The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-02-09
HALEMAUMAU LAKE.
SLOWLY RISING IN
CRATER OF VOLCANO
Level At Last Report Less Than
aForty-fiysL Feet Below
Brim
FOUNTAINS SPRAY FLAME
=. FIFTY FEET INTO AIR
--- .H-..
Pulse Of Pit let's Spears Of
Blue Fire From Lava
Cones

The lava lake in Halemaumau is still
rising, though there has been slight
temporary subsistence of no moment.
TIE level of the lake below the rim
Of the pit is now less than forty-fve
Ive., s..au FRESH lava has been piled
up from the west pond to fully ten
feet above that level.
The week has been chiefly character.
lied by heavy Overlooking onto the
surrounding benches, and this has pro
vided spectacle of terrific grandeur
for visitors. On January q the south.
east rampant was heavily flooded, two
powerful springs jetted lava in the
northwest pond locality, and there
were also flows from the north
west arm and the south bench.
On this day a high rampant was built
in front of the southwest crag, and
there were falls of spatter from the
borders Of the southwest peninsula dur
ing the afternoon.
On the following day cone develop
ed at the west end of the southwest
peninsula exhibiting standing foun.
tain similar to the Mokuhweoweo foun.
tains, spraying forty TO fifty feet into
the air and making large quantities
of Pele's hair. The lake was very
quiet on the following day and almost
level with its banks w.i.
The northeast rampant broke down
Mt one-thirty O'Clock, and there was
a very heavy overflow from the lake
at this point. On the last day of the
month the lake was ten feet down and
there were ten fountains in fairly con.
slant action. - '@E 49,. ST.
" On February ut quarter to eleven
o'clock, there was heavy Overlooking
along the northeast bench; the north.
west cone was putting vigorously and
great Accommodations of lava on the
northwest and western area of the pit
had built up rolling surface which
was within three feet of the floor of
the large northwest wall cavern. 81.
The three greater crag masses had
risen so much on this day that they
were all clearly visible from the auto.
mobile terminus, The main crag mass
was fitting steadily TO the westward
and at the west end of the southwest
peninsula a fiat, ring shaped cone and
crater had formed. Immense glowing
grotto domes were visible in the north
east and southeast ramparts, and there
was a brilliantly glowing cavern under
the isthmus near the south island.
There was striking change in the
streaming during the afternoon of this
day, the surface currents pouring south
ward for the first time in many weeks.
There were about eight very large
fountains in action, some of these be-
ing almost 100 feet in length, spraying
TO great heights and emitting yellow
brown fume which changed to blue
above. There was apparently an open.
ing under the southwest cone and into
this there was slow and majestic in.
flow of the molten surface of the lake.
The lake subsidized several feet during
the afternoon. ".'.., .t,., ..~. ..
On Friday February the lake was
ten feet below its rim. The lava on
the northwest floor heaped up until 1t
was level with the northwest cavern
floor and flows were trickling in that
region.-At nine o clock that night there
were four great flaming grottoes and
spears Of blue fame also rose from the
southwest ring cone and the northwest
cone. There were ten fountains in &C,
tiOn, an exceptionally heavy one oc-
easionaily migrating around the south
island and expanding itself in the south
ern dome grotto. At this point as we'll
as grotto southwest, the rush of gas
threw out jets of lava horizontally
from sixty to 100 feet making a wonder
full display as viewed from the rim
of the pit. Glowing and flaming orr.
fees had appeared on this day at the
back of the northeast and southeast
ramparts. .-A.r,. -. 3D., u.
. During the week there were two
earthquakes. one of which was of small
amplitude but the other, which orr.
ginated at distance of a little over
5000 miles away from the observatory,
was great, world shaking telesism oc
curing in the late afternoon of Jan
uary 20. In the absence of any news Of
this, II can only be inferred that the
origin was submarine, for on land it
would have produced certain disaster
unless located in the midst of great
wilderness. 30.
y Fitting to the north and east is still
decreasing, with a corresponding In,
crease to the south and west.