The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-11-20

(crater), the fire burning forth, flying
out from the earth, coming from a
high place, the eruption falling down
with a mighty noise. Glorious, won
derful, dreadful was the view. Nc
one can describe the appearance and
its glory. Before us a high hill was
thrown up, black with new lava. From
it's side a door or cave opened from
which flowed melted liquid stone with
great explosions of steam. The lava
poured over, falling far down with
its fire ashes, reverberating like thun-
der, flashing like lightning, making
the watchers tremble with fear The
mountain side below was all burning
with clouas of smoke curling and
twisting over the flowing fire. Around
the pit of fire and miles beyond it ash
es and pumice stone and Peles hair
were filling. In the evening of Au-
gust IL, 1856 about the tenth hour,
there was seen a small light over Mo-
kuaweoweo, on Mauna Loa, which soon
became large. Then quickly came an
outbreak and a flow down the side of
the mountain. White was the path
of the descending fire. At midnight
and later the night became white as
the day and many could read their
newspapers by the light. Thus this
light continued for some days. Many
weeks passed, then the air was full
of smoke and the fire could not be seen
until it was blown away, then the lava
was seen to be filling the mountain
between the ridges. The beginning of
this eruption was in the ancient crater
Mokuaweoweo. Then the Pele open
ed a new door below. 1t split open
the side of the summit and the great
outpouring of lava followed. 1t was
seen from far, from the ocean, from
Maui and from Molokai, more than a
hundred miles distant. The lava came
toward Hilo, but did not destroy it..
The lava poured into the bed of the
Wailuku river not far from the harbor
of Hilo. A branch of the river was
filled with the lava. The water became
red, smelling strongly of sulphur. Here
the eruption wonderfully was cut off,
separated from the people, the land
and the City of Hilo. More than a
year this eruption continued, the lava
not cooling before the month of Oc-
tober 1856. The new lava covered
over three hundred miles of land. This
was the greatest eruption seen during
this generation (Note-The flows of
1852 and 1855 broke out very near each
other. The great eruption of 1880
1881 started between the two, all flow
ing in the same direction toward Hilo.)
In the evening of January %, 1859, a
new and very violent eruption broke
out from a assure on the northwest
side of the summit of Mauna Loa, TO-
600 feet altitude. The mountain shook
under the outpouring of that fire river.
Seven days was it running like great
red serpent between the mountains
and along the foothills of Hualalai.
Then it came to the sea at the villages
of Wainanalii and Keawaiki. Burned
were the trees, the breadfruit, the CO.
coanut groves, the sugar cane patches,
the animals, the dogs, cattle and pigs,
and the village of Wainanalii with its
groves and its houses. Destroyed was
the good harbor and the fine fishing
places The sweet wafer fountains or
springs were dried up. The glory OF
the land was taken away and the place
was made desolate. Kikolo, the fish
pond made by Kamehameha, was fill
ed by the lava river. About thirty
eight were the miles marking the
length of this lava flow 1t was from
one-third Of a mile to five miles in
breadth. No human beings were in