Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1899-09-22

WADING THROUGH REDHOT LAVA.
otechnics in honor of the Fourth of
July, Mr.. Watson was in Hilo, killing
time in the customary tourist fashion,
says the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He
was charmed at the timely occurrence,
which gave him an opportunity to view
what he considered the most impressive
sight in nature. He resolved at once to
ascend the mountain.
Several other tourists who happened to
be similarly inclined made up party,
which started by noon of that day, with
two pack mules, a teamster and weeks
supply of provisions. BY night they had
covered the first Is miles Of their jour-
ney over broad, macadamized road and
camped in q grove Of palms and ferns.
On the following day they reached
Volcano House, on the edge of the quiet
crater Of Kilauea, and on the following
morning started out on the final stage of
their journey. They were then II miles
from the Mokua weoweo crater, which is
on the crest Of Mauna Loa. The path
lay, however. over fields of lava, the
coolings Of old flows occurring during
the eruption of 1881, and these were
crevassed with great splits which in
places CAPPED apart so that it was inn
possible to stride them.
The walk over this sheet of lava, which
was about four miles wide and extended
upward to the lips Of the old crater, was
very tiresome and perilous.
Two of the party, much fatigued and
desiring to reach place of rest. conclud-
ed to turn north, while Mr.. Watson, filed
with the idea that the southern cone was
tho ir,%pr +oI
companions and moved in that direction.
The two tourists, the teamster and the
donkeys, therefore, went by the north
route and over the crest, while MI. Wat
son continued south, moving toward a
promontory of rock and earth which pro-
jected from the surface Of the mountain,
on the top of which grew about IL dozen
small trees. Close upon the far side of
this knob the great river of lava was
bounding in a straight line down the
mountain, while about 500 feet above OIL
the slope Of the hill the crater, like the
mouth Of some internal monster, was
pouring forth melted stone.
Mr.. Watson sat for hours and gazed
upon this vast estuary of rolling. flowing,
bursting fire rushing down the side Of
the mountain. Some thousand or more
feet below the stEeam entered thicket
of trees, seemingly Of tile same variety as
those which clnsto. cd above him.
Here, as he could plainly discern with
his glass, the mounting process of the
lava was repeated, only instead of mount
ing lava upon lava it mounted on trees,
formed cones about them and ran up to
their very tops. These cones, however,
did not burst and fall over as did those
in the flow beside him, but stood there
erect, some 80 feet in height, converting
forest Of trees into forest of stone.
In this process of attacking the trees
Mr.. Watson remarked with wonder the
resistant powers which the wood seemed
to possess against the heat Of the lava
The tree did not catch fire. A little
smoke surrounded it, and this only when
the lava had reached the area of it's
branches. $685. r
: Toward night Mr.. Watson arose from
his seat below the rocks to go over the
summit, down the hill and walk out be-
tween the lava on the side which he was
to cross He thought that his eyes had
been resting too long on running lava
and that he could see such a stream in
> whichever quarter he might look. SO he
went forward. | 5's = :'.2@ 72: .s y,
But he was not mistaken. f.; While he
had been sitting with his back to; the
direction from which he had come and in
which he must go, with his eyes on the
flowing stream, enchanted with its mar
wells, there had broken from the lower
edge Of the crater and some feet to the
north OF the one he was watching u Sec
ond flow j 4. . 81 Il & ~
He started on down and had proceeded
several hundred feet when, to his horror