The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-07-22

were no explosive or eruptiVe sounds
accompanying this display of power.
The only sounds were the swirl and
swish of a great body of liquid vehe-
mently agitated. It was a demonstra-
tion of power to the eye and the ina
gination and not to the ear.
Most of the matter thrown up i'm the
cascades fell back into the mass
through which it was elected. Some of
1t, however fell on the outside surface
of the cone adding to it's growth
The stream of lava as it left the cone
flowed between banks twenty feet high
These banks were probably thirty feet
apart. but the stream itself had cut
under the banks, apparently fifteen
feet on each side, making stream
sixty feet wide, perhaps but as to the
depth we had little means of judging
except by the great volume of lava
pouring out.
The scene was fascinating. oppres-
siNe. From the top OF it's dead twin
cone we could look down into the
seething mass. Imagination stood ap-
palled before the imcomprenhensiDle
display of force.
But great things must give way to
commonplace ones. We were on the
mountain sublimity but we must, per-
force trudge down again to the plains
of every day life and every day things
Reluctantly we left. But almost our
hrst returning footsteps brought us
race to face with new awe inspiring
scenes. row Of old cones which we
had passed the night before as dead
and cold we found had been fissured
during the night or very lately,-fis-
sured in a line extending from one to
the other and out of the fissure had
Deen eJected new lava, Sprinkling as
with baptismal fire the sides of the old
cones. Not far away a crater had start
ed during the night at the foot of an
~ ssarn. Il i
noe flow off in the direction of Kau.
We discovered a dozen sources of flow
all starting like springs out of the sur
race of the ground without throwing
the material into the air or forming
cones. We observed that all these
sources of activity, the new cones, the
hSsureS in the old cones, the new era
ter at the foot of the old cone. the
springs of lava, We're in straight line
extending nearly east and west or
along a line drawn from the summit of
Mauna Loa to Kilauea. This line eX-
tended further up the mountain would
reach the cone higher UP than the one
We visited which is now giving off great
volumes ot smoke. and which 4. 3. In
gals and his party, who We're near it,
describe as apparently filed with mol
ten lava but yielding no streams.
Mr.. Weaver and | determined to fol-
low the stream of lava down it's course
; companied us for about three miles,
. and then lett us 10 join the rest If the
= party who We're returning the way they
came. For much of this distance we
= travelled down close to the fiery stream
on new pahoehoe lava that had been
, formed by the spreading out of the
stream and in turn had formed close.
confining banks for the stream This
pahoehOe was still hot, and through
cracks we could see the fire beneath
, us.
Lower down the character Of tre Iav.,
changed to a-a. In places it was only
4 few yards wide on either side OF The
stream while in other places it WAS II
hundred yards WIDE and still advJnc-
: ing laterally. In one place a stream
of pahoehoe had broken out from the
, lower, or Hilo side. At the place where
: it had broken out ii had cooied and
crusted, forming a bridge across the
8 stream on which we crossed, while low
: er down it was running open, a red
and fiery stream. At another place the
= lava from the main stream had broker
! over the bank, and was pouring dowr
in wide cascade of great brilliancy
T. even in the daylight.
: The course of the flow from th, high.
+ est source, is nearly east down what
4 have described as the line of the
a sources of material, crossing the hows
a of 1852, and 1855, and reaching anC
n partly crossing the flows of 1855 anC
!. 1852, and follows much the course o
n lS43. This brings it almost along tn,
+ ridge of Mauna LOa which forms tn,
:. water shed between the east and wes
c flowing waters of this region, so tha
9 while 1t is on the Hilo side, a shgh
\, impulse might change it's direction, ant
. start it down the Kona or Kohala side
:, instead of toward Hilo.
n The stream since it started ha.
direction M
:, ting new channels hither and thither
~ so that the side of the mountain a
9 night for mile in width seems tn,
I path of the lava. This fact too, ac
a counts for many variations in descrip
tion. By suden change in the cours,
~ of the stream, the accurate description
# of today may not fit the actual appear
- ance of tomorrow.
. The trip Mr. Weaver and | mad
a down, following the stream, is one o
n great difficulty and much danger
~ Flows have crossed and recrossed I'll
n large proportion of the way is owe
70 a-a on which no living creature, man O
beast, can go unshod, and which eve
the wild goats shun. | doubt if it woul
re be possible to make the ascent by thi
H. route.
,a LAVA TAKES A NEW COURSE
IL KALAIBHA, Humuula Sheep Sta
~ ton, July ia very great chang
4 look place I'm the course of the lava flo
lr last night. Ever since the flow bega
Is July 4, the course of the princlpi
in stream of lava has been from the higl
ar est active cones down the mountai
ly nearly due east, past all the sources
m lava until il reached and partly eros!
H. ed the flow of 1880. Then it turne
is abruptly to the north in the directiC
of Kalaieha on the side of Mauna Lo
ed 1t spread all over the side of the moul
at tain, occupying an area almost a mi
a. wide
,k This was the condition of things la
M night.
n. Sometime during the night the fir
m part of the stream, that flowing cas-
ne ward broke through Njts bank abol
Tp half way from its source to where
IL turned northward, and formed a ne
,l- channel running northward down Il
ut mountain parallel with the old cham
100 but further west, This is carrying Il
ne lava less directly towards Hilo, al
ne keeping 1t nearer the ridge which d
ha Vides IL from the slope off i'm the dire