Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-10-20
CREST LAKE IS
SHALLOW NOT
BOTTOMLESS

Especial star Bulletin Correspondence
HIL0, Oct. II "The lake on the
summit of Mauna Kea has no bottom, "
is statement that has often been
made to visiting tourists and mali.
hinis. Often the kamaaina has beer
told the same thing. To make belief
doubly sure, the narrator usually adds
in repetition: "The lake Is bottom.
less
True, the lake has appeared to
sightseers to be without bottom or OF
great depth. The water within the
lake is clear as a mirror and most OF
those who have seen it thought that
on this account they ought to be able
to see the bottom If it had one. Some
may have even carried their expert
ments so far as to plump missiles into
the lake to judge its depth.
Anyway, so far as known, no one
has gone to the simple expedient Of
sounding it's depths, until recently,
when TAO explorers assembled the
mountain for this very purpose. Their
report makes the 'bottomless lake"
story sound very ridiculous. for the
grestest depth they found was eight
feet and two inches.
S. w. Lycan, health inspector locat-
ed at Ookala, and George tombstone,
head carpenter of the OookaIa plan
cation. were the two who made the
measurements. They we're aecompan-l
led on the trip to the summit OF
Mauna Kea by Ikua Purdy, manager
Of KeanakoIe, and a Hawaiian and a.
Japanese boy. They made the ascent
OF the mountain prepared to remain
two weeks hunting and exploring.
To show that they, like others, had
credited the story of the lakes great
depth, they went supplied with 1000
feet of fishing line to use In making
the soundings.
Lycan in telling Of the ascension of
the mountain and the two weeks
spent on its peak and the measure
ment of the lake, says:
Early in the morning Of Septeni-
Der % we started for the MaHna Kea
summit. We reached the summit
about 1870 a. m, After taking a.
good view of all the surrounding
country we went over to Waiau, the
lake, and had our lunch We then
to measure the lake. TAX
ing enc end of line around the lake,
and after winding it around a pile of
stones which is about five and half
fest high, one man held that end, an
other got on a saddle horse and
it tight, holding it there
with the horse about four or five feet
above the water.
"On this line. was a loose ring
through which we passed another line
and fastened piece of iron weighing
about four pounds TO the end. Hold |
ing this line tight so as not to touch |
the water one man walked around the
lake paying out his line and pulling
the weight and ring out on the first
line held by the horse
when he got his weight out toi
what looked like half way he began
letting it down until the line began
to slacken, then he knew he had
struck bottom. He pufled his weight |
back to shore and we measured the
length of the string that went down.
into the water This was repeated |
several times, shifting the, hoIsei
around the lake and plum, Bing in-dif.I
ferent places. Tie deepest spot, we
could find was near the center, which |
was eight feet and, two inches, but to
look at it, a person would think it
much deeper The widest measured
222 feet end the naTrowest go feet. .
I'VE could tell by the looks of the I
shore that at times it Is much higher
Ian now, possibly. four or five feet
deeper at high water mark. Purdy,l
who las seen it a great many times,
said 1T. was as low now as he had |
ever seen It. = -
Hunting On the mountain was very I
coed, and we feasted on wild pig and
Wild turkey all the time we were
away. and brought back FIVE Wild tur.
keys.' ts.-
=