The daily Alaskan., 1915-06-19
A VOLCANO
Looking Down Into Kilauea's
 Lake of Boiling Lava.
LIKE A PIT OF LIQUID FIRE.

In the Darkness of the Vast Crater
 That It Terrifies the spectator-A
 Verltabls Fountain of Fire.
 According to all the rules of school geographies, volcano ought to be situated on top of a mountain; 1t ought to throw out stones and ashes and molten lava; Its crater should be in the shape of an inverted cone, and should emit terrifying noises; periodically it should overwhelm Q village or two. Kilauea, On the island O. Hawaii, con forms to none of these specifications. It has thrown out neither stones nor ashes since 1t annihilated the army that was marching against KamehNmeha, almost a hundred and fifty years ago. It retains Its lava within Its own era ter, which Is not shaped like an in- verted conA The sides are from 100 to TOO feet high and 7S5 miles In cir conference, and the floor covers 2G50 acres. The volcano seldom makes ter rifying nolses-at leust of the kind heard In imagination by schoOlboy. Thousands Of people descend into the crater annually, and not one has ever been injured
 The walk across the floor of the era ter, about two and one-half miles, Is over a hard lava bed, more or less up and down, since lava hardens quickly and remains as It flowed, in great ropes and nipples. A few yards from shore one comes naturally 10 call the bank ''shore"-a ragged crack k crossed by wooden bridge. At the time this crack opened. large party was in the crater They stayed long because they were delighted with the unusual &C., tiYity of the lake and had no Idea that thIs activity extended beyond the pit of lire until at last they started to go back to the hotel.
 Il was night, and as they approached the northern bank of the crater their lanterns suddenly revealed huge tiS- sure directly across their path. Al ready molten lava was hubbling up at the bottom They followed the edge of che crack. kecnly conscious, un- doubtedly, as they turned to keep parallel with the crater wall, that they were on the inner edge. At last they found a spot where the lava had split unevenly, leaving q projecting ledge on which It was possible to stand, and so to lump to the other side. The whole experience. with the thought of sink Ing % the fires beneath or of being overwhelmed by the lava slowly rising In the Assure and the utter helpless ness of their situation, was enough to test the most fearless.
 Kilauea Is really an enormous Qul- escent crater with an active inner pit This cavity Is, perhaps, 1000 feet across, and Its preCipitous sides lead down to a lake of molten lava several acres la- extent, sometimes higher, sometimes lower in the pit This is Halemaumau, which is commonly translated (although incorrectly, "the house of everlasting fire" It Is cer- tainly the house of the goddess Pele.
 By daylight the lake of fire is a greenish yellow, cut with ragged cracks of red that look like pale streaks of stationary lightning across Its sur face. It Is restless, breathing rapidly, bubbling up at one point and sinking down at another; throwing up sudden fountains of scarlet molten lava that play 6 few minutes and subside, lGav- Ing shlmmering mounds that gradually settle to the level surface of the lake, turning brown and yellow as they sink. As darkness comes, the colOrs on the lake grow so intense that they almost hurt the eyes. The fire Is not only red; It Is blue and purple and orange and green Blue flames simmer and dart about the edges of the pit back and forth across the surface of the restless mass Sudden fountains paint blood red the great plume of sulphur smoke that rises constantly.
 Sometimes the spurts of lava are so violent, so exaggerated by the night ALlll NIC NlsAN R'ANh AtA ls4t.N ltAN cblllt atom of their molten substance should spatter over the edge of the precipice Sometimes the whole lake is in motion. Waves of fire toss and battle with each other and dash in clouds of bright yer million spray against the black sides of the pit Sometimes one of these sides falls in with q roar that echoes back and forth, and mighty rocks are swal- lowed ip the liquid mass of fire that closes over them In whirlpool. like water over a sinking ship.
 Again everything Is quiet; q thick scum forms over the surface of the lake. dead. like the scum on the surface of a lonely forest pool. Then It shiv- CTS. Flashes of fire dart from side to side. The center bursts open, and huge fountain of lava twenty feet thick and fifty feet high streams into ihe air and plays for several minutes, waves of binding fire flowing out from 1t flashing against the sides until the black rocks are starred all over with bits of scarlet All sensations are submerged fin a sense of awe. This vision of the earth building forces at work Is q picture so overpOwerlng that It is burned into the memory for nU