The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-10-22
FORMER SURVEY
OF MOKUAWEOWEO
Continued from page S.

continued from page d.
| to deeper basin, twenty or more feet
below the rest of the crater bottom
and about 400 feet wide, covered with
| the most friable lava, swollen upwards
as though raised by air bubbles, and
this basin extended in a lava flow to
| the northeast along the side of the era
ter.
Probably this was the place of the
last eruption and of most of the erup-
tions of this central crater. We found
the cone to be composed of pumice and
friable lava still hot and smoking, and
very difficult to ascend, but we succeed
ed in climbing to its top, 140 feet high,
and in setting up a flag there for the
boundary corner. We then descended
between the east and west peaks of
this cone over huge rocks and deep
chasms
SURVEY OF 1874.
From the fact that this cone is rep
resented on Mr.. J. NJ. Lydgate's map of
1874, I conclude that it has been of
long continuance, probably composed
Of the cinders of successive eruptions,
and that the deep basin to the wind
ward of it, like Halemaumau in Kilal-
ca, has continued many years, and
is situated at the great central volcanic
throat of the mountain.
then returned to the second plateau
to the north and thence clambered out
to the east of Mokuaweoweo by the ex-
tremely interesting route of former
cataract Of lava from the summit into
the crater, the swift downfall of which
had turned it's lava almost into pumice,
and the black, shining spray of which
lay spattered on the surrounding rocks.
CATARACTS OF LAVA.
Further south I observed the course
of two other cataracts, which had pour
| ed directly into the central crater. At
the summit I found the deep assure
| from which the outbreak had come
| that caused these cataracts, and ascer-
tanned that it had also poured an i'm
mense stream north upon the first
plateau and thence south to the central
| crater. Crossing from this place to
the north over the first plateau I sud-
denly came to a frightful circular era
| ter in the bed of the plateau, appar-
emily 600 feet deep and 1000 feet wide,
with a cone in it's center still smok-
| ing. We We're obliged to hurry with
eXhausting speed over the rough lava in
order to reach our tent before night.
The next day we took the transit to
the stations in the crater, and the next
we surveyed with it along the western
brink to the extreme south end, where
We looked down into the south crater
which is about 800 feet deep and 2,50C
| feet. wide. The length of the whole
chasm, or "caldera,"I have ascertained
to be about $4,000 feet, the greatest
breadth 5000 feet, and the greatest
/ depth 800 feet. The area is three and
six-tenths square miles. A map OF
these craters has been sent to the Gov.
eminent Survey office.
i MANY LAVA FLOWS.
On the southwest side, near the juno.
ton of the central crater with the south
plateau, I found that there had beer
another eruption, from assures thai
We're still smoking, and that this erup
ton had CURED an immense stream
southwark towards Kahuku, and haG
J also poured. cataracts into the soutf
} crater from all sides.
I had everywhere observed that there
had been great flows from the SUNNI
brink down the mountain and haC
wondered at the thought of the vas
chasm having filled up and overfloweC
it's brim.
Il lHlS, noWSNeF, turned out TO De al
incorrect view. The flows have no
been from the lowest parts of the brin
but from SOM of the highest, which
could not have been the case in al
overflow.
81 WALLS ARE LOOSE.
The walls of the craters are largel
composed of loose, old weather beate
rocks, and large tracts of the plateau
are composed of old pahoehoe, that ha
not been overlooked for ages, whic
would not be the case if the crater
filed and overlooked.
These outbreaks from assures aroun
} the rim indicate that the lava ha
rather poured into the crater than on
of it: and that it has poured from sue
assures in vast streams down the noun
4 tain side. What enormous quantitie
| of lava may flow from such small ifs
| Sures is illustrated by the flow of 1S5!
| The question arises, how has the Law
| risen high enough to pour in eXtensi.r
| eruptions through these assures, al
| most a thousand feet above the bottor
= of the crater without rising in tn
crater and overlooking it? The sam
question has often been asked in re
spect to the rise of liquid lava to tn
summit of Mauna Loa without over
flowing the open crater of Kilauea, 10,
900 feet below.
MOKUAWEOWEO AND KILAUEA