The Hawaiian gazette., 1912-07-23
VOLCANO FIRES
o o o o O o
HALEMAUMAU
Report From Station
Tells Story Of
Activity
Gives Vivid Picture
OF Boiling Lava
Furnace

The last report from the Technology
Station on the slopes of the volcano
shows that the lava in the great Pit
of Halemaumau is falling rapidly, and
the recent ebulitionS of the earth fires
is dying down. The full report fol
lows:
July - the lava of Halemaumau
reached its high level for the recent pc.
Rod of extraordinarily intense activi-
ty, remaining at nearly the same height
until Sunday, July IA, when at the
time of new moon it began to subside
rapidly, falling on three successive
days 81, 2s and 20 feet each day. The
lake July 10 measured $50 by S25 feet,
caving during subsistence heightened it
to 575 feet during the week, the width
remaining the same July is.
The following were the levels of the
week below the rim:
July -, p. M, 1872 feet below north
station.
July 10, 1880 a. m, 1877 feet below
y north station.
July IA, 1890 a. M, 2l9 feet below
north station.
July Is, Has a. m, 247 feet below
north station.
July 16, / p. M, 267 feet below north
station.
July II, $50 p. M, 277 feet below
east station.
July IS. 1890 a. m, ESQ feet below
east station.
Lava Stationary.
At the present time the lava is near
ly stationary and has been so for forty
eight hours.
The afternoon of July IL the fluid
was boiling over its entire surface with
tremendous fountains and wholly with
out blankets. 1t was estimated that
about 400 fountains dotted the surface
at the same instant. The process was
continuous and has been so for the last
ten days. The noise is an incessant
rumble. Al p M, July IL, the sur
face flow was from south to north, but
the streaming frequently changed di-
rection during succeeding, hours. Over;
flow on the 2O0-foot bench was taking
place south, east and west. Spatter
ramparts were built on the sides of the
pool towards which major flows surged,
namely north, east and in an angular
corner south. 'Old Faithful could
with difficulty be distinguished in its
usual position as the largest fountain
with an average interval of about As
seconds, and an occasional secondary
short interval of Is seconds. The foun-
tain of "Old Faithful was very large
and sometimes was broken up into
three OF four domes AT times the re-
pion of StOld Faithful in the north
east part of the pool seemed in the in
tervals between the dOming to be a
quiet spot of up-welling lava with cur
rents diverging radia1ly north, east and
west Any southerly flow there was
combated by a strong northward flow
from the southwest
Rivers OF Lava
The overflows showed rivers of lava
with festoons draped across their mid
die streams. At cove in the south
west bank the outfowing stream and
the inflowing surface current both de-
parted from a stationary zigzag edge
of slightly cooled crust or scum, The
myriad fountains themselves exhibited
a tendency to migrate like floating
bodies across the pool with the cur
rents When the overflows spread out
upon the bench they crusted over
gulckly' only thelr outlines sno"i. "
IKE network Oh glowing traeNs, m ,n
mere ana lhere Ieu-not Voe " :" e
pushing OUT from lhe iioh' VI sue u
such now, Ito, ,,.;.p
ureat volumes OF vIsip .I 4 ene. va
por were el,lpteu iio l ny i 'n,%nr5
especlS,y a 1 . tne neaS 'n aI,,,o .
ca walls ms lnei e"seu N IN
during Juiy ~ anu ana 10. Duin - W.
TINS pellou oi $500 ti", sn{oi 80,
talns OF ili'es % ~ - ou ahsar,,ns
across lhe pooi, Haae USon or,.ro NJ.
MheIeNIi tne ~. sul "'.,aota No.
meet, the iihpae' % a wv $3.50 go; ana
teIhihin ny iine VI INV - Inness on.
e eheos h tela rIa.a tSe rusb of The