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

naluu early in the morning of Tuesday,
of July a. Mr. and Mrs. A. GramDerg
of Kaleieha, on the southern slope OF
Mauna Kea, saw it Sunday night. July
2, and Monday night, July 3. From this
point the weather is almost always
clear while from the two other points
mentioned, it is often cloudy, and, as
matter of fact, clouds have at times
prevented the outbreak from being seen
from each of these two points, since IL
began. This might account for its be-
ing seen two days earlier from Kalai-
cha than from the Volcano House or
Punaluu.
But the actual outbreak of lava was
not from Mokuaweoweo. The weak
point in Mauna Loas side is further
down the slope At an elevation of 10
500 feet, as shown by a mountain
aneroid carried by w. Il. Castle, in
whose company Mr.. Weaver and l. with
others went up, the lava broke out right
on the slope of the mountain. This is
the place where the now active cone is
located. Mr.. Gramherg says when he
first saw the lava spouting out, on the
morning of July 4, there were spouting
geysers extending along line of per-
haps a mile In length. He counted fif-
teen in all. Several of these, near the
center of the line, soon formed a cone
and thus confined, lost their identity as
separate fountains or geysers. The
others soon lost their activity and dis
appeared or could be distinguished
merely by a glow of light at night, or
by columns of smoke.
1t was this active spouting cone that
was the objective point of the party
which set out from the Volcano House
Friday morning, July IA. The party con-
sisted of w. r. Castle, c. H. kluegal,
Frank Barwick, Philip l.. Weaver, AL
fred l.. Castle, Richard A. Cooke, Fred
A. Lowrey Jr., the latter three being
lads of fourteen and fifteen, myself, two
guides. Kamak and Ahuai, and two ma
tive helpers. The party was well
mounted and well provided. We were
the third party that started from the
Volcano House. One of the other par
ties consisted of four men and guide,
and got within two or three miles of the
cone. The other party numbered about
thirty, of whom two actually reached
the cone and about ten others got with
in from two or three miles to 400 or 500
yards of it.
Our party followed a trail up through
Shipman's ranch all day Friday, and
camped that night at the timber line.
Next morning we rode about three
miles farther to the pahoehoe lava of
the 1880 flow We rode up this about
two miles, when the guides deeming
it no longer safe for the horses, we left
these in charge of the native helpers.
and proceeded up the 1880 flow afoot.
Beside. blankets for each of the party
we carried food supplies and something
over a gallon of water for each man.
The flow of 1880 is continuous pahoe-
hoe lava, rough. uneven, and hard on
shoes, but not seriously difficult walk
ing except in places. The guides led
us by many detours to avoid peri
lous places, for about eleven or twelve
miles, when we came to the end of the
flow. This was marked by a number
of old cones, and Centers of volcanic
action clearly shown by deep pits with
tunnel like openings leading off from
one side at the bottom, the torn and
rent and twisted condition of the lava
showing the conVulsive action of which
they We're the monuments.
By the time we reached the end OF
. this flow we could see the spOuting, ac-
tive cone, our objective point, about a
mile beyond u.s. The intervening dis
tance was over rough and broken lava
past extinct cones. a locality that was
clearly in the past the center of num-
berless flows which crossed and re-
, crossed each other and added to theil
desolation the suggestion of peril anC
danger.
About a quarter of a mile from Tho
, active cone we came upon our frs
experience with new lava flow. i
was a stretch of aa that was still no
to our feet as we walked over II. dnt
through the cracks we could see tn,
hot molten lava. A stick thrust dow
crack was quickly ablaZe. This flow
Seemd to have gone in the direction
of Kau. We proceeded to within abou
three hundred yards of the active con,
which was as near as the guide.
: though 1t prudent to go at this time al
! it was getting dark. We camped fo
! the night on an old cone where W,
l We're sheltered from the wind and yer,
tgTI
cracks like those near Kilauea. No
thing could be more weird than gu
camping place with the fiery fountain
: playing above the cone just ahead of u
! and lighting up the scene with its il
: Elimination. We were at the threshold
= of Pele's throne.
Next morning as the dawn began t,
break we started for the volcano. Jus
= before we reached it the sun rose il
\ splendor over the clouds that lay lik
a field of ice and snow between us ant
: the lower half of the mountain |
Il would be hard to tell which was tn
Z grander scene, that of the rising SUI
y i'm this altitude and solitude, or tn
q play of volcanic forces before us.
=. The active cone we found to be tn
@ survivor of twins, two of one birth
a side by side. They were built, appaI
n entity on the same level, the active on
n being on the side toward the SUNNI
j.. of Mauna LOa. The two We're not fft
II feet apart. Their bases almost touch
= ed. The quiescent one was fifty {
!. sixty feet high, with steep slopes. II
sides toward the foot of the mountai
D was rent by a great gap extending clea
ii to the base from which had latel
N flowed a stream of lava which had Tu
lO hither and thither, dying from inan
a ton before it had apparently found II
,n true course.
/ The active cone was about hundre
,a feet high, probably 200 feet through
a. the base, and one hundred feet i'm dis
a meter at the top The gap, or brea
+ i'm it's side was more to the north, abol
r. at right angles to the gap in the othe
~ 1t only extended about half way fro
at the top to the bottom so that the cor
ot was about half full of molten lava. L
Id through this demon cauldron the terr
llc forces below We're spouting the co
4 umns of fiery lava, throwing it abol
NJ hundred feet above the cone, or 2
M feet above the level of the openiT
H. from which il came out before the col
IN was formed. Through the gap in Il