The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-07-24
MAP FLOWS PREPARED BY W. R. CASTLE

KILAUEA. HAWAII. July 20. 1899.
If one were Dante il might be pos
sible to give faint idea of the gran
deur and awful nature of volcanic
dinary English will have to take his
place, and, reinforced by a diagram.
possibly an idea may be conveyed.
Leaving the Kilauea Volcano House
our party, consisting of nine tourists.
two guides and two horse-tenders.
thirteen in all. started about o'clock
on Friday morning. the 18th. Passing
mauka of Kulani Hill through the
reached. just before nightfall. a quiet
and secluded grove near the flow OF
I1SS1. Here we camped. II had rained
nearly all day, so that everything was
obscured and no idea could be formed
of the character. extent or change OF
! the eruption. During the night 1t
/ cleared and the glow of the fire foun-
tains twenty miles away illumined our
shelter with a lurid glare.
An early start Saturday morning
| brought us out on the 1881 flow. and
| for two hours we wound our way
among the hummocks or picked out a
dubious course in the rough country
ladjoining the south edge. till we
reached the point of contact between
the flows of 1852 and 1881. II seemed
cruel to have our animals slip and
stumble over the broken and danger
Gus flow any longer, so. leaving horses
mules and tenders, just enough food
and drink was carried along for susie
nance, and we started on foot to finish
the long climb. Our camp was at an
elevation of $500 feet. Without de-
failing the weary hours of struggle up
ward, we arrived at the terminal cone
of the 1852 eruption about $50 o'clock
and suddenly came in view OF a fire
fountain two miles west. All fatigue
was forgotten. and we eagerly hurried
forward. The first new lava was
reached just east of the 1852 cone. II
! is broken. ragged and frothy. and
! probably constitutes what was called
/ the Kau flow. 1t may have emerged
| from the first cone of this eruption and
! flowing east. ran to the north OF the
/ 1852 cone and stopped. Passing over
/ this cone. we came at once TO fresh, hot
! lava and found a channel running
about east southeast which appeared
/ to go over the crest TO the south to-
ward Kapapala. But the whole Coun-
! try is covered with fresh lava. which
/ became very much tangled among the
numerous old and new cones. As
/ inightfall came down We reached an old
cone nearly mile east Of the spoutiuE
lava and directly facing ii. so CouClu-
~ f=h
there. Establishing a camp was a very
simple operation. II consisted OF lay
ling down our canteens and short Ta-
tions. wrapping ourselves in blankets
/ and sitting or standing. or anything
\ else to keep warm. 1t was bitterly
/ cold. and during the night we all
CTawled over some .ittle steam cracks
IpreferrinE the dampness with genial
warmth TO the biting wind. Ny amer
! Old registered about 1880 feet alti-
tude. Now and then a heavy thud deep
under our heads kept us reminded of
! the fact that a live volcano was not
/ far below. One can not well imagine
without having seen the weird and
iawe-inspiring surroundings. Not a par
/ ticle of vegetation. not even a moss
nothing but desolation-grim and hid
/ teOuS suggestions of death. There was
no opportunity for dullness or weari-
ness. for there. just before us. was the
brilliant never-ceasing fountain OF fire
/ Away 10 the right. running of TO the
northeast. was a river OF fire. II is so
deep in its banks that nothing could
be seen from our camp except the long
/ line OF glowing color above. All night
I the surging. rushing. roaring thunder
, of the fire fountains filled the air. OC-
'casionally it would be thrown 10 a
height of two hundred feet or more.
and immense flakes fell over the sides
land rolled down in all directions.