The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-05-29
MOKUAWEOWEO
BROKEN LOOSE
MAJNA LOA'S SUMMIT CRATER
REPORTED IN
ERUPTION.
ECLIPSE BRINGS STARTLING
NEWS.
Captain Townsend, Master of Schooner
Saw Reflection in Sky and Was Later
Told at Hookena of Outbreak.

According to advices brought at an
early hour this morning by the gasoline
schooner Eclipse, the volcano has brok-
en- out Strange to relate the eruption
did not occur at Kilauea but is reported
to have been at Mokuaweoweo, the
summit crater of Mauna Loa. No de-
tails of the reported eruption were Sc
cured by Captain Townsend, the mas
ter of the Eclipse, other than that the
volcano was in eruption last Saturday
night and Sunday
The first intim0tion that Captain
Townsend had of there being any thing
of the kind was on last Saturday
night while crossing the Hawaii
channel. The stories of the recent
disasters to the islands in the caribbean
Sea had naturally aroused his interest
in the Hawaiian volcanoes and on his
last up trip to Hawaii, he took partlcu-
lar pains to watch for any signs of
eruption When in the Hawaii channel
to his surprise he saw unmistakeable
evidences of an outbreak of some kind
for the sky glowed with the reflection
of the flames, which, at the time, he
supposed came from Kilauea. The sky
was very cloudy at the time however,
and the reflection was not clear as long
as 1t would otherwise have been on a
clear night.
On Sunday morning, he arrived at
Hookena the sOuthernmost port on his
run and there inquired if the volcano
had broken out. He was informed that
there had been an eruption. Instead of
the eruption having been at Kilauea,
his infOrmants told him that it had been
the big crater of Mokuaweoweo which
had burst forth into life.
Townsend remained in that port un-
til Monday morning, when he left for
Honolulu. The sky was overshadowed
nv heavy clOudS aCCOmpania6 nv
termittent rain squalls, SO it was impos-
Stble for him to see any evidences of the
reported eruption. No trace of smoke
. could therefore be seen from HoOkena.
during the day, nor indeed, could any
reflection of flames be seen from that
place, on Sunday night. On Monday
ntsht also, Captain Townsend was un-
able to see the reflection in the Channel
on his way home.
Il saw the outbreak on Saturday
night" said Captain Townsend. There
IS not the slightest mistake about what
it was, for L have seen the fire from
the volcano too often not to know it
again. L saw a well defined column of
fire in the heavens about $3.50 p. m. on
Saturday. 1t lasted for about an hour
and then the heavy clouds and mist
shut it off from view.
"On Friday night l saw a reflection
to the southeast, while we were ly-
ink at Kihei II was not the after
glow for L have noticed that also
When we got to HoOkena, 1 saw the
natives and asked about the volcano
and they told me that they there had
been an eruption and that it had occur
red first on Friday night This was the
same night that l saw the glow while
we were at Kihei.
THE Kona coast was unusually
cloudy and misty this trip, and after
we got in toward the land, there was
no chance of seeing the light again. l
am of the opinion that many of the
clouds we saw on the present trip were
caused by smoke from the volcano, for
have seldom seen them hang so low.
zone fact however which makes me
think that the outbreak was not seri-
Gus and was not accompanied by any
flow of lava is the fact that no advices
had been received from Hilo regarding
it, There is telephone communication
from Kona to Hilo and certainly some
one would have learned if there had
bees any serious outbreak, from last
Friday until Monday when we sailed
from Kailua.
There is one point on which l am
certain and this is the fact that l saw
the volcano. l have not seen that re-
Election and column since the last out
break"
Mokuaweoweo has been regarded as
an extinct volcano for a number of
years. According to the Hawaiian
geography issued some years ago by A
S. Barnes, this volcano becomes active
about once in II years, Comparatively
little is known of the crater for few
people have visited it.
The steamer Kauai and Waialeale