The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-03-29
THE VOLCANO OF MLAUEA.

News from the Volcano is always
interesting, especially when there is
something new to- write. There is
pleuty of news now, sure enough.
HaIemaumau does not look like what
II did nine months ago. Then, at the
bottom of a deep pit half a mile
across, a round lake, perhaps thous-
and feet in diameter, contained the
sole activity of the volcano. II was
then most interesting and unique, for
none of the recoveries after collapse
have resembied this. The round lake
has continued TO push up and to EN-
large its circumference, till it is now
over twelve hundred feet across and il
on top Of a nearly circular cone, which
is four hundred and fifty feet above its
position in August, 1892. The sur
face of the lake il now only about
seventy feet below the Volcano
Housed But that need not scare the
timid, for it is over two miles away
and an enormous guilt intervenes.
Activity has increased the past few
months, till a day does not pass with
out one or more flows over the rim
down the sides of the cone and out on
the floor of the main crater. The pit
of Kalemaumau no longer exists.
During the past week there have been
several flows each day. On Wednes-
day afternoon about = o'clock, while,
fortunately, no tourists were in the
crater, all explosion occurred. Mr..
Lee and Albert, the old, reliable
guide, standing in front of the hotel,
saw an extraordinary and awe-inspir-
ing sight. The whole surface of the
lake was much agitated, flows We're
pouring over the sides i'm three or four
places, heavy volumes of smoke and
steam rose and hung threateningly
over the crater. Suddenly, from the
northeast side of the cone a mass of
rocks and liquid lava was hurled into
the air several hundred feet, and the
wall and a large section of the main
crater floor covering several acres was
lifted bodily to the height of hun
dred feet or more. Perhaps it would be
more exact to say the mass was tipped.
It now presents a Jagged precipice
overhanging the lake, while steep
bank slopes to the northeast. From
the house il looks like huge whale
back, hiding the center of the lake,
but still leaving the two ends
in sight with their almost constant
fire fountains. That this hill was
simply forced up by pressure of the
fact that another lake, very small
now, has opened on the side next the
hotel, and out of it a heavy stream of
lava has flowed constantly ever since.
There were fourteen overfiows on
Wednesday, one of which has con-
tinued and now extends mile and q
half from the lake. A cone is fast
rising, yet it continues full of liquid
lava the five to ten flows every day
since Wednesday not being sufficient
to drain the supply. The volume
which is coming in from somewhere
below must be simply immense. I'm
less it breaks out somewhere soon,
Kilauea will lose much of its depth.
Maunaloa is quiet, there having been
no signs of activity since the light was
seen one evening last December. Both
mountains are, however, exquisitely
beautiful with their splendid mantles
of snow which extend far down the
sides.
By the Kinau, which takes this let
ter, Mr.. III. Hitchcock sends to Homo
lulu one of the most interesting and re-
markable volcano pictures ever made
here. 1t has the rare merit of being
true. 1t has been executed with rare
fidelity and true artistic taste. 1t was
a correct picture two weeks ago, but
is no longer that, for the change has
come which ever comes at Ki.auea,
making it a place of inexhaustible
wonder aud interest. Mr.. Hitchcock
has accomplished what is rarely seen
in these volcano views; the change
which comes so soon OIL the surface oil
flowing lava, while the ends, where
living fire flows out, is preserved in all
it's vivid glow. The picture will be
exhibited at Kings, and no one should
fail of seeing it before some fortunate
person buys and carries it away. ~
w. r. CASTLE,
Kilauea, March 20, 1894, 8 PM. II