The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-09-08

ing out of the side of the conical noun
tain now in existence. A number of
streams started seward, and one in
the direction of Safune became chilled
and ultimately stopped when 1t was
about halfway towards that charming
village. Several streams coalesced to
eastward and pointing in one vast out
put they proceeded to fill up valleys
and ravines and overtop the hills-in
some places their filling must be up
wards of 600 feet in depth. OF course
all depressions of the surface were fol-
lowed, just as stream of water would
have done. The sea was reached, and
five thriving native townships were
obliterated altogether.
REMARKABLE FACTS.
The town of Malo boosted lofty
Catholic church-its gable reached
quite so feet above the ground-and at
this moment fragment, the mere peak
of the gable may be observed above
the cooled lava, which surrounded and
filled the church. In the course OF
time the lava field extended east and
west, until now over ten miles of the
surface have been covered, and the sea
line extended about three quarters of
a mile into water, which was from 200
| to 300 feet in depth, and today the
output is far and away greater than
/ at any previous time Fifty-four square
miles have been covered for a depth
of from 6 feet to 900 feet. Occasionally
the lava stream would not run more
than perhaps 100 yards wide, and then
| perhaps would be found two or three
such streams; but today the stream
seems almost continuous, and it said
to be some eight miles across. Your
correspondent passed this flow about
ten days ago in one of the Union Co.
steamers, and he judged that it was
then fully four miles wide. He could
barely note a single break in the fall
ing cascade; but from. his position he
could not estimate the speed of the
current. During former investigations
he had found that this was usually be-
tween two and three miles per hour
when the lava was white hot and well
on the incline.
The present kind of flow is not in
any degree comparable with the old,
original output of thick lava, which
was of the consistency of bakers
dough, and often did not advance more
than a few feet per day. The lava
now exuding resembles molten iron in
every respect, and even at the sea-
some eighty miles away from the era
ter, it is quite as thin as good hot fur
mace iron, and could doubtless be run
into moulds just as iron is run. When
this thin, white-hot molten matter
falls into the sea, it instantly turns
into black sand. OFTEN where the
flowing stream is several feet deep il
is covered with floating rocks of great
Ter or less dimensions. These, being
almost in an incandescent state, eX
plode with violence when they tumble
over the cliffs into the sea, and thei1
fragments are frequently thrown bacl
again in to the lava field.
? EFFECT ON THE SEA.
The slow-moving, thick lava, vover
ed with rocks thrown out of the vol
cano, often advanced at heights of from
/ Is feet to 80 feet, and the movement
r was barely perceptible, but the presen
} material runs about in little rills al
most like water would do. Occasion
$ ally the hot lava stream advances a
e gainst the black, well-cooled basalti
= cliffs, and these melt and drop to pieces
e almost as soon as the intense hea
= strikes them. Great Edwards of seem