The Hawaiian gazette., 1897-09-21
ON THE SUMMIT OF MAUNA LOA.
OH B GTTVT Camps There Alone For Three Weeks Making
Extensive Scientific Investigations

/ mors, lasting in each case a few sec
onds. My tent, however, held bravely
| on. Sleep came to me in the early
morning. and when l woke the sun was
high up and there was a genial warmth
in the tent
My observations on the relative hu-
nudity have yet to be worked out with
the requisite tables, but I may here
remark that there was occasionally as
much as a difference of 20 degrees be-
tween the wet and dry bulb thermom-
eters, the usual difference being 10 to
Is degrees. At 2 p. m. on August 18th
| the reading of the wet bulb was 81 deg.
and of the dry bulb 57.5 deg. The night
as already remarked, were very cold.
The lowest temperature recorded was
10 deg. Fab, and during the last week
the minimum reading was always be-
low 20 deg. The average minimum
temperature for the period, August
9Th to 31st, was 23.5 deg. The error
of the thermometers at the freezing
point was ascertained by placing them
in melting pounded ice. Inside the
tent the temperature was only about
two degrees warmer and the water
froZe every night but one. / may add
for the benefit of subsequent sojourn-
ers that the caves are much warmer
at night In a small cave near the
tent, which was reached by two holes
in the roof, the night temperature did
not fall below 80 deg. The highest
temperature of the air in the shade
was 61.2 deg, the average maximum
daily being 53.6, which places the av-
erage difference between the night and
day temperature at 80 deg. This great
daily range, which is about twice what
it is at the Coast, was not the least
trying of the conditions of existence in
this elevated region. The mean of the
maximum and minimum temperatures
is 3S.5 deg. Probably the mean tenn
perature for the whole of August would
be about 40 deg.
The cloud effects were often magni-
ficent, but there is scarcely space to
refer to them here. The snow-white
sea of cumuli that gathered in the fore
noon around the mountain slopes usu-
ally concealed the Kohala mountains,
but as rule failed to hide the summit
of Hualalai, and probably the level of
its upper limit is on the average be-
tween 5000 and 1000 feet. Except on
the few occasions when there were
rain-clouds about, the SUBMITS of Ha-
leakala and Mauna Kea were always
visible. On the forms and movements
of the clouds l made regular observa-
tons. Perhaps the most striking phe-
nOmenon was that of the evanescent
cirrus. In one minute the observer may
be gazing at a cloudless sky overhead.
In the next there appears as if by
magic a large white cloud, which being
at no great elevation is carried rapidly
across the zenith and dissolves away
in the course of a few minutes. The
history of one of those clouds may
thus be traced. The spectator looking,
we will say, to the east, sees only the
clear blue of a cloudless sky. Then
suddenly a tiny white speck appears
and in a few minutes the speck be-
comes conspicuous cloud. In less than
half a minute it has attained consider
able dimensions, and as it is borne
rapidly westward it exhibits violent
commotion in its interior, frequently
changing its form and in few minutes
melting away altogether. Sometimes,
when there were a number of these
cirri visible, the heavens presented
quite a bewildering spectacle in quick
appearance and disappearance of the
clouds and in their frequent change of
form.
There was a continual struggle be-
4ho r1x-
winds on the summit, the vicinity of
my tent in the middle of the west side
of the crater being their frequent bat
tie ground. At such times miniature
whirlwinds carried up sand and paper
into the air; and if the tent was open
its interior became filled with dust
On the north and east sides the wind
was usually northeast and easterly.
On the south side it was south and
easterly; whilst on the west side north
to northwest and southwest to south
southwest were the prevailing direc-
tions of the wind; but the wind was
rarely strong at the camp. One morn
ing left my tent at seven o'clock with
light southerly breeze blowing; but
after proceeding about half mile to
the north 1 found myself facing a
bitterly cold northeast gale, against
which l could scarcely stand, so that
my purpose of going around the crater
had to be abandoned for that day. Re-
turning to the tent, met the northerly
wind once more.
In order to familiarize myself with
the principal features of the crater l
adopted the method of making rough
plan of it with pocket prismatic COM
pass. The survey of this lonely region
must have been plucky bit of work
In some places the lava crust is thin
and fragile, and although I never de-
scended farther than my waist there
/ is always in such localities a chance of
a sudden descent into a cavern of con-
siderable depth. l hope to be able to
study the history of the crater by com
pairing its condition at the time of nv
visit with the accounts of its state given
by previous observers. 1t is only by
such method of inquiry that one
would be able to understand its various
puzzling features BY a regular study
of this volcano the forecasting of its
eruptions would come within the do
main of the possible. As we see it now.
it displays to us the result of ages of
eruptions, each great outbreak leaving
some mark behind it often more or less
obscured by the work of subsequent
eruptions. Years OF observation would
be required to become really acquainted
with the working of this vent; but this
must be accomplished by monthly
visits of two or three days duration.
The establishment of on nhrnrrnt -