The San Francisco call., 1896-05-10
Fountains of Molten Matter Are
Spouting Hundreds of Feet
Into the Air.
SURPRISING EVEN KILAUEA.
Now There Is a Great Rush of
Tourists to See the Greatest
of EruptionS.

HONOLULU. HAWAII, May 1.-Volcano
news is the principal topic of conversation
here to the exclusion of politics, the Legis
lature and almost everything else. No d.
rect news from the crater itself has been
received until about two hours since, when
the Kinau arrived from her usual run to
ports on Hawaii.
Purser George Beckley of that vessel
says that telephone message was re-
ceived at Hilo just before the Kinau
started to the effect that native had
left for the scene of the outbreak on
Monday last, the 9th, and had succeeded
in reaching the edge of the great crater
and obtained very fair view of the new
eruption. He found boiling lake of lava
in the summit crater which was a good
two miles in diameter and extremely act
i've. The lake was constantly rising, and
the indications of an overflow were immi-
nent. He says the whole surface of the
lake presents scene of grandeur impossi-
BILE to describe. There were fountains
spouting molten IaYa hundreds of feet
into the air, great turbulence over the
entire lake, and a display of seething,
surging lava such as he never saw before
in either Kilauea or Mokuaweoweo.
Purser Beckley says the glare in the sky
is continually increasing in brightness,
and there is no longer any doubt that the
great volcano is making up for its nine
years of quiescence.
The Kinau also brings news OF the re-
newed activity in the crater OF Kilauea,
which broke out few weeks ago, but after
ward subsided. Mr.. Beckley says the
lake is rising rapidly, and the display Is
grand. 1t is thirty miles from the Volcano
House, at the Kilauea crater, to the big
volcano at the summit of Mokuaweoweo; !;
consequently the tourist going to the lat
ter will. see the former first, as all expedi-
tions for the summit outfit and start from
the Volcano House. AS the road is rough
horses, packtrains and tents have to be
taken along, but all of these can be OBJ
tanned of Manager Peter Lee, who is pre-
pared for just such emergencies.
Every steamer and sailing vessel which
comes into port brings glowing accounts
of the grand view obtained at sea of the
volcano at night. Some idea of the ex-
tent of the present eruption may be gained
from the fact that the glare Is distinctly
visible after the moon goes down from
Diamond Head, the well-known landmark
I1edI ILLS city. ne UlsLdHCc Is over ZOU
miles from Honolulu, and when the wind
is blowing in this direction the smoke
from the volcano can be seen in this city.
A party OF Honolulu people. consisting
of Daniel Logan, editor of the Bulletin,
T. S. Dodge of the Government Survey
Department, Rev. DR.. Ollie of San Fran
cisco and D. Howard Hitchcock, a local
artist, left on the last trip of the Kinau,
and must be at the crater by this time, but
they have not yet been heard from. MIR.
Logan writes to his paper from Mahukona
that the view from that place at night ia
grand in the extreme, and very much like
that of Vesuvius.
Mr.. Hitchcock, the artist, sent rough
sketches of the scene at night and In the
daytime from Mahukona, thirty miles
away. 1t is the only authentic sketch
of the present outbreak which has yet
come to hand. The steamer W. G. Hall,
which sailed for Hawaii to-day, took quite
a number of tourists for the wonderful
sight.