
height of the surrounding walls, above
the bottom of it, afford excellent facil
tiles for observation. Although the
crater is so large, its level above the sea
is not much over 1000 feet, or similar to
that of Vesuvius. Even when the
crater is ready for an eruption, it is safe
to stand on the brink of the great pit
and watch the boiling caldrons, and
sweeping lava-hoods, and violent but
harmless fiowing-cones.
The action for the liquid lava is ordin-
arily so quiet and regular that all parts
of the great open arena may be trav'
ersed with safety; and the margines OF
the fiery lakes, if the heat is not tC
great, may be made a sleeping place fol
the night-with only this possibility
that the lava may well up and spill
over. This splitting over may be tn,
] x
) two across the craters bottom; but
standing little to one side, it does n,
r damage, and the next day the fresl
: lavas may be walked upon. Thus tn
r crater may be followed in all its interio
changes month after month. There j
terrible sublimity in the quiet work o
5 the mighty forces, and also something
} alluring in the free ticket offered to al
corners.
For the details and history of the OF
) servations which have been made fron
3 time to time on this and other of tn
. Hawaiian volcanoes, by scientific men
9 missionaries, and travellers, we mus
refer the reader to Mr.. Dana's pages
The general course of the phenomena i
S the crater of Kilauea may, howeve, b
t stated. As already des ribed, it has
r pit within a pit-the lower pit whe
1 empty being about four hundred fee
, below the other. Eruptions on larg
scale appear to have taken place abou
! once in every eight or nine years. L
t the course OF these eruptions immens
4 volumes of lava are discharged, run
| ming for miles and miles across tn
island. Then comes the period of con
r parative quiescence, when the emptie
: crater begins once more to be tillnd.
t would appear that the molten rocl
I heaved up from a great depth under
0 ground, gradually gathers in the lowe
q pit of the crater, the bottom of whic
: goes on rising till it reaches the level {
:, the Black Ledge, when of course it ha
+ a tendency to spill over. This procei
takes some years. Then comes the tim
!: when, by the introduction perhaps of
a stream of water after rainy seaso
e into the underground sea of boilin
# rock, an eruption is brought about. III
n water reaches the molten rock throug
r, crevices and other openings in IL
e earth, and when there, is immediate
e converted into vapor, which vapor e
Il pands, and by its expansive for,
j. causes great explosions, which expl
v sions must of course find vent at Il
is mouth of the crater, and so we ha'
n the mountain in state of eruption
It fountains of lava spouting hundreds
& feet in the air, and covering the distri
}, around with its scorie and ashes al
n lava beds.
!, At other times the accumulated Ia,
g in the neck Of the crates finds outlet
subteranean passage, and in this wa