The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-04-16
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
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a volcano and earthquake observatory
there, and it will preserve the scienu-
Gc aspects Of these wonderful natural
features from vanda's and business
intrusion.
The crater of Kilauea is eight miles
in circumference and the pit OF baz-
ing fire is 2OOO feet in diamenter and
it lies perhaps a thousand feet below
the mouth of the crater 1t is usually
safe but il has had some mighty erup-
lions, when stones and volcanic ashes
have been spread over the country for
miles around. In recent times the lava
IS supposed to have gone out under
the earth to the sea, the floor of the
crater rising and sinking with its dis
charge.
The crater in the other reservation
on the top Of Mauna Loa measures
about nine and one-half miles in cir
conference 1t is a pit crater, with
walls almost vertical and about 500
feet deep. When the mountain goes
into eruption it spouts forth columns
of flames and clouds of vapor and the
lava runs in streams down the noun
tains The last great eruption was
in 1907, and was attended by an earth
quake. The one in 1868 raised huge
sea waves forty feet high, which broke
on the shore and destroyed many vii
lagos.
Bird Reservation In Md-Pacfic.
Uncle Sans bird reservation, which
has been set aside by the Government
and placed under the biological sur
vey of the Department of Agriculture,
is another natural wonder. 1t is a
great ocean park covering hundreds of
miles, in which are many small is
lands, rocks and reefs. They belong
to the Hawaiian group, but they
stretch far off to the westward in the
direction of Japan.
These islands have no human life
upon them, but they contain a popu-
lation of sea birds which in variety
and extent is unequaled in any other
part of the earth. There are tens of
millions of birds which make their
homes on those lonely lands. They
come there to breed, and at times the
island are covered with nests The
ground is one mass of eggs, and in
the past these have been gathered in
wheelbarrows and carts and carried
away by the boat load.
The birds feed on the fish which
swarm about the islands and upon
other kinds of sea life which live Oh
/ the reefs and along the shores. There
are some plants, and just now the res
ervation is suffering from an investor
or rabbits, which feed on the plant
and which, if not death with, may de
stroy the bird life
Moreover, the Japanese have beel
raiding the islands in order to kill tn
albatrosses and cure their skins 70
millinery purposes.
Uncle Sam is doing much to pre-
pare the islands for the increased
traffic which will come with tn
Palama canal. The ports have beel
cleaned and the chief harbors hav
Iall modern facilities for the handling
of freight. A very important work i
that which is going on at Pearl han
Dor
The general board of the army am
navy has declared that this plac,
should be made a naval base, an,
plans have been prepared which vii
involve the spending of $1O,OOO,OO
more, and altogether we shall cree
q little Gibraltar away out there il
the middle of the Pacific. The island
have already been made a separat
military district, and a general Office
has been assigned to the troops stf
toned there. We are putting in a hug
dry dock at Pearl Harbor, and COZ
nected with it will be repair shop
lor gunboats and other vessels {
war,
, The opening of the canal wi
greatly increase the Importance {
these islands as the metropolis {
the middle Pacific. They lie at I'll
crossway of the main travelled route
of that ocean. They are 21OO miles fro
San Francisco and about 5000 mil,
from the east coast of Asia. The
are 1900 miles from the western Ell
: of the Panama canal, $500 miles fro
New Zealand, 34OO miles from Japs
and about 24OO miles from Seattle