Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1896-03-11
If his nationality. I tried too, but soon

I
BY zigzag 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 rocks almost grazing
our knees as we passed. We gained the
second plain or great crater at last. This
! plain is covered with dark lava plains
which in the distance looks like con-
gealed quagmire.
once upon this plain we entered a
path made across the lava. In places
| ferns were growing out from the seams
in the crust AS we pressed on over the
chasm riven surface we came upon q
WIDER deeper crack spanned by a bridge.
| There is a story connected with this
chasm, the guide said. One day party
of tourists left the Volcano House and
went to see the crater, which was then
active. While they were there the island
was convulsed with an earthquake. Mr.
Lee, fearing some harm had befallen
| his guests, ran to the lava flow to find
this awful chasm from thirty to fifty
feet deep. He was very much alarmed
for his guests until he saw them coming
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 mile from the Lake of Fire, as
the second crater is called, we came
upon small coral made of lava, in
which we left the horses, and, armed
with stout sticks, proceeded over the
plain of hard, glaring lava, through the
seams of which sulphurous steam con-
stantly hissed.
At last we gained the side of the lake.
The crater was inactive, and had been
so for year since Mr.. Musicks visit,
this volcano has been in eruption. Ac-
| cording to the newspaper reports, the
| flow of lava began on January 81 but far
down into its hollow depths the faint
glow of fires or heated stones could be
seen while the rumbling of suhterranean
| thunders reached our ears. The fires
were thousand feet below us and al
most hidden by dense clouds of sulphur
GUS smoke. From the fssures of stone
on the side the quivering air bore evil
dences of heat There the guide lighted
his pipe by the fire of the volcano, and /
thrust my walking staff a few inches
into the Aperture. Tho the stick was of
green wood, in few moments it was
ablaZe; the heat was so intense that one
cold not remain long at this place.
Going around to the north side we
found great flow holes, where the lava
was piled up in a thousand fantastical
| shapes. One of these cones looked like
an elephant reared on its hind legs, the
trunk and head being quite well formed.
When active the volcano of Kilauea is
one of the earths greatest natural Won
ders. In the lake or second crater the
lava is continually boiling in furious
manner, throwing up jets and fountains,
sometimes to the height of seventy five
| feet, dashing against the banks in fiery
waves and throwing up clouds of molten
spray, making one of the grandest, most
awe inspiring sights imaginable.
| From the lake we went to the great
sulphur cave. Tho the thermometer
stands at over one hundred in this cave,
we entered it, penetrating our way thro'
the boiling, kissing steam. Stalactites
of sulphur and alum hung like golden
and silver icicles from the dome of the
cavern. 1t was too hot to reman long, so
we hastened out, mounted our horses,
and returned to the Volcano House.
Next day, with guide and horse, |
| set out from the Volcano for the great
| Kona district, the land of stone and
coffee. Hour after hour we trudged on
and over the stony earth, relieved occa
sionally by groves of trees, and now and
then evidences ofcivilization and former
occupancy in the form of an empty beer
bottle at the roadside.
That night we reached Pahala, which
is village plantation of between eight
| hundred and thousand inhabitants. OF
| these, two at least are white, the others
being Japanese, Chinese, and natives
saw but one white man and one white
| boy. The great whistle at the plantation
mill blew shortly after our arrival, and
an army of Japanese, men and women,
came in from the fields with hoes on
their shoulders, and went to their mis-
erable little huts.
These Japs are all brought to the
islands on the contract labor system
| They are called coolies and are but lit
tie better than slaves. Their importa-
ton beneficial only to the large planta-
tons, but an injury to the islands, as
| they labor for twelve dollars per month
and board themselves. 1t is said that q
japanese can live on one dollar per
month, sending the remainder to Japan.
| was informed that | must lodge with
| a Chinaman. The thought was unpleas-
| ant, but it was either with a Chinaman
or out on the street. A Chinese cook
| prepared my supper, and l was then
| shown to my room which was situated
in COW lot in close proximity to pig
sty. 1t was small house with two
rooms, and the one on the "monka side"
/ was to occupy. My room was eight by
| ten feet, had square table, wash ba-
sin, towel, pitcher, saucer with soap in
| ii, a mirror, which by actual measure
ment was four by six inches, hard
bottom chair, steamer chair with sail
or's mattress on the floor and mosquito
netting over it, | was informed that
| this gorgeous apartment had been rented
to another party who had kindly con-
sented to occupy less commodious quar-
ters for my accommodation.
The apartment was supplied with fresh
reading matter in the form of a copy of
the Hawaiian Gazette one month and
two days old. Dingy, dark, musty with
opium fumes, the place seemed fit abode
for robbers and cutthroats. The dark
ness and dinginess of the apartment were
strongly suggestive of pitfalls and assas-
sination while, as if in mockery Of the
surroundings, some one had pinned on
the wall the motto: "Nearer, my God, to
Thee" The aroma of the pig sty was
highly favored with the odor Of saddles,
freshly oiled harness, and smoky kero-
sene lamp, which had not been cleaned
and trimmed more than once in its life
time.
At last ] ventured to lie down on the
| Deu. Inc apartment next TO mine was
occupied by Celestials, but for what pur-
pose / never knew, the sound issuing
from it being sometimes suggestive of a
sausage factory, sometimes of a laundry,
dyeing works, or planning mill. The ad-
joining apartment was certainly no
larger than my own, but, after nineteen
Cinnamon of all ages had entered it,
became tired of counting, and sought
peace in sleep.
At last the sausage mill ceased, the
laundry grew quiet, the wheels of the
planning mill ran more smooth, and the
mosquitoes, having satisfied their wants
at my expense, slept until rosy morn
l might have slept longer had not COW
poked her head in at my only window
and awakened me by an unearthly bawl
My landlord provided me a breakfast
from which a Washington Square tramp
would turn with contempt, and then
charged me Delmonico prices for his
IL. ~