The Newtown bee., 1897-10-01

lost; while by night the whole effect is
most impressive, and the mind is nearly
stided by the rush of sensations, II only
the fear of Immediate danger is lost suf-
flcientIy to allow you to give yourself
wholly to the enjoyment of a scene,
which, in the elements of grandeur, is
not to be surpassed on the face of the
globe.
THE SCIENTIFIC INTEREST OF THE SAND
WITCH ISLANDS.
Scientifically these islands are of vastly
greater interest than the political and
economic factors which have brought
them so prominently before the eye of
the public within the last decade. To
trace their origin, 20 read their history,
written indeed in lines of fire upon the
very rocks themselves, possesses tasci-
nation that appeals even to the merest
| tyro in science. The magnificence of
the scale of the phenomena can only be
thought Of in the same category with
the greatest wonders Of nature. The
element of time alone, IN connection
with their formation, compares with the
time and distances of astronomy.
| The fables and myths of the ancient
Kanakas always locate the hearth-stone
of Pele upon the blackened sides of
Mauno Loa, though they tell of her
having come from the North; and they
thus guessed at the historic fact of the
| successive formation of the islands from
| their likeness in structural features long
before the scientific man had laid eyes
upon them, or had verified this ira
dition by pointing out the steps in the
process.
THE CRATER OF KILAUEA.
You step out on the crust of the roll
pillows beside your path, and the sur
face crackles under your feet like the
| snow crust on a crisp winter morning.
Its glittering, iridescent colors please
the eye, and tempt you to carry away
veritable load of the sparkling, CLASSY
pieces. Here and there, even at dis
lance from the edge, the fern spores
have taken root, and relieve the eye
with their graceful waving rronds-and
this on soil like glass, and formed no
one knows how long ago, though it's
surface appears as fresh as il it laid
down yesterday.
| On you go, punching the crust in
front of you vigorously with staff to
| determine whether it is safe or not, until
finally, after about 200 yards of such
material has been crossed, you reach
the rounded edge of the caldron Itself,
perhaps after some slight scares and
probably getting your staff on fire once
| or twice.
Here you pause for moment to pick
out way upEthe side, which varies in
height from ten to thirty feet, and is
composed of Stag of all sizes, joined TO-
gether by lava which has forced its way
out between the blocks. Here and there
you notice that through some Of the
larger openings the white-hot fluid is
running out upon the floor, and often in
quantities which would make an ordi-
nary blast-furnace blush with shame.
Here you can study on a small scale all
the phenomena of lava fow-the for
| nation of the crust, the assures, and
many other phenomena. At length you
pass, by few steps, to the rim, and
there before you is the sea of lava in all
it's terrible brilliancy.
| AN ERUPTION OF KILAUEA.
Even when the molten material is
still long distance from the upper por-
tion OF the tube, in fact before it be-
comes visible, the rumbling struggles of
the angry imprisoned forces are plainly
audible, and rush of the fetid blast
from below, sometimes bursting into q
blush-green fame, proclaims the reas-
sertion of the sway OF the mountain, as
they herald her power In their own Pc
culiar and unapproachable manner.
When the lava finally reaches the top
OF the tube. the more interesting and
visible signs Of activity are upon plane
where some conception can be formed of
their nature.
IL we watch the surface carefully we
shall note that it is constantly moving
towards the edges Of the caldron from
the centre, and in moment we shall see
the reason for this motion. Far out tow
ards the centre OF the seething, Kissing
mass the Stag Will suddenly begin to rise
In the form Of q gigantic wave; it will
rise and fall several times, each time
more violently than the last, and then