Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1912-06-22
Why Islands Craters Are
"Good" and No Danger
Is Felt.

Especial Bulletin Correspondence
HILO. Hawaii, June 20.-Kilauea is
furnishing magnificent spectacle now
for the tourists that come here to see
the famed Volcano. Moreover, the re-
cent discoveries and experiments by
the experts who are living at the Vol.
cano and studying its "habits" are
arousing widespread interest, and
some theories are being evolved that
will be discussed all over the world. |
Kilauea, although the largest active |
volcano in the world, is a good volca. |
no. What II did In the dim past, far |
back Of any historical record, Is not
known. But If II did get on ram.
rage" as did Vesuvius, Etna and Mont
Pelee IL may again become quite act,
i've and nearly everybody who visits
Kilauea for the first time and sees the
everlasting marks of great commissions
of the past is minded to tread easy
lest he call to life the powers that are
beneath .him and he be forced to be-
come an unwilling witness to natures
most terrible phenomena. This feel.
ing Of respective and reverence for
Madame Pele's retort Is enhanced
many-fold by the steam-racks through
which scaiding steam issues, showing
that the cause Is not far below ones
feet, and ut the same time these steam
%. cracks are In some cases miles from
the boiling pit whose waves of molten
lava, when not broken by founts. many
feet high, wash from shore to shore of
the pit; at times seeming to reach up
and null down to It's embrace large
portions OF the restraining wall.
No Calamities from kilauea.
While II Is true that the volcanoes
( Hawaii have at different times with.
in the memory of men living today
overfiowed their pits and caused a GER
tain amount of destruction, and in one
instance threatening the principal city
of that island, there have been no
frightful calamities such az have &C.
COmpanied the eruptions Of Vesuvius
and that within our own recollection
Of Mont Pelee, which completed its
work of destruction in about the same
number of minutes that It took Vesu.
vius days to destroy the Roman city.
While the fires of Kilauea rise and
fall continually, never at any length
of time holding at a certain tide-mark,
there is but one record of the fires dis.
appearing completely. That was in
the month of March. 1866, according
to Mr.. Thrum, the historian. While
the fires we're sunk out OF sight, great
,umblings and a series Of earthquakes
kept one reminded that Kilauea was
still doing business even II II was IN
the basement.
According to Hawaiians, the amount
OF deposits of "Pele's hair" has been
steadily increasing of late, which
forotells increased activity In the era
ter Pele's hair Is a threadlike fila
ment-a glasslike composition which
is product of the fires In the pit and
resembles n mass of matted hair, be
ing brought up with the heat currents
and deposited on the lava rocks OF the
crater.
Scientific research has demonstTat
ed the fact that in the formation of Z
new volcano there is no great anC
sudden upheaval of rocks. as was a
one uime supposed to occur The
world carries no record of any ey,
that has watched the birth of vol
Cano. Still II Is very clearly and con
cisely shown that the first act In tn,
advent of volcano Is the earthquake,
which Is responsible for an openini
in the earth's crust. The admission
Of water at once creates gases of dif
ferent density which form vapors ant
gently but firmly force the crust, a
IN slow.cOoking mush. After ven
has once been formed, explosions sue
coed each other rapidly. volcano
that has, to use slang phrase, go
its stride, and is Of the spouting va
riety, has great force within its depths
This in larger part Is due to gases tina
escape perfect combustion. The fore
behind solid bodies that are throw
from volcanoes is enormous. The vo
cano of 'Cotopaxi, in the Andes, has
record OF throwing a block weighin
200 tons a distance of nine miles.
Lava Last Composition.
ava Is the last composition to com
from n volcano Everything Of wha
might be considered a foreign sui
stance. such as stones, dust, salse
and rubble, Is exhausted before Law
Is brought to the surface or throw
out. The movement of lava, who
once II OverilOws the rim of the crate
all depends on the incline 1t finds
Records of flows on Hawaii sho
the fact that visitors walked leisurel
ahead of the lava wave with no da'
ger threatening, and this has give
rise Ia the idea that lava moves slO,
ly. Vesuyius Las record OF spilliI