The Hawaiian gazette., 1912-09-03
FUMES CLOUDING
VOLCANO CRATER
Two Great Pools of Lava Form,
Boiling and Hissing-Mr.
Dodge Quits.

Professor Jaggar, who has returned
from his scientific trip around the Big
Island, says that Halemaumau's pit is
still obseured by masses of white
fumes, strongly tinged with sulphur.
His weekly report follows:
Report of Volcano Station.
Technology Station, August 20, 1919.
1.-The condition of Halemaumau has
not changed significantly during the
past week and in general the condition
of the crater has been similar to that
recorded in Mr.. Wood 8 report of
August %. Dense white fumes rise
from the talus about the inner walls,
generally obscuring completely the
lava pools, which have been seen daily
from time to time, especially at night,
at depths between 400 and 500 feet
below the rim.
The only opportunity for a rouch
measure of depth secured during the
week was at 3 clock, August &c, when
the wind was from the east and from
the old rest-house and west station, for
the first time in several weeks, view
of the interior was obtained. Two
pools of lava were seen, one on the
northwest side of the bottom area, aud
the other southeast. The southeast
pool was only seen for short glimpses,
and appeared the larger of the two,
somewhat oval in shape, aud was boil
ing with great activity to judge by the
sound of fountains and an occasional
| exceptional hiss The northwest pool
was clearly seen and rapid compass
survey indicated depth below the west
station to lava surface as 1876 feet. The
pool was l. shaped, small, and exhibit
ed stalactites ON the walls and a few
fountains.
"The north and west slopes leading
down to this pool had assumed funnel
I shape, the former two hundred-foot
bench being almost completely de-
stroyed, its remnants showing fiat
strips here and there with tuning and
sulphur stained cracks. A rugged
promontory iutted out into the floor
area south of the northwest pool. The
lsthmus between the two pools APP
! peared to be a high mass of tumbled
debris. High on the southwest inner
slope of Halemaumau, about $50 feet
below the rim, there is still crater
like depression yielding excessive vol
umes of fumes and strongly coated
with sulphur.
Gin the course of seventy minutes
! JnTee ldliS OI ueDIlS were uetIuy InOSIly
from the south and southwest. About
as frequently falls were heard about
noon, August 81, and the plash of the
fountains was similar to that of the
previous day, but nothing could be seen
through the wall of vapor. Between
two ard three o'clock, August %, with
strong northeast wind, conditions
were the same but the rock falls were
| less frequent; only one slight tumble
was heard Nothing could be seen of
the bottom area.
accompanied by Mr.. Dodge l left
August Ia for trip around the Island
of Hawaii. We reached Kealakekua
that evening by S. S. Kilauea from
Honuapo, made the ascent of Hualalai
TO the summit, August 10 and l6, ex-
amined the Napoopoo flows, August IT,
climbed Mauna Loa to the summit era
/ ter Mokuaweoweo August 10, 20 and
i2l; proceeded northward by motor to
: Waimea and Honokaa August %, pho
tographing the Huehue and 1859 flows
and Keamuku Gulch on the way, and
August % we returned to Hilo and to
Kilauea by the HamalIua slope. The
crater Mokuaweoweo is inactive.
.'MI. Dodge withdraws from the
staff of the Observatory September l
in order to take up engineering studies
at the Massachusetts Institute of Tech
nology.
Mr.. Wood reports the occurrence of
an earthquake of nearby origin, strong
lily registered by the highly-magnifying
tromometer designed for measuring
distant or feeble earth movement and
registered plainly by the ordinary seis-
mograph' designed for shocks of this
character. 1t occurred in the evening
of August "a at about 6 hours 165 min
utes p. M, II. S. T. fundamentally it
was a marked shock but no person
about the Volcano House has reported
feeling it. Consequently it must be
considered as ranking III to III of the
Rossi- Forel intensity scale. Very re-
specially,