The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1912-08-16
HALEMAUMAU IS
STILL BUBBLING
Lava in Pit Falling Fast From
High Level-TWo Islands
Form.

weekly report, the observers have had
much difficulty in noting the various
changes in the lake owing to the
density of the vapor fumes rising from
the surface of the boiling lava. The
report follows:
Technology Station, Kilauea. The
week of August ] to August has
shown continued falling of the level
Of Halemaumau, and caving walls. The
record of subsistence of the past month
from the high level of 1872 feet below
the station July IL to the low level
today, 407 feet below, has proceeded
as follows:
'July l9 to II, falling, average 1877
feet per day; July Is to 20, rising,
average l.S feet per day; July 81 to-
%, falling, average Ia feet per day;
July "a to 26, rising, average l.6 feet
per day; July 81 to August /, falling,
ll.6 feet per day; August to August
s, falling, S.s feet per day.
''The following were the levels of
the past week below the East station:
August /, 5 p. M, $50 feet; August 2,
1880 p. M, $50 feet; August 3, noon,
SS7 feet; August 4, p. m, 1893 feet;
August 5, p. M, 1914 feet; August 6,
II a. m, 400 feet; August Z, obscured
by fumes; August 8, 1880 a. M, 407
feet.
Fumes From Pit Dense.
''The fumes during the day time
have been so dense that generally the
lava pool has been visible only from
the east station and there only for
short glimpses. Commonly the evening
hours have given better opportunity
for observation because of a change in
the wind bring favorable eddies which
cleared away the fumes, and because
of illumination from below. The
changes in outline of pool and in
streaming of surface currents have
been numerous, and islands have
formed apparently as result directly
of the falling in of large fragments
of the bench or of the revealing of
submerged fragments by subsistence of
the liquid.
Islands Disappear.
''The lava had sunk twenty-one feet
August ! from since the previous day,
and where peninsula had been on the
southwest wall there appeared an an
gular bay. The lava streams were
pouring radially from the middle of
the pool, where the cooler blankets
made nothing of the surface and
many fountains boiled along the
shores. There were no islands. There
was no measured change of level of
the pool at O'Clock, August g but a
nearly circular islet had appeared in
the west central part of the lake.
There were cavernous places along the
shore west, southwest and south, with
heavy lava stalactites; the radial sur
face streaming was from the middle
part of the pool east of the island,
the 'Old Faithful fountain was identi-
fable, playing occasionally on the
northeast, bank, and second angular
bay along the west by southwest bank
suggested n possible source for the
broken out block which probably pro-
duced the island. The activity, as
ever during the past month, was in.
tense but the number of fountains has
been decreasing on the whole and their
yellow color giving place to red, in
dicating lower surface temperature.
Second Island Forms.
August was peculiar at Kilauea in
that the day opened with rain and thun.
der. This rainy spell was accompanied
with south wind, an unusual wind at
this season, as generally the northeast
trade prevails. AT noon a glimpse of
the lava pool revealed a second smaller
islet east of the first one, and strong
eastward streaming of the lava past the
islands. At two thirty o'clock in the
afternoon the two islands were joined
70 each other and to the eastern shore
by strips of crust. There was glowing
lava in crevices at several places or
the high slopes of the southern bench
above the pool; this bench and the
eastern one are much broken and tum,
bled.
August showed light winds, the vanC
at the observatory near the Volcano
House recording Il. and E.S.E. wind
but the fumes from Halemaumau wcr,
Blowing at times northward directly
towards the Volcano House, making
surtain over the Kilauea floor. A
seven O'Clock the activity was stron,
with many fountains, the two middl,
Islcts were connected into one, and
new islet had appeared to the northeast
Just above the south cove in the banl
a cauldron appeared with glowing Law;
splashing within.
"Various Spectacle"
The evening of August Halemau
mau presented remarkably variou
spectacle. The n. Z. island had becom
a peninsula, probably by subsistence o
the lava around it, swift current flow
ed around the eastern end into a vic
lently boiling whirlpool in a small V
shaped cove N,E. of it, and OCCASIONAL
fountain burst through this whirlpool
possibly "Old Faithful Three is
lands were now to be seen in the lake
Two of them new. Streaming was cas-
and west from n middle area of mottlc
pattern. On August 6 there was n
great change but the many fountain
were active and noisy with the sam
type of general activity as has been q
ing on since July 10. August 7 an
August s produced no importar
changes.
"The crusting increased around III
islands connecting them with the shore
Doth northeast and southwest and q
times dividing the pool in two. tn