The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-03-26
THE BURNING CRATER.
KILAUEA As IT Sow PRESENTS
ITSELF.
MIR. Irvine's Description of Recent
visit to the Domain OF the
Goddess Pele.

turned from the volcano of Kilauea,
has sent the following account of his
visit to the papers of which he is cor
respondent. The STAR is favored with
advance sheets:
Pele, the fire goddess, is alive and
the volcano of Kila uea has been more
active this week than for many years.
When news reached Honolulu last week
that many rivers of lava were bursting
into tongues of flame and rushing from
the overlooking banks of the greatest
volcano in the world at record break
ing speed, and that over-adventurous
visitors were being terrified by seeing
its angry pillows of flame consume en-
tire acres over which they had recently
passed, fastened to the scene to be-
hold the tremendous spectacle of a
mountain side in flames-a mountain
one hundred and twenty-five times
larger than Vesuvius. j can almost
write now 40 p. n.y. by the light of the
kissing fountains of molten lava three
miles away.
Like many other sight-seers, resolved
to remain away from the caldron's
edge and to view 1t only at the safe dis
lance of high bluff half mile away;
but my good resolutions were soon
broken, for there is something about
the awful inferno which make dare.
devils of grave men and timid women
alike, and draws them inevitably to the
very brink of the awful pit, which the
Kanakas have aptly named Halemau
mau, or the House of Everlasting Fire.
Before visited this famous volcano
had read scores of descriptions of it
some by such celebrities as Mark Twain,
l,xrf nx
but none in the entire list commenced
his word painting until he had reached
the pit itself. If the average person en-
joys being dropped into the crater as if
from balloon he differs from me, for
which reason prefer to take you over
every step of the road, so that you may
know the metes and bounds of the Ha-
waiian hades before you fall under its
strange spell.
The village of Hilo pronounced
Heelo) is the starting point. Hilo is
near latitude twenty, on the eastern
shore of the Pacific Ocean, small
village of flowers and trees built amid
gentle hills. No spot on the western
hemisphere, and probably no place
except Ceylon, can equal its rainfall
record of nearly 200 inches a year. To
maintain its reputation in this line the
region affords the visitor tropical
shower of an inch or two every other
'~day. The sunshine OF the interim,
however, is always more or less liquid.
At Hilo l clambered into a heavy
thoroughbrace-a small, red species of
Concord coach, drawn by four horses.
The winding road to Kilauea lies to the
southwest for thirty-one miles, termin-
ating at the Volcano house, which is
1000 feet above the ocean. The last
twenty-five miles are through dense
and picturesque tropical forest, which
abounds in ferns, native woods and
vines, broken by occasional clearings
made few years ago for coffee planta-
tions. The coffee trees are not large
and many of them are laden with
berries which glisten not unlike cherries
in the greater sunlight of the uplands.
Through occasional openings in the
forest-after ride of two hours-the
breaking surf of the ocean was visible
ten miles behind us and two thousand
feet below the coach. The air became
cooler and perceptibly lighter when we
had travelled fifteen miles.
Suddenly two snow-clad mountains
became visible as we got within few
miles of the Volcano house-Mauna
Loa, toward the west, and Mauna Kea
away to the northwest. Breezes
from tho north refreshed us here like
ashadow of great rock in a weary lanC
and the shining crests of eternal snow
formed a striking contrast to the
luxuriant tropical vegetation around us
From the volcano house, a well-appoint
ed two-story hotel in a beautiful vine
clad yard, we beheld forests and hills il
all directions except that vast expanss
which might roughly be called tn,
western half of circle of which tn,
hotel formed the central point.
Before the party with which Travelled
explored the great basin included il
that south western wonderland we wer,
shown some of the mischief made few
years ago by the Titanic forces which
rent the sloping plain of Mauna Lo,
and ripped the rock-ribbed bluffs ant
earth IN every direction from the vol
cano house. The strange spectaclei
Astounding on the bluffs are second onl,
to the fires below-a fine inteilude t
Kilauea itself!
There Is. for example, one ragge,
ravine running to the eastward whicl
terminates two miles from the hotel
1t is probably twenty feet wide, and NJ
plummet has ever soundt d its depths
1t is, however, only one of the man
bottomless ravines which abound in tn
neighborhood. The palm of ones han,
is not more thickly furrowed with line
than is the earth surrounding the vol
cano hotel on the edge of this Kilauea
wonder. One is made aware of tn
existence of many of these rents by tn
sulphuretted vapors and Kissing stear
but where one puffs and blows fort
its hot gases dozen slumber withou
the slightest warning of their existence
Indeed, the most dangerous cavities ar
often covered by ferns, flowers, creepin
vines and semi-tropical mountain shrut
berry which carpet chasms that term
nate many miles below.
A few years ago the proprietor lost
valuable dog which wandered from tn
beaten trail and was never seen agaiI
though the echoes of the thud wei
heard for aminute or two as his bod
struck the sides of projected lodges +;
below. In similar manner two hors,
once escaped from Mr.. Lees barnyar
and dropped into pit which terminals
in regions of eternal fire. AS the
bodies pounded against the cavern
lodges the laundering echoes were III
unlike what Homer describes as the r
bellowings OF the awful ocean storm.
If you ever visit Kilauea do not strC
from well-marked paths to gather Il
delicious ohelo berries which rip'
temptingly few feet away. The roc
of the vines wherein they grow probab
cling to the edges of yawning chasn
which are covered by foliage; but
Darwin's theory OF the thickness of Il
earth's crust is correct an attempt
gather one small bunch OF berries mig
cost you trip of twenty miles throul
an opening in the theoretical crust.
The Kanakas are wiser than all L
scientists who have been coming to t
House of Eternal Fire since Profess
Dana's first visit in 1871; because no
OF the scientists agree, while the Kan
kas are united agnostics who persistent
aver that the goddess Pele alone undI