Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1896-05-23
SATURDAY, MAY ..
LETTER FROM HONOLULU.
HONOLULU, HAwAIIN ISLANDS, !
Nav 3, 1896.

w
May 3, 1896.
Mokuaweoweo, the great volcanic
crater AT the summit of Mauna Loa.
1860 feet above the waters of the
Pacific, after a period of quiet last.
ing for nearly ten years. has broken
forth again with vigor unequaled
within the last half century.
People who have read of the vol
cano of Hawaii, kilanea, and even
many of those who have come TO
the Hawaiian Islands to visit it.
will confuse the two, which, though
located upon the same vast noun
tain, are many miles apart.
Perhaps a slight description of
the contour of Hawaii, the largest
of this group of mid.Pacific islands
which has of late assumed a large
political importance in America,
may not be out of place. The total
area of the group is about $500
square miles. Of this, Hawaii
occupies over 400. 1t is no exag-
geration TO state that the whole of
this large isle is taken up by the
slopes of two great mountains,
Mauna Kea (mow -nah-kay'-ah and
Mauna Loa.
The coast, excepting few slight
indentures at widely separated
points, is a dangerous one and, gen.
orally speaking, there is no beach,
but the outline is composed of high
rugged lava cliffs against which
the gigantic pillows of the ocean
beat ceasclessly. The whole island
group is composed of lava and
slight intermixture of coral.
In this warm aud changeless eli
mate. the growth of the plant life is
80 rapid and 80 marvellous that
handful of disintegrated lava is
sufficient base to support grass and
towering shrubs. BY slow degrees
a subsoil has thus been formed
which is unexcelled in richness.
So, from the very waters edge
upward, the two mountains, 1885
and 1860 feet in height, respective
ly, are clad in verdure to great
altitude. Fields of cane and coffee
occupy the lower levels while above
is the semi-tropical forest of splen-
did Koa and Ohia trees, covered
with lianas and parasitic plants,
together with lesser growth of
tree fern, shrubs and MOSES.
But the mountains rise gently all
the way to their snowclad submits
and, as plant life ceases at about
1900 feet elevation, nearly one-third
of the island is nothing but black,
fire.scorced rock, desolate beyond
the imaginary powers of one who
has not seen it.
Four thousand feet above the sea,
upon the southeastern side of
Mauna Loa, is Kilauea, a crater
always active to a greater or less
degree, three miles in diameter and
nearly circular. 1t is vast hole
800 feet in depth. Its floor is hard,
densely black lava, dotted here and
there by still deeper pits occupied
by miniature lakes of molten stone
boiling and surging under the
intense heat from below. The most
notable of these secondary craters
is Halemaumau, the house of ever
lasting fire. 1t is this crater which
is visited by the thousands of tour
ists from every portion of the
world, who are constantly coming
and going across the Pacific.
Halemaumau is one of the grand
est, IL not the grandest, sights in
the world. But, compared with the
great crater of Mokuaweoweo, ten
miles in circumference, her fires are
as those of a candle.
Nearly the whole of this stupen-
dous pit is in violent action. 1t
occupies a nearly level plateau on
the exact summit of Mauna Loa and
30 gorgeous is the display that from
the heights back of our city, 200
rniles distant in an air line, the rose
coiored reflections In the vast
smoke cloud above the mountain
can be seen.
Imagine lake of melted stone,
glowing with all the innumerable