Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-09-14

! south sea news seems to color the re
port from the Hawaiian islands wheel
says that there is good ground for fear
/ ing that the crest OF Mauna Loa hal
heen blown off 10y volcanic forces, tina
the sea has flooded the blazing crater
and that the island Of Hawaii has beer
! shattered in the wild CONFUSION o
nature, says the New York Sun. 1t il
probable that things are by no mean.
so bad as reported. Merely as matter
Of world physics, there is nothing i'm
i'f5rcl548ie IN NE news e&.tbs blowing Il
! pieces of such an island as Hawaii
/ There is any quantity OF evidence tc
show that such smashes were OF fire.
quent occurrence in comparatively re-
cent geological periods, and that the
SCATTERING Of an island only as large as
the state OF Connecticut is a trife tc
volcanic forces. But to connect the
blowing off Of the volcano. The crest
Of the volcano covers an area as large
as Staten island, and even If that were
blown off the cavity would still be at
the altitude of at least 10000 feet above
above the sea.
The difficulty lies in the stock vol
cano OF the picture books Any one at
tempting to draw his idea OF a volcano
would make a sharp cone with very
steep sides, too steep to exist in nature
and TO be found only on a carefully
sharpened lead pencil. Top this cone
off with a thin spiral Of smoke and
a dense cloud hanging overhead, and
that is the stock volcano. But it Is not
the Hawaiian volcano. In all the is
lands there is nothing like this. The
Hawaiian volcano is only big hole in
the ground and cannot he seen under
ordinary conditions until tae traveller
is right at the brink. The smoke cloud
is seldom seen; never unless there is
some great activity in the crater The
eruptions are never at the cratcrs but
for the most part miles away from the
blazing pools OF lava, and the craters
have never been known TO cast any
thing into the air above their rim
walls, and the fountains Of lava which
thcr display are of scanty height.
These points are to be kept in mind
when there is activity in the Hawaiian
volcanoes, for no ideas based on We
suvius and Aetna will help to an under
standing Of them.
All the islands of the group are jag
ged with extinct craters, and cnder
heaps Of dead volcanoes. Hawaii is
the only one where the activity Of the
~, To-. r-,r1I vat Hri- its Gro,- ,,-ov m q,
visible vent Earthquakes are COM
mon in every island and hot springs
may be found even In Niihau, which
seems to have been the first Of the
islands to cool off. but lava lakes and
rivers and fire pits open to the sight
are to be found only on Hawaii. There
are three volcanoes on the island.
Mauna Kea at the north, Mauna Loa
at the south, and Hualalai, rising to its
minor eminence of about a mile from
the northwestern flank Of Nama Loa
Mauna Kea the white mountain" has
long since ceased it's activity. Not
even the most dimly remembered tradi-
ton shows It other than il is today. a
gaunt peak rising from the unalterable
summer at it's foot to the eternal win
ter which keeps its crest shrowded in
snow-felds and glaciers whence the
rame Haulalai with no more altitude
than S.275 feet. seems like a hiIlock I'M
der the mass OF Mauna Kea. with
10 500 feet, and Mauna Lea. with 1865
feet IL has no crater and has been but
once in eruption This was the KaU-
pulehu flow of 1901, which arose from
an outbreak on The lover slope OF the
mountain and poured the melted lava
into the sea six mies away The
priests or that period worked their best
combinations and charms to stop the
flow, but all was vain until Kameha-
meha the Great cut a lock of his own
hair and threw it into the river Of fire.
AZ once the lava cooled and the eruption
ceased, and Hualalai has given no fur
her trouble
Nauna Loa has two cra,crs In which
activity is manifested more or less con-
tiuuOusly On the lower slope is XII
auea, at an elevation OF 1871 feet
This crater Is as well known as it u.s.
possible 10 make any scenic attraction
which may be reached by stage or even
by wheel 7, has its years OF inaetjv-
isy when there is little to be seen but q
hot yawning pitt bu. in general Xii
0ura keeps q warm corner of its Lava
lake open for lusbe- tion This crater
has only recently renewed its activity
after several years of rest During
that period the crater was by no means
cold ard silent The lava floor was
scorching 70 walk on. even though sew
eral years had passed since its period
Of incandosceucs, the rit was filled with
swimming fumes Of metals boiling In
,he suhtorrauc1u crevices. and strange
-umhliuEs and eracklings were heard.
BIZ. the fuii lava was withdrawn into
unseen ahysses tn theheart ofthe rocks.
A Few months ago the pit filled once
more with lava and the lakes and
mountains ot fire have shown fresh ac-
tiritv
The summit crater o. N3ura Ioa has
q different habit Il IS only AZ inter
ya1s that its fires arc manifest ana