Gilpin observer., 1899-08-03
AT HAwAlrs VOLCANO.
Mountain Nearly Torn Asunder-Imincns
Streams OF Lava Seen.

Streams OF Lava Seen.
Chicago, Aug. 2.-Thc correspondent
of tho Record, writing from Honolulu
On July 23rd, says:
The eruption of the volcano of Mauna
Loa on the island of Hawaii continues
to feed mighty stream of lava that
is steadily flowing toward the town of
Hilo, which VIII be destroyed should
the flow continue for any extended
time. The main crater at the summit
of the volcano has ceased to belch any
thing but smoke, but the other crater,
two miles down the mountain side,
continues to feed the great lake of
liquid fire. The eruption is accom-
panied by ronrs from the depths of the
earth that are almost deafening even
miles away from the scene.
The earth trembles. The scene is one
so grand that those who have braved
awful hardships to look down into the
lake OF fire believe nothing in the his
tory of the world -eSer surpassed it.
Daring tourists tell of great stones of
white heat heaved hundreds of feet
inlo the air, only to fall with terrible
roar and splash into the lake whence
they were vomited. The natives. filed
with superstititious terror, believe the
end of all time is Mt hand, and return
ing tourists tell of sights that filed
them with such awe and fear that they
would not for fortune witness them
again.
The correspondent says:
Il have seen, at distance of not
more than ten yards, the white hot
molten lava thrown up into the air 200
feet above the fable of the crater. fall
ing in glorious fountain effects of fire
1>nT IL int, tI,n ri,,ht ..n1 wit
the newly formed cone and then rush
ing like II Niagara of flame through
break in the side of the cone, falling
fifty feet and tearing away in n torrent
fifty feet wide and going thirty miles
an hour.
Il have followed that stream down
the mountain, sometimes on Its very
brink, sometimes warned farther away
by its spreading out in lake of living
fire for ten miles. Throughout that en-
tire distance it maintained itself as n
liquid stream, not blackened over by
cakes of cooling lava, but red and fiery,
glowing in the open day. Its channel
was as well defined as that of n water
course. Its width became gradually
narrowed and its velocity slackened as
its volume was decreased by the ma
terial that branched Off into smaller
flows of the same liquid fire. or spread
out to form square miles of lava. cool
ing and blackening into great banks of
clinkers and cinders. But for fully ten
miles it was n stream well defined in
its channel.
-Four miles from its source the
stream still maintaineS velocity of
ten or twelve miles an hour. and where
it began to lose the characteristics of
a definable stream. where its surface
began to yield up its heat and to sue
cumb to the cakirg. blacSen'ng process.
some ten miles from where it gushed
out geyser-like from the side OF NIauna
Loa. 1t still had n velocity of n mile OF
n mile and n half an hour
Prom the foot of the mountain look
ing mp the whole side of the slope Mt
night seems nfire. 1t is not blaze, not
confiagration, hut great lines of glow
ing light. zlgZacging across the face OF
ine mountain. the turns and curves and
detours of the stream of lava broken
where some activity hides the view.
CrOwning all, at the extreme limit of
vision in this night scene from the bot
tom of the mountain is the active vol
cano flashing its mighty fountains OF
Iir, against the background of dark,
ness. t., effect heightened by masses of
light reflected from the smoke rising
from other but less tlemonstrative cen
ters of activity to right and left"