The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-06-23

as follows:
Crater OF KiIauea. Hawaii.
May &c. 1907.
Editor Republican, am sitting on the
lava rocks at the brink Of this greatest
active crater In the worid-an odd place
TO write letter, May be In a few weeks
Il Will b. impossible to do this. Is the
volcano shows signs OF greater activity
than IL has shown for several years. and
this ledge OF rocks 10 likely TO be engulf-
Cd and included within the extent OF the
main crater. which Is said TO be 200 feet
deep and nine miles IN circumference.
This statement I take on faith. as IL ap-
pears TO have no bottom as far as i can
Judge from observation The entire pat
IL fiied up with dense sulphur smoke.
making n impossible to see even n hun
drcd feet down the sides. We have been
pitching rocks over the edge OF the wall.
but no sound OF their striking is heard.
~ reminds one or ST. Johns description
OF the ''bottomiess p.t'-see Rev. chap.
II. verse ?. We can hear strange noises
like cracking and bubbiing. and occa-
sionally rocks are heard breaking loose
from the walls. and carrying a long train
OF lesser sounds In their wake. At the
present moment. q strong breeze II blow
ms the smoke away from Us. but occa-
sionaliy slight shifting Of the wind per-
mits the heavy sulphur fumes TO come
this way. and then VIC have to retreat.
Sitting on this lava bed. We are really
within n greater crater OF less depth. sur
rounded by a steep rim Of lava rocks
70 feet or moro In height This crater
Includes the more active pit. and n nearly
thirty miles In circumference. To reach
this point. VIC came from the Volcano
house. where We spent last night. ga
the margin OF this larger crater. and
walked acro<a nearly three miles OF rough
lava rocks A stranger TO these scenes
regards the path NC passed over ss dan
Eerous. and views with nervousness the
smoking pits by the way. From a thou
sand cracks and '.biowholes'' in the bot
tom and walls OF this greater crater. the
steam and sulphur smoke ~ rising. In
some places. bit OF paper readily biazes
when put into the cracks across the path
you tread. 50 hot a. TO compel you to
step quickly In passing over them. But
- these conditions have existed for sew
cral years without much change. people
call the shallow portion OF the crater In
activc. The pit In front OF us until
four years ago. was fun up TO the brim
with nery waves OF lava that beat against
thu iron walls with terrific Noise: but
suddenly the bottom fcii out and n
has continued about az az present since.
that time. but such a subsistence has
before occurred In it's history Some OF
these days. according TO it's habit. "a will
boil up fun OF fiery liquid. and spill over
the sides. and molten river a mile wide
so kissing and cracking over the barren
deserts and green cane fields To the sea
leaving black desoiation and death In its
path.
The old tyrant has remained quiet long
er than usual. they say. and Judging
from present signs. the volcano prophets
say there In likely To be- an outburst
soon. fhe people OF Hilo are wishing
Tor little more activity up here IL pre-
"A lob az
up. and people come from all parts ofNthe
world. and patronize the hotels. and the
transportation lines reap a harvest
Hilo II on the edge OF the bay OF the
same name. thirty-one miles away and
aoo feet below us. IL is a fine little
try. mostly occupied BY immense sugar
plantations A little railroad runs out
seventeen miles OF the way from Hilo
toward this place. that Is to the end OF
the sugar plantations at Mountain View
There you take n stage and with a grad
uai climb up gooa>road. YOU travel the
fourteen miles. through dense
tropical forests most of the way to the
Volcano house. which is several miles be-
yond the forest. surrounded by rather
barren landscape.
They will tell you. at Hilo. and in most
ocahtes. that nothing pays on these ISL
snds but sugar. bananas pineapples
.ocoanuts and other tropical fruits that
re OF the temperate zone think OF in
connection with these islands flourish
'ut people say there IN no home market
or them. and transportation to the main
and n too high.
Hilo contains about loo white people
900 or 1000 Asiatics and about 600 Ka-
iakas- IL u the chief city OF this island. |
ND next To Honolulu IN size and inn
'ortarce. But the Transportation COM
'anics all work for Honolulu. and so ar
anEe the movement OF vessels that II Is /
asher and cheaper To go from any part /
4 the island TO Honolulu than to HiIo
- n consequence Hiio has the trade OF 1
My n small fraction OF it's own island /
nd the merchants there are so mixed 4
- In business with the monopolists Of 1
honolulu that they have not dared To-
ppCee them by running an independent
tcamer or schooner between their town
nd other ports Of their island But they
ave recently started an independent
teamer between Hflo and San Francisco
nj propose other like Innovations in the
ear future. Hawaii Is a very rough
runtry. The building OF roads Is exceed
ieiy expensive. and the care for them
forward on sccqunt OF the heavy rains
a great tax II rains a fIiio 10 inches
urinE the ycar-heavicst IN winter but
icuty In summer-but as II generally
ONES In the night. people don't mind "a
iuch. II has pleasant climate. - In the
forming and ~ at noonday-rather cooler
nd less oppressive than Honolulu. Up
ere az the volcano the climate II very
ieasant and cool. 80 that we don't mind
walk OF seven miles during the morn Z
* hours In looking at these wonders.
But we leave now for Naalehu. a VIII
Ee away down near the southern end
7 the island. about forty miles from here.
20 shall then have travelled almost the
attire length OF this island within the past
eek since leaving Honokaa near the
nrth end