The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-10-18
LAKE or FLAME
ABOVE THE CLOUDS
Continued from page IL

marred world by sea OF cloudlan6 be-
meath them, out OF which the hoarg
head of Mauna Kea appeared afioat on
the ocean of vapor.
FIRE ABOVE THE CLOUDS.
Their descriptions convey the roar or
Escaping flames, gases and molten min
eral from a score of fiery geysers which
hurled their incandescent columns from
two to six hundred feet into the air
TO fall back into a surrounding lake OF
liquid lava with appalling noise,
The scene at night must have been
bewildering in its glory. A perpetual
roar and rumble from the arena five
hundred feet below, rivers and lakes
of fire rejecting back the rising tor
rents of flame that revealed the jagged
fire-worn cliffs, and then rolling COLI
umns of vapor in a hundred tints- a
vast Aurora Borealis above, raging
Inferno beneath.
The crater proper is approximately
three by seven miles in breadth ana
length. Its highest cliffs reach nearly
Ia thousand feet above the lowest lev
ell About a mile from the observers
camp, a small inner crater, perhaps
a quarter of mile in diameter, con-
ld1llS the iIoQOiSu lane VI iiAC NhCt%
play continuously the incandescenr
fountains.
This lake has overlooked it's natural
rocky bounds and broad stream OF
lava, flashing in molten tints of every
hue, spreads increasingly over the
floor. still many hundred feet from
the upper rim of the crater proper,
Rolling masses of smoke, incarnadined
beneath, black as the brow of Erebus
above, hang over the crater and are
nightly viewed with awe and admira-
ton by watchers in Hilo, at Kilauea.
from all over the island and from ves-
sells far away at sea. New cones con-
stantly form and reform In the lava
lake and river, while immense bubbles
of lava blow and break with hideous
gasps. The present fountains are far
Their north than in the eruption of 1891
The stream may overflow the southern
Hip, two miles from the eruption, or may
force it's way through a weak spot In
the crater rim or lower yet on the
Isouthern slopes, generally conceded to
be the weaker side of the. mountain
Sears of previous breaches may be
seen on the map above the $4,000 feet
level to the south of the crater. Four
or five small craters. notably one, POI
haiku Hanalei, at the junction of the
Hamakua, Hilo and Kau boundary
lines, are marked to the north, also the
| traces of lava issuance to the east.
Reports already mentioned, of smoke
and heat near the Dewey crater indi-
cate a possibility of another outbreak
from that outlet which still may mark
the line of the least resistance. The
cost of the trip. from the Monsarrat
ranch, averages forty dollars a head
for parties.
Special correspondence to the Ad-
vertiser summarizes the general situa-
| ton as follows and notes the fact that
two ladies will accompany the next
party. Kilauea is still quiescent.
'The volcano Mokuaweoweo contin..
ues very active, and new parties from
Hilo and the Volcano House are being:
formed to start for the cavernous pit
| of fire geysers. A party of four left
| Hilo this morning for Mokuaweowed
via. Kaumana, very difficult trip az
they are unable to get within eighteen
miles of the crater with horses. II
requires three days to reach the crater
via Kaumana. From the Volcano
House or J. Monsarrats it can be
made in one and a half days and most
any one that rs able to ride q horse
can reach the active crater via the lat
ter route.
Mrs w. L. Howard and Mrs. @. II.
Berrey viii be in the next party leaving
the Volcano House. The best view
at distance is from the Volcano
House and Reeds Island, Hilo. The
smoke and reflection can be seen from
Maui and along the Kona and Kau
side LOFT
cano House and Reeds Island. Hilo
pioneers predict an outbreak on the
Hilo side soon No change in KiIauea >,