The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-04-16

mountains are due to the con-
victs working out their fines or
years of penal servitude, which
is certainly more profitable than
hiring them out to corporation.
If a man violates the laws, it
makes no difference whether he
commits a misdemeanor or a
felony, he must serve the spon-
ky little republic by digging on
the road.
At four o'clock the Volcano
House, Mr.. Peter Lee, proprie-
tor, was reached. One has all
the evidences of the near prox-
unity of volcano on approach
the house. Steam was issuing
from the seams in the lava
crusted earth along the roadside
and when we gained the higher
ground we could see for miles
about us. There were thous-
and assures in the earth from
which hot steam and smoke
were issuing, while far off to
the west the smoke from the
eternal fires of Kilauea gave it
the appearance of Dore's paint
ings of Dante's Inferno. Below
the Volcano House, not three
hundred PAGES away, are vast
sulphur banks from which
issues vapor in a continuous
stream. Mr.. Lee, the proprie-
tor, has built a bath house, and
conveys the sulphur vapor to
it, the healing properties OF
which he declares are un-
equaled.
The Volcano House is a large,
commodious country inn, with
accommodations equal to such
places in the United States. 1t
is great pleasure resort, and
patronized extensively by in
valids. Altho it would seem
that one could almost stand on
its porch and throw a stone in
to the crater, it is three miles
away.
My guide, whose name was
Albert, was a strange mixture
of nationalities. He was born
in Japan, his mother was a
native of the Gilbert Islands,
and his father a Frenchman.
He had been reared in CalifOr-
MIA and was only temporarily in
Hawaii. Tho a veryintelligent
fellow, he was unable to solve
the problem Of his nationality.
I tried to, but soon gave it up.
Mounting my horse in the
court in front of the house we
began the descent. By a zig.
gag course we wound our way
down the cliff into the first
crater, which is over three
miles across, our path some.
times leading along the side OF
the cliff, and the projecting
rock almost grazing our knees
as we passed. We gained the
second plain or crater at last
This plain is covered with dark
lava plains which in the dis.
lance looks like CONCEALED
quagmire.
Once upon this plain we en-.
tered a path made across the
lava. In places ferns Were
growing out from the seams in
the crust. AS we passed on
over the chasm-riven surface
we came upon a wider, deeper
crack spanned by a bridge
There is a storyconnected with
this cfasrn, the guide said
One daya party of tourists left
the Volcano House and went tc
see the crater, which was Their
active. While they were there
the island was covulsed with
an earthquake. Mr.. Lee fear.
ing some harm had befa1ler
his guests, ran to the lava flow
to find this awful chasm from,
thirty to fifty feet deep. He
was very rnuch alarmed for his
guests until he saw them com
ing across the lava flow. They
| had scarcely felt the earthquake
| at all, but they had to go about
a mile above to cross the chasm
Half a mile from the Lake .o1
Fire, as the second crater is
called, we came upon a small
corral made of lava, in which
we left the horses, and, armed
with stout sticks, proceeded
over the plain of hard, glarine
lava, through the seams OF
which sulphurous steam con-
stantly Kissed.
At last we gained the side OF
the lake. The crater was in
active, and had been so for a
year Jsince Mr.. Musick's visit