Evening star., 1901-08-31
TIDAL WAVE IN HAWAII,
A Mighty Rush of Water Reported Ol
the kOhaIa Coast.

Mighty Rush of Water Reported on
the kOhaIa Coast.
From the Honolulu Star, August IA.
Later reports of the tidal wave We're
brought by the steamer Ke Au HGu this
morning. The Ke Au Hou did not touch
the western coast of Hawaii, but, accord
ing to the information which Captain Mosh-
er received while at Kukuihaele, the tidal
wave appears to have reached Mahukona
and was evidently general along the Kohala
coast
The rush of water at Mahukona did not
occur until last Saturday, day later than
It was observed along the Kona coast. This
circumstance seems quite odd The expla-
nation which Captain Mosher offers for
the difference is that the original wave
&C ming in a westerly course across the
Pacific was divided when it dashed against
Mano Point and one part went to the
south while another went to the north.
Evidence of some exceptional disturbance
of the waters was felt even at Waipio
gulch on Sunday, where the Ke Au Hou
was lying
On Sunday Captain Mosher was lying in
his cabin. Suddenly a strong current set
ting from around the northern end of the
island swept down and completely swung
the vessel around. 1t was not the force
of sudden gust of wind which did this,
but the water, for Captain Mosher sprang
out on the deck to observe the cause. He
soon discovered that it had been the strong
current. Within a short time the vessel
had swung back to it's former position, and
no further evidence Of the high tide or
strong current was felt !
Captain Mosher thought the affair quite
peculiar, but he paid no further attention
to it until he met an old native, who had
come from Mahukona. This native said
that on Saturday, the day preceding the
strong current which turned the Ke Au
Hou about, the water had come up big
1,r,ly bod -nY.f into h oiS hnr,
and inundated his dwelling. Captain Mosh-
er could not learn very much of the de-
tails of the sudden rush of waters, but
from what the native did say It was evil
dent that there had been an exceptionally
high tide else tidal wave had rushed
into the shores of Kohala. No reports
from any other place were received, how
ever, by the Ke Au Hou, and not until
after they had reached here was the real
cause of the sudden rise in the waters
known to those on the vessel.
This report from the Kohala coast puts
an entirely different aspect on the stua-
ton. When the Mauna Loa brought the
news yesterday that only the Kona coast
had been touched by the tidal wave, the
natural presumption was that the rush of
water had been due to some volcanic ac-
ton in the proximity of that particular
section of the western coast. In fact, with
even this explanation of the matter, it was
regarded as very peculiar that only twenty
miles Of coast should be reached by the
wave, while other sections of the coast
line should not be visited by it. Now that
the Kohala coast seems to have been reach
ed at a later time than the Kona coast it
is very likely that the original wave was
divided by Mano Point and two different
currents sent along to the respective north
ern and southern coasts. Even the Mauna
Loa, which was lying around at Punaluu,
on the other side of the Kau coast, felt the
swell of the tide on Friday.
The steamers from Mauai this morning
report, however, that no evidence of the
tidal wave has been seen on that island.