The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1911-10-25
SAVED FROM lava HEAT
TOURIST WATCHED TOO LONG
OLD MAUNA LOA'S FLOW, AND
HAD TO USE STILTS.
THE NEW RIVER CUT HIM OFF

Cut Ironwood With Pen Knife and
Reached Friends Just as One of
the Improvised Implements Burn
ed to Ashes Under the Strain. A
Thrilling Experience.
Walking on stills is hard enough
at the best, even for the experts in
southern France, who work in the
marshes with them and whose equip
meH is as near perfection as may be,
but to walk on an extemporized pair
made out of ironwood with a pocket
knife and to do the walking through
river of hot lava is a feat that has
occurred only once SO far as records
show
The hero of it is an Englishman
named Watson, who with party
was looking over the wonders of the
great volcano Mauna Loa, in the
Sandwich islands. They had spent
the night on the edge of the crater,
and next morning Mr.. Watson wan
dered off alone to investigate the
stream of lava that flows down the
southern side of the mountain.
Observed Scene Too Long.
Reaching the stream he sat down
under the shelter of a promontory of
rocks and gazed upon the great slow
river of fire flowing before him. 1t
followed straight course down the
mountains, while at some distance
below it entered a thicket of trees
which seemed as he watched it
through his glass to have remarkable
powers of resisting combustion from
the river of lava.
Mr.. Watson fingered to watch this
sight until almost noon, when he
started to return to camp. AS he
turned, leaving the stream at his
back, he saw another stream before
| him. Soon he perceived that he was
caught between two lava streams,
cutting him off from camp. While
Watson had been sitting beneath the
rock the stream of lava had widen
ed, and the rock that sheltered him
had divided it, so that it was now
| floating down to his left as well as
to his right.
Trapped by Fire Rivers.
1t occurred to Mr.. Watson that he
could go down the streams and
doubtless get around the head Of the
new one and so escape. But before
he had gone far he found that the
new stream united with the old one
a short distance down the mountain
The Englishman was now on an is
land of solid ground with river OF
lire all around him. He looked about
him in despair, and as he did so his
eyes fell on the patch of woods which
he had already noticed as evidently
| possessing the property of resisting
( the fire in some way. He ran tC
this and saw that some of the trees
were small.
Ihen drawing a small knife from
his pocket he hewed with. it at the
bat@ Of one of the smaller trees. in.
tending to make stills on which tc
walk through the lava. 1t was iron.
wood and resisted his small knife
blade almost like iron.
No Sleep For Him.
By daybreak his stills were ready
He mounted them and started
straight through the lava stream
The stills smoked and sizzled. but
did not burn.
He was obliged to walk SLOWLY
and feel with the foot of each still
for loose stones, for a fall would
mean only one thing-instant ere.
nation. Nor did he dare look any.
where but the slowly flowing lava
although his eyes nearly popped Out
of his head from the torturing heat
He did not fall, and at last he
same near the farther edge of the
stream. There to his great joy he
saw people awaiting him. Hi!
friends had come in search of him
and encountering the lava stream
had conjectured that he was beyond
it.
Seeing him approaching they me
him at the edge. AS he reached ou
to them one of his stills burned en-
| tirely off, but as he fell he wa,