The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-12-15

h1ndu ST. wv.
r. Castle). SO 1876 s9.7 1916 80 81
Eva Plant. 60 S1.5 65.3 72.7 "a so
Kohala: dew point, 65.7; relative hui
nudity, S1.3.
Eva Plantation: dew point, 61.6; rela-
tive humidity, 67.2; barometer average,
1885,
The month closed with continued vol
canic activity, that of Mauna Loa's
summit crater, Mokuaweoweo, was re-
ported at the end of the month as be-
ing about the same as when first WIS.,
tied in October The crater of Hale
maumau in Kilauea, was discovered in
eruption at 2:30 a. m. of the 18th, and
activity has since continued. The lava
lake at the end of the month was re-
ported as being 800 by 125 feet in size
and not more than $50 feet from the
crater's summit. This crater is 195
miles wide and 2.93 miles long, contain
ing an area of Ala square miles or 1850
acres. Mokuaweoweo's dimensions We're
given in the October summary.
There have been no earthquakes re-
ported to this Office, but a newspaper
report gives one in the Kona and Kau
districts on the 18th, followed by in
creased activity of Mokuaweoweo, and
the steamer Mauna Loa reports a dis
turbance of the sea while the vessel
was at anchor off Punaluu, Hawaii, on
the 18th. The sea suddenly became
churned up and disturbed to such an
extent as to capsize one of the ships
boats lying along side, throwing its
occupants into the water, where, though
they were natives, they maintained
themselves with difficulty, and the ship
itself was swung around from its for
mer position. This disturbance is re-
ported as lasting ten minutes. Later in
the day huge black cloud was seen
to belch from the summit crater, fol-
lowed by the usual column of white
smoke and steam. High seas in the
channels and heavy surf along the
windward coasts have been the rule.
Tidal waves were reported from Pele-
kunu, Molokai; Kahului and Honoko-
hau, Maui, on the 18th. At the latter
place one wave rose to a height of 80
feet as measured by the mark left by
the sea on the pail, doing considerable
damage. From Koholalele, Hawaii,
comes a report of heavy seas lasting
some hours which swept clean over the
top OF a forty foot crane at the land
ing and carried enormous boulders some
distance inland. On this same date a
portion of the railroad track along the
northern part of Oahu was washed
away by high seas, and the tide gauge
In the harbor of Honolulu recorded evil
dence of an unusual agitation. Wheth-
er the cause of these latter disturbances
was local volcanic activity, or the re-
suit of seismic disturbances at, or
around the Aleutian Islands, a theory
advanced by one authority, (the above
mentioned places, with the exception of
Honolulu harbor, all having northern
exposure, and this latter fact would, to
certain extent, tend to eliminate the
local theory, or unusually heavy
weather in the North Pacific, is prob
lematical, with the weight of evidence
in favor of seismic origin.
Thunder at Honolulu on the 18th dur
ing the heavy showers of the afternoon
of that date. This was the only rain
to speak of for this district during the
month. 1.50 inches, falling at the
Weather Bureau between one and five
p. m, of total of 2.26 inches for the
month. Bright afterglows on several