Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-07-24
Watching a Volcanoes Play.
An Eruption i'm the Mokuaweoweo
Crater n Quarter OF Century Ago.
From the Pacific Commercial Advertiser

An Eruption I'm the MOkuRweOweO
Crater Quarter OF a Century Ago.
From the Pacific Commercial Advertiser
AT last, after five hours of toll, we rode
through rude gateway formed by two gi-
gantic masses of upheaved lava rock, and
reached the edge of a rough pail, from
which we looked out upon the summit.
Before us lay rugged plain about two
miles in diameter of black lava, everywhere
torn into unheard-of shapes by the fierce
power that had upheaved the whole. To
our right rose a remarkable monument or
pillar showing black against the sky. On
every hand yawned deep crevices, and
spent waves of lava had dashed together in
a myriad of shapes and so CONCEALED. Hur-
ryng on as well as we were able, we finally
reached cul-de-sac formed by branching
lava flow, and here we dismounted and
tethered our animals for the night. This
done, we took our way 500 yards over a
narrow strip of rugged lava, and all at once
stood upon the edge of the crater of Mokua-
weoweo
There before us, at our feet, as it were,
dawned terrific chasm, with black perpen-
dicular walls, carrying the eye down some
500 feet to where, in the inky blackness Of
the lower basin, there sprung up in glori-
Gus, sparkling light, self-born, a mighty
fountain of clear molten lava. The ancient
walls that encircle the pit on our side fell
perpendicularly about 800 feet, while on
the opposite, or western, side they ran down
nearer 500, to where the plateau formed a
floor to the crater, broken down again to
form the pit. The general shape of the
central crater, Mokuaweoweo, was an ir-
regular ellipse, rather more than three
quarters of a mile through the shorter axis
by about mile and quarter.
Looking straight across and below us at
a distance in an air line Of possibly three
quarters of a mile, there rose from cone
located near the southwest corner of the
lower basin magnificent fountain of liquid
lava, about seventy-ive feet in diameter,
that sent its volume of brilliant, sparkling
molten matter TO a height estimated at 500
feet, in compact and powerful jet. The
axis of this gigantic fountain was some
what inclined toward us, so that the de-
scending cascade fell clear and distinct from
the upward shooting jet, and formed one
continuous fall of liquid metal, surprising
ly beautiful to gaze upon. Behind this
fiery fountain a dark incline of debris, part
ly thrown up by the outbreak and partly
formed by masses falling from the wall
the steep side of the crater, and stood out
boldly in the intense light from the incan.
descent fountain. On the left, with its base
nearly reached by the liquid streams flow
ing out from the lake into which the cas-
cade fell, was another long pile of debris
that reached TO the level Of the plateau. l
should say here that the sides of this plat
eau looked to be about 100 feet deep to
where they met the edge of the lower basin.
The basin itself occupied about one-third
of the space bounded by the ancient walls
of the crater.
Flowing down the sides of the symmet-
rlcal cone that the falling stream of lava
was rapidly forming were many bright
rivers of liquid light that, spreading as they
flowed away, and crossing and recrossing
in tangle of bright lines, formed lake of
rivulets that, ever widening, mingling,
spreading and interlacing, presented |
unique and beautiful appearance. On the |
extreme right hand verge of this lower basin |
detached pools of fire showed that while |
dark crust was forming on the surface, be- |
meath the entire area of the basin was over |
flowed by the melted lava.
We watched steadily the grand fountain |
playing before us, and called frequently to
each other to note when some tall Jet, ris- |
ing far above the head of the main stream,
would carry with 1t immense masses of |
white-hot glowing rock, that as they fell |
and struck upon the black surface of the
cooling lava burst like meteors in a sum-
mer sky.
AS soon as we had reached the summit
level of the mountain we heard the muffled
roar of the long pent-up gases as they rush.
ed out of the opening that their force had
rent in the basins solid bed. And now
that we were in full view of the grand dis
play, our ears were filled with the mighty
sound, as of heavy surf booming in upon
a level shore, while ever and anon a
mingled crash and break of sound would
call to mind the heavy rush of ponderous
waves against the rocky cliffs that girt Ha-
wall.
Toward our left the party wall that shut
in the crater of Pohaku Hanalei stretched
across from cliff to cliff at a lower eleva-
tion than the other boundaries to Mokua-
weoweo. From the broken appearance of
the angle formed by this party wall and the
main cliff on the southeast side, we Judged
that with little nerve one might reach
the plateau, and thence, by means of the
pile of debris spoken of before,
get down to the level of the lower basin. |
A plan was arranged to attempt it the next |
morning, but it was not carried out. Look |
ing along the rugged outline of the craters |
edge toward our right we noticed a vast |
lava flow that would cut us off from explor- |
ing in that direction.
Following on the sky line of the beetling |
cliff to where 1t joined the wall that bound |
ed the southwest side of the crater, we saw,
framed as it were by the eastern and west |
ern wall, the uneven outline of Mauna