The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-08-13
THE MIDNIGHT LAKES.
JOHN ENA's CAVES FURTHER EX-
PLORED SUNDAY.
what five Chambers Look Like-CoId,
Dark aud silent Waterman
Acceptable Feast.

~ 10 thtit anu ~ 10 u WOhutls Dut WntIt
it begins or terminates has defied the
bravest and most persevering Stanleys
and Livingstones Honolulu affords to
date.
If that hill back of Ena's spring
is not hollow, the men who have con-
Quoted the recent explorations there
don't know anything.
Sunday large party of ladies and
gentlemen, with native swimmers,
torchlights. lanterns, camera and lots
to eat went out to Kamoiliili with the
determination to thoroughly explore
the cave of which there has been so
much said
From every side ladies and gentle
men came until the house above the
spring and the neighborhood of the
opening to the cave were filed with
people.
A large boat had been placed in cave
No. and was tied up to the miniature
dock when the party arrived. The ex-
plorers put on bathing suits and pre-
pared to enter the chamber leading off
mauka of the entrance. This was left
unexplUred on the previous visit to the
cave
Mr.. Ena, Mr.. Smith the photographer,
a representative of the STAR and native
oarsmen took the boat and struck off
into the dark chamber A stream of
light was thrown ahead by the lanterns.
The water was found to be deep a d
the boat skinned along beautifully.
Here and there, however, the roof hung
low and it was necessary to bow the
head to pass.
After distance of about 200 feet had
been made, the boat brought up along
side a small rock island in the lake hav-
ing an area of about fifty yards. Here
the explorers left the boat and stepped
ashore.
The formation of the island was hard
lava rock and was very rough. The
material was irregularly piled, and
sharp points projected all over it, maxi
ing 1t impossible to walk upon the heap
with bare feet, and hard to even crawl
over. Above this island the roof rose
to greater height, and astanding posi-
ton could be maintained with ease.
To the right deep, dark arm of the
lake wound around in semi circle;
but large boulder in the center pre-
vented the passage of the boat. On the
other side the stream was even less wide
and not so deep.
Mauka, or back of this island, the
stream was much wider and was blessed
with large fiat stones un either side, to
the delight of the explorers, for they
were then tired. But there strange
thing was noticed in the formation of
the bottom of the lake.
1t was not hard stone as in all other
places examined. but soft mud The
water itself was seemingly not more
than two feet deep in these spots, but
on stepping into it the foot would con-
tinue to sink as far as one could reach
and until it was difficult to draw it from
the mud.
While the party was examining the
bed and " ondering if the mud did not
indicate an unsafe roof to be under, one
of the boys gathered up from the water
a large handful of stringy vegetation
and Immediately cried out 'limu" The
explorers had seen lots of mullet and
catfish i'm the water, Mr.. Ena had de-
clared the lake to contain quantities of
shrmps, the natives had spoken of see
ing cells in the water and why was not
limu to be there?
But it was not limu, and the discovery
of that fact put Thoughts of retreat into
every bold explorers head at once. Mr..
Ena dropped the gavel, and in an in.
ere liblyI short time shouted from the
entrance of the cave, Boys, do you
want the boat sent back?'
The supposed limu was rome other
than the small roots of Keawa bushes
which grew upon the surface of the
ground overhead. The roof above the
spot was of such soft material that
these roots had appeared in great
quantities on the inside and had been
torn away and cast into the water by
masses of earth tumbling from the roof.
A glance upward revealed the fact that
the roof was covered with these roots,
some of them very large, convincing
the party that the surface was not many
feet away.
Continuing ,Mauka for distance of
fifteen feet, perhaps, it was found that
the roof came right down to the water,
being not more than one and half feet
above its surface. Here one of the
explorers stepped from the rocks form
ing the narrow shore, and-was up to
his waist in water.
The light was turned into this open
ing, and it was discovered that another
large cave and lake of water was just
beyond. Streight ahead the gray shapes
of rocks could be seen, but to the right
and left the light from the lantern lost
itself in Egyptian blackness. The roof,
however, was seen to approach within
two feet of the water, discovery
which weakened the determination of
the bold explorers. They decided to
send the swimmers in.
The two natives came up and armed
with lantern, went into the cold
water. The discovery was then made
that the bottom broke sharply of and
attained great depth right from the
opening. The natives had TO swim
from the start, the one in the lead hold
ing the lantern just above the water.
From the entrance they proceeded
directly forward and after swimming
perhaps fifty feet, came up to the rock
wall on the other side. Then turin
to the left they made around the point