The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-10-30
a FIERY CATARACT,
CBy a BanEorl

Mar The center OF that fair Earden OF
N. uor,s Hawai-, which Ia nav coming
-,,a., N. .p,,rh,snas and A.neac.p, ruls
~ our Amer,can kinsfolk is a rugged
.na ,oftv noun..,o rs sides rent and
,orn ,n,o aeen clsf,s and alsmal ehasms
whu. awfn, Dr.c,n,o,. ana towering min.
.aoles rse shear from their base until
sh.v u,erca ,Ae cso,,ds Al ,he summit
~ ,h,s maintain fAfauna I,os, a, an Al.
,,tuae Of about uooo f.., IA a vast cal.
aron. the crater os an active volcano.
wA,ch N times prSseuts A wierd and
terrible spectaele. sufnc,ent 10 appall the
a,ou,s~, Of hear,a A tuyeler who
has the ,emerity 10 ascend TO the summit
q thls safety valve OF the fiery interior
st 4he ear,h looks down into the great
hse OF Are beneath him. A lurid scene
h presented 10 his terrified gaze; for
The entire vast abyss below IS one great
boiling and raging mass OF LIQUID Gre.
rolling waves OF molten rock tossing in
a wila sea OF furious asltated disorder.
now a column OF fused lava like a blood
nd fountain be,nr forced Nm through he
mass 10 the height OF perhaps fifty OF
sixty feet. and falling with a roar Of
thunder back ineo the boiling furnace:
now. perhaps. alnos, beneath the specta-
tors very feet a terrible outburst which
forces many thousands Of tons of aery
nouid high up in the crater. the mass
madly oourslng through the caldron's
sides. and meeting in frightful collision
With an apoalinr crash which hurls
the glowing uould high In air in a great
sclntillating cloud Of brigh,ly-rlltter,ne
hre-drops.
Rut the laundering unroar appears TO
increase. ana the rock wherein the ad.
xenturous traveller n standing trembles
and shudders: tongues Of fire mipgle
With the wildly confused and tossing ig-
peous mass. which rises higher and high
or in the burning nit great rolling incan-
descent waves hurled against each other
ri,h continually augmenting fury until
hey threaten 10 overflow the sides OF
the crater and lay the fair scene below
In one fiery ruin.
This disastrous calamity at length hap
pened. az the end OF the year lSSO. a con-
siderable section Of the beauurul island
being laid waste by the onrushlng mol
fen lava. The spectaeIe OF the red hot
Hauid rock rapldly descending from the
summit OF the lofty mountain towards
the plains is described as having
been one of terrible grandeur and SUBJ
Amitv The entire district continued 20
Ae Agitated by constant tremors AZ II
fba eartb i,salf wera op,ver,rs NTH
araad a, ,ba catss,ronba which vas an.
p.oaehine. while enormous crevasses
ouened in tha earth large enough :, ia
said in one case N erep,, a wbols town
The lava poured from the great crater
IN ever ar0ne,,,ro vo,ure h,rr,r. .,d
destnovIng svervtb,nv ., annroacbed a,
lapgtb arriving WITHIN ,ew r,,,os ., ,ho
Drosnorors sa,,,erne,, y, t4uo h. g,
,.achod san,.,-or,o. ,ro.,r,.o -
form somewhst lilo ,ho ,aus =, N,,oa
ara the cl,rs he,,o abo,, 40. hr,a-od
feet in height a deem ,ake y, wa,er -es,
ing AZ the bottom q, the rrec,r,cs ova.
this nrecin,co and ,,,o tho ,oLo .so "a
hot l,ould noured in w,do r,s,,,u 90.
rent the ,mnact ha,weer tho ,wo a,,,.,
beInp a snectacle as terr,b,o ana a.
yrand as hos D.,hans o,o, ma. .,.
nessed pnt tho fra eood oo,o,,o.os
ana tho h,.s,no ana ,rs,or.,, ,ou,.
wo,sr vss on, 10 r,oro u,,i,o 49, So.
no,,an ,o..on. ..u .,,-.,.s -, L..