The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-09-25
EXHIBITS
MUCH ACTIVITY
Heavy Fountaining Takes Place
and Many New Lava Cones
Are Formed

The Volcano lake remained practic.
ally stationary Throughout the week
ending September II, but during the
latter part Of the rising set In
with slight overflow Of the east bench.
AT times through the rather dense
cloud of fumes on Saturday, September
8, the lake could be seen, and appeared
to be rising rapidly and with much &c.
tivity, The level Of the summit Of the
inner bench above the lake was appar.
emily only about six feet, and there was
heavy fountaining in progress in many
| placea more particularly in the south
and southwestern portions, and under
the roof of a new dome built of spatter
at one entrance to the central chasm.
The broad shelf which overhangs the
lake in the southeastern sector was un.
dergoing bombardment, and sheets Of
lava spray were being hurled from un.
der the shelf, far out across the lake
surface. This is always a spectacular
occurrence, but on this day Il could
only be seen in occasional glimpses as
the fumes permitted. s,s..
The north arm of the lava lake was
the scene of action next morning, and,
as the fumes we're much thinner, clear
seeing could be had by all the visitors.
The lake was observed to be about five
feet below the inner bench and receded
still further during the afternoon and
| evening. There was q splendid display
of grotto fountaining during this day,
and the chimneys, which now form a
very conspicuous feature of the lake
masses, were observed to be glowing
from within. The lake was streaming
slowly, with occasional laundering and
breaking up of the surface crusts, each
such occurrence being accompanied by
a striking increase in fountaining. New
glowing, spatter grottoes were seen on
this date at the end of the southeast
arm and also at the east cove.
Fountains Active
A large crack developed from the
south side Of the east island mass
across the floor of the east cove on
Monday afternoon. The fountains in
the lake were very active at this time
and six or seven were in constant ac-
tion, with the lake streaming steadily
towards the north, as well as to the
southeast and southwest. There was
marked rise of the central erag upon
this day, its summit becoming elevated
bench of May last, and il was equally
apparent that the central masses in
general were still rising. The wall at
the side of the southwest cove had
broken in and a large yellow sulphur
patch appeared on the floor above. The
main spectacle for visitors on this day
was found in the presence of many act
i've grottoes under the inner benches in
=. Al -
A quiet day on the eleventh gave
very clear views Of the old northwest
crag mass which had been invisible for
| several days previous. IT. wR found, to
| have developed two benches on its east
side with a new spatter bench between
them. Four grottOes were in action
| during the afternoon, but on the next
morning the lake had subsidized and
some ten fountains were providing
truly magnificent display of power.
Two heavy avalanches of rock from the
east island crags during the afternoon
and another from the south bench at
a later hour bore out the indications of
continued subsistence. During the af-
ternoon of the following day the lake
was ten feet down from the rim of the
inner bench and there were several
fountains in action. At about nine p.
| m. the crusts in the southeast arm
broke up, and many fountains resulted
from the cracking and laundering Of
| these skins,
Reaches High Level
On Friday, September II, the lake
rose strongly and reached a very high
level. 1t was trimming level with the
| bank at the southeast cove and over
flow took place at the east cove during
the afternoon. A new, tall cone was
built at the west shore of the old crag
mass, having fine glowing chimney at
| its summit. The chasm extending from
| the east cove TO the north arm had
greatly widened and the rise of the
| lake now made visible the north cove
| as seen from the southeast station.
| Very heavy bomba rdment set in at the
eastern end of the lake about four.
thirty p. M, and grottOes in many sec
tons were splashing and putting ahd
violent fountaining was in progress in
the southwest arm, A new shore point
| had been formed by the fall of masses
of rock under the middle part of the
| central crag mass, and the bank Of the
northwest cove had apparently built
out, changing its shape from that of
| deep inlet to a shallow cove. Over the
south grotto a hot chimney was in ac-
ton, emitting violent puffs of flaming
gases and spurts of molten magma.
! There was only one slight earthquake
during the week, and volcanic vibra
ton and microseismic motion has been
exceedingly slight. fitting has been in
ereasingly strong to the west and mod
erately so TO the north until September
| 10, when this northward tilt decreased
| during the course of day with aston
ishing rapidity. simultaneously there
was a sudden change of weather with
shift of the wind from fresh north
east trades to Gains and very light
sOutheasterly breeZes.
.