Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-07-28

IL II. r. DdIluOlOlueW, professor Ol
history and English literature at Au-
sustana college, who, with his son
Paul is in the Sandwich islands,
writes interestingly of a visit to the
crater of Mount Kilauea, an active vol
cano. In a letter dated July 10 and
written at the Volcano house near the
top of the mountain he says:
Il am writing on the veranda of the
Kilauea volcano house, overlooking
the crater. The hotel is built on the
very edge of the old crater, overlook
irg the great black hole whose floor
is composed of lava. From where
am sitting it is about two and a half
miles to the rim of the pit where the
eternal and Internal fires are raging
and surging and boiling. We took the
steamer at Honolulu on Tuesday at
II o'clock.
I've had pleasant trip sailing
along close to the shores of Molokai
and Maui-beautiful and interesting
scenery all the way. Wednesday at
10 o'clock a. m. we reached Hilo on
the island of Hawaii. the largest is
land of the group and the one that
gives name to the whole group At
Hila we stopped over night for the
purpose of resting and looking around.
Hilo is the second town of the islands.
1t is a strange. looking, place-such a
mixture of races, strange sights, lux
uriant vegetation. odd looking houses
and queer people. We walked out
, about two miles to see the rainbow
falls. a beautiful waterfall and very
interesting in every way
"On Thursday morning at o'clock
we boarded the railroad train en- route
for the volcano. After riding for %
miles through dense tropical jungles
| of every conceivable variety of trees
and vines and underbrush, many oil
| Them covered with beautiful flowers
and rich foliage, we came at last tC
a place called Glenwood. which is the
end of the line. This was an exceed
ingly interesting railway train ride
| indeed one of the most exciting ever
enjoyed. Part of the way we passed
| through rich and prosperous sugar
cane plantations. In some places they
were preparing the soil, elsewhere
they were planting the cane, here
they were cultivating the cane. there
they were cutting it down and pre-
pairing it for the mill, and in some
places we saw them floating it to the
mills in fumes. These plantations arc
very interesting indeed.
| 'At Glenwood, the staNon above
mentioned, we left the train and tool
the stage and continued our journe!
through strange looking country
The road is very good and man.
places straight as a line, leading
through the thick underbrush an,
now scrubby trees. It will seen
strange to you that the road i
straight while we are moving to
wards the top of the mountain, 400
Feet above sea level. But the slop
is so gradual that oftimes you canno
begins at Hilo, 81 miles from tn
crater. and continues to rise gradual
al the way to the top.
J eve reached the Volcano house a
1870 a. M, where we had lunch an
as soon as we could get ready W
lstarted down the trail. The trail mos
of the way is very easy, leading alon
over the lava bed. On every han
are cracks and deep assures throug
which in some places issue volume
of steam and smoke and sulphu
! fumes In some places the heat is S
great that it will scorch paper. A
we moved forward the interest an
excitement grew greater so that
was really painful At last after
walk of about an hour and Is minute
we stood on the rim of the burnin
lake and looked down.
"Oh! what an awftl sight. Word
are not able to describe the scene tina
there lay unfolded. Here are the il
fernal regions, the very mouth of hel
and the elements of flame and sulphu
smoke are doing their best to max
the place awful. The burning lax
is circular in form; there is pc
slpendicular wall of lava rock abou
zoe feet down to the burning mas
land the pit is about one-third of