The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-06-07
LAVA IN
A FIERY
STREAM
kiIauea Said to
Have Burst
Bonds.
STARTLING NEWS
BY THE HELENE
Steamer Noesu Earlier in Day
Brings Word OF Outbreak
But No flow.

I THE steamer Noeau which arrived
| 4 from Hamakua ports yesterday
= morning brought news that the
volcano of Kilauea burst forth at 10
| o'clock Tuesday night. The steamer
! Helene. which arrived yesterday after
| noon from Mahukona brought the still
more startling intelligence that the era
ter had filled up and that the lava has
commenced to flow down into Eau.
watchman Mason of the Wilder
Steamship Company said last night
that he had heard the news from the
chief engineer and crew of the Helene,
who alleged that telephone message
| TO that effect had been received at Ma
| hukona from Manager Waldron of the
Volcano House. The message said that
| the lava had just commenced TO over
| flow from the flooded crater.
While the report may be true. yet it
seems exceedingly improbable that
such is the case, for no flow has occur
red at Kilauea since 1910, when the
lava welIed up and bursting through
the side escaped into the Puma dis
trict and flowed in stream TO the sea.
Definite news as to the exact state of
affairs win surely arrivesby the Kinau.
due here about noon today, and that
vessels arrival viii be awaited with al
most unprecedented interest.
The Helene left Mahukona late on
Thursday afternoon. The Noeau sail
ed from KukuihaeIe for Honolulu about
p. IN. on Thursday, at which time XII
lauea was still fiaring up with every
indication of a great eruption. The
crater. however, is of such magnitude,
being five miles broad in places and 500
feet deep, that it almost passes COM
prehensi0n how it could have filled up
so quickly as to have overfiowed. The
truth of the matter probably is that
the rising lava has found vent in some
weak spot in the vast cup of the crater
and not that it has welled up to it's
rim.
Captain Mosher of the Noeau said
that on Wednesday night he anchored
at Waipio Gulch, about IS miles from
the volcano and that he could dis
tinctly see the reflection of the flames
in the sky. News of the outbreak was
received at every port at which the
Noeau touched, and doubtless emanat-
ed from the Volcano House.
The outbreak was heralded by two
or three slight earthquake shocks in
the Hamakua district on Tuesday
night. Shortly afterwards flames and
dense smoke burst forth and continued
until the time of the Noeau's departure.
lava flow. however.
There were rumors on the street yes
terday that the lava had flowed down
into OIaa and was destroying cane
fields. The inpossibiiity OF the story
was recognized by many but 10 some
who did not know that such a condi-
tion could not exist, IL was a story
worth taking up, and SO was being re-
peated and augmented There was alb
soIutely no foundation for such a story
and il soon took its proper place among
the roorbacks.
The crater OF Kilauea is 13k miles in
circumference and is different from
Vesuvius, Etna and StromboH in that
the craters OF these volcanoes Are
cones. The abyss, which is 1000 feet
above the sea level, has the appear
ance Of a great pit AT the further
extremity is enclosd a smaller crater,
which varies in depth from being level
with the larger crater when the molten
lava is in great activity. to 1900 feet
when in a quiescent state. This lake
is called by the natives "Halemau-
nau." or the abode of everlasting
fire" A canopy OF vapor hangs day
and night over Kilauea beside which
Vesuvius. Etna and Stromboli sink fnso
comparative insignificance. Kilauea is
the largest active volcano In the world.