Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-08-14


through it the encircling cliff In the dis
lance seems to reel and bow. 1t Is not
quite certain that the lava underfoot is
shaking, but there is a tremble unmis-
taxable and grumbling below. There is
more sulphur In the heated air; the air is
hotter than IT has been. Suddenly we are
standing at the baked verge OF deeper
abyss within the pit, place OF evil va
pors OF metals reduced to steam that
sears and scorches, place OF dread SUBJ
terranean noises, and Albert announces
"Halema'uma'u."
1t Is then that one may notice a little
bit OF green dropping into the inferno of
swirling vapors, perhaps twig of ohelo
such as pagan Hawaii dropped into PeIe's
home Of terror. Anyway you CHANGED
to see Albert put such twig into the
pocket Of his blouse far away back In that
distant world where the soil was cool and
green things grew, long before you came
into this place of torments, this limbo
and Gohenna and place OF burnings. Well,
what il he did? II you were Hawaiian,
and no longer ago than in your grand
fathers time, even In your own fathers
boyhood, this Pele was a goddess capa BILE
OF much harm unless properly placated,
you might yourself somehow feel it best
to be on the safe side and toss over your
own little sprig Of ohelo. OF course such
a demon as Pele could impress only wild
savages, but it is not the Hawaiians who
hold ideas about split salt and broken
mirrors and that sort of thing.
Guide Albert and Peter Lee and all who
know the crater tell of It's three con-
ditions. 1t is most commonly quiescent,
which means that the lava level in the
Halema'uma'u Is at standstill, and that
much of 1t Is scummed over with dark
Stag; one or more open places show the
incandeseence, and these spots are known
as the lakes of fire. When from these
lakes arise fountain jets and sprays OF
fluid lava and the crater is boiling, it is
said to be active. A greater stage of
activity is when the Halema' uma'u fills
and boils over and the lava runs out upon
the crater floor of Kiiauea; that is an
eruption. All these are various stages of
magnificent displays Of fire, the despair
alike OF brush and pen to describe.
But there is another and different
stage Of active crater which is very rare
inoeed, and attracts all those who can
reach the spot in time. That is when
some physics OF the earth's forces causes
all the pitful Of melted and flaming metal
to be sucked back into the globe which
has been striving to shoot it forth. Such
thing happens only at rare intervals.
They say that, when it happens It is sure
sign there will be an outburst OF activity
at the Mokuaweoweo crater on the distant
summit OF the mountain up among the
SHOWS. This years. eruption of that pit
of fire was preceded by an emptyiDg of
Halema 'uma'u in the Kilauea crater.
OF course the mathematician WAS at
work. He was happy at the chance to
triangulate the downward abyss and to
announce that the bottom of the pit OF
which the swirling vapors gave now and
then glimpse was 947 feet below the hot
rock on which we stood. But it was not
the number OF feet which took the breath.
1t was the general stupendousness Of it
all; the colossal scale OF natures opera
tions; the littleness OF the spectators
perched in fear upon rock. Once it was
possible to see through the heat and the
smother the floor Of the pit itself and the
mouth of the chute through which the
lava is fed from furnaces below.
And then you go back to the corral and
ha I'M far
know how, and back you go to the Vol
cano house to eat more bowls Of ohelo
berries with cream and sugar.