The evening times., 1899-07-29
.MAUNA LOA'S Angry FIRE
History Of the Famous Volcano Now
in Eruption.
The Natives of Hawaii Believe That
the Flow of Lava Is Caused by the
Anger of the Goddess FeIa because
the Islands Are Ruled by White
Men-Damage by Former Outbursts


eruption promises to. be as severe as that of
1887. which carried river of molten lava
within five miles Of HiIo The crater of
Mokuaweoweo is intensely active, and red
hot lava is said to be spouting up in great
jets. The outbreak occurred on the side of
Mauna Loa at an elevation of about 10000
feet. Two immense fountains of lava were
forced into the air to an elevation of many
hundred feet, and from these and the con-
slant overflow from the, mountain three
lava flows were rapidly formed. and are
now steadily making their way down the
mountainside toward the sea. These
streams of lava have each taken different
directions. The second largest stream is
headed for Hilo, but the irregularities of
the ground may turn il aside. At the vol
cano house. twenty-five miles from the era
ter, lights are not required during the
night thirty years ago the lava flow from
this volcano overwhelmed two villages and
caused a considerable loss of life.
The coincidence of the recent eruption
or Mauna Loa, on the island of Hawaii
and the series of earthquake shocks
throughout Southern California has in
clined some scientists to the belief that
there is subterannean connection under
the sea between the western coast Of
America and the islands.
Following the eruption OF Mauna Loa
the Pacific Line steamer Australia en-
countered when several days out from
Honolulu, bound for San Francisco, a tre-
mendous tidal wave coming from the di-
rection of the islands. Those who were
on board the Australia fear that the next
vessel from the islands may bring news Of
the entire obliteration OF Mauna Loa, and
perhaps of the island ON which the yolca-
no is situated
The recent earthquake in all the region
OF Southern California south of Tehachapi
Mountains was the most severe ever ex-
perienced in that section. At Los Angeles
considerable damage was done to tall
buildings. The ornamental brick and stone
work fell from the big courthouse, and
great cracks were left in the structure
Other Southern California cities report
damage TO buildings
History of the Volcano.
The volcano of Mauna Loa is 14.45O feet
high. The larger crater is at the top of the
mountain. AT height OF 1000 feet is the
crater OF kilauea, which contains a lake
of molten lava.
In 1881 there was an eruption of Mauna
Loa that shot a thousand feet into the air
A stream of the lava flowed like a fiery
stake down the mountain toward the town
or Hilo Others ran in other directions
Une OF the streams was 300 feet wide and
80 feet deep. AS it flowed over forests they
shriveled up like SO much dry grass.
The lava flowed on its way toward Hilo.
buried beautiful plantations in which grew
sugar cane and tropical fruits leaving not
vestge OF the charming scenery over
which II had passed. Nothing remained
save desolation; not blade of grass. nor
green leaf
The How OF lava continued for several
| months, getting nearer and nearer to the
| apparently doomed town of Hilo Some
times it seemed as if the stream were going
to stop, and then it resumed its course
more rapidly than ever. The inhabitants
| fea@cd that their town would be over
wEeiincd.
| The scene was described in these words
| by Oyelend G. Ross. who was there: The
red terror crept nearer and nearer At
night the blazing trees in the forest could
| De seen, and at last the danger became so
| imminent that the records were removed
from the courthouse and ipostoffice to a
place of safety and the people prepared for
| flight. Then rumor began to spread
among the natives that it was caused by
the anger of The goddess Pela, because
the white men had been elected to the leg
lslature in large numbers and the control
of the islands was passing out of native
| hands"
| They implored the Princess Ruth to GO
up to the crater of Kilauea and propitiate
| Pela, the goddess of the volcano, by the
old heather sacrifices which consisted OF
| throwing into the molten lava lake the
red, blue, and white berries which grow
| ON the sides of the crater, and also pig
| This she did, and the flow stopped when
the lava was within ten minutes walk OF
Hilo.
n of
| accompanied by an earthquake and 2
marine disturbance. The island rocked TO,
| three days, and tidal wave forty fee
high dashed along the coast, sweeping the
village before it and drowning hundreds o.
| natives.
The Worlds Fire Mountains.
The word volcano comes from the Latir
| Vulcanus, the god of fire. Volcanic vent,
sometimes appear on high land and in thi
way their cones may be built up on noun
tains of ordinary rocks, while at other time
the whole elevation from the sea level i
OF volcanic origin. They occasionally breal
| out beneath the sea forming submarin,
volcanoes, the matter elected from whicl
sometimes builds up islands. Volcanic ac
| tivities have been at work on the earth
surface from early geological times; bu
modern volcanoes are limited to certain re
gions. generally very distinct from thos,
| which were the seats of volcanic energy i,
past geological periods. On the American
continent modern volcanoes are limited t,
the Pacific Slope, along which they may b.
traced almost continuously from Cape Horl
/ to Alaska. Great numbers of volcanoes oc
cur throughout the Andes, where some at
tain immense heights, as Cotopaxi in Peru
about 19, 500 feet above the sea- accordinj
to DR.. Reiss, who ascended in it in 1877
The volcanoes of Central America and Mex
leo are numerous and conspicuous, and il
California and Oregon, there are Shasta
Hood. and ST. Helen's attaining heights o
from IL 900 to 14,0 900 feet. Mount ST. Ella
in Alsaka is more than $4,000 feet high
Through the Aleutian Islands the belt O
volcanoes of Western America is connecte
with those of Kamtchatka, which wit
those of the Kuriles, of Japan, and of tn
Philippines, form interrupted chains OF vol
canic vents to the burning mountains o
the Indian archipelago.
In southern continental Europe there ar
numerous extinct volcanoes; but with tn
exception of Vesuvius the active vents ar
erranean In continental Asia there ar
lefty volcanic peaks about the Red See
and the Caspian, on the shores of whicl
is Demavend, 20, 900 feet high Beyon
this in the Than Shan Mountains, small
volcanic region is said to exist. In Afric
| there are numerous volcanic vents in tn
eastern ranges about the equator. In tn
Atlantic are Jan Mayen and Iceland, tn
volcanic islands of the West Indies. an
those of the Azores, the Cape de Verde Isl
ands. st. Helena, and Tristan d'Acunha
1t is said not to be possible to determin
the number of volcanoes with any degre
L