Evening star., 1920-01-13
FIERY MAUNA L0A
ACTIVITY IS ENDED
Eruption Ahead of Schedule
on Hawaii, Largest of
Island Group.

on HAWAII, Largest VI
Island Group.
after more than a month of un-
precedented activity Mauna Loa ls
now 'make'-dead," writes Mrs. Shir-
ley Foster Allen, in a communication
to the National Geographic Society
ut seems that If Hawaii, though
small, must have just so mucn atten-
ton, and so every so often sne expo
sively projects herself into the arena
of the worlds happenings. Not content
with her share in the big snow IN
Europe she decided to stage a nrst-
class side show all her own--and the
two volcanoes, Mauna Loa ana Hil.
auea. have certainly done thelr pes, ,
to make it the biggest show on eartn.
Just a word about the geography OF
the place. In the first place. so many
people seem to think the word HON
olulu' embraces all there is TO the
islands; and in the second place tne
general conception seems to De tnat
the volcano is located in Honolulus
backward, as it were, and that we
Honolululans take our daily exercise
by running up to the crater every
morning before breakfast
Honolulu is located on. the Island
Of Oahu, third island in size in the
group while the volcano, or ratner
volcanoes, are located on Hawaii, the
largest and youngest island, with an
area of more than 1000 square miles,
which lies necrly 200 miles southeast
of Oahu. mi ut add that after making
the trip from Honolulu to Hilo ltne
largest town on Hawaii( in one OF
the small interisland steamers. one
would be ready to aver that the Dig
island was much farther removed
than this.
Scientists Surprised.
although scheduled for perform
ances every nine years, Mauna Loa
took the volcanologists by surprise
and gave her celebration seVeral
years too soon. Heralded by earn. r;as
quakes and accompanied by a series
of tidal waves and quakes. she mas
proceeded to give US the most spec
tacular exhibition within the mem
ory of the oldest kamaainas Gold resi-
dents). ,.,o
activity was the presence OF pc
culiar cauliflower-shaped cloud hang
ing over the mountain. Three days
later, on September 20, the whole
heavens were lit up with an aprlcoe
glow. when, from a huge vent IN the
lava was belched forth. Spreading
out into a great shallow stream, IT
came roaring down the mountain
slope, burning forests. carrying nuse
trees and immense boulders on Its
surface. sweeping everything before
to twenty miles an hour according
to the country it was passing over
it broadened out until it was nearly
a mile in width. After wiping out
the government belt road, razing tel.
ephone poles and destroying q vast
amount Of property, the red-hot lava
tumbled over a high precipice and
plunged kissing into the sea.
This outbreak was on the western
slope Of Mauna Loa, occurring at the
8,500-foot level, less than half way
to the top Of the mountain. whose
rounded summit rises ma3estically
1855 feet above the sea. This flow
reached the ocean on the Kona coast
of Hawaii, near Alika. the small VII
lage for which it has been named. In
its downward course it followed the
general direction of the 1915 flow.
but was much more rapid in it's
progress. as it was only some twenty
six hours from the time Of the out
break until the first lava poured into
the ocean. In the case of the earlier
flow a period of more than a day
of apparent inactivity intervened be-
tween the gas explosion which tore
the great hole in the mountain and
the actual appearance OF the lava.
Glow Visible Many Miles.
Several excursions were made in
October from Honolulu, and in ap-
preaching the flow from the sea in
the early evening the glow from the
lava was visible for many miles be-
within 200 yards of the point where
the liquid rock was rushing into the
sea, the scene stretching before one
was awe-inspiring.
Slowly the smoky haze from the
burning forests, which hung over the
a n
the river of fire stood out in it's full
glory. holding one speechless and
spelibound Leaping from pail to
valley, rushing uphill and roaring
down, the fiery flood thundered down
the mountain slope, carrying on It's
were tossed about as If they were
mere pebbles.
"As the stream of blazing lava
neared the coast line it appeared to
gather greater speed, taking the hnal
plunge over a 1o0-foot Gilt AZ Ter ao
world like a fiery Niagara. AS the
red-hot lava came in contact with
the water great columns of steam ana
gas, like huge waterspouts, were
forced hundreds of feet into the air.
Huge powders. hurled into space.
into auras of red and green lights.
while flashes Of what looked like
1irhtning added to the chaos.
"Miles up the mountain the lava
stream became blocked, forming q
great lake, which spread out on eacn
side. seeking a new point OF egress;
Suddenly, as II q giant hand had
tipped the bowl, the lake overnowed.
The whole heavens were lit up as
the lava, like great cataract
plunged and boiled over the CHI.
Fires Died Suddenly.
"As days passed by. the aspect OF
the flow gradually changed. Great
hanks of cooled and blackened lava were
niled up on either side and the stream
of pahoehoe (smooth lava) shrunk to
a width of about forty feet. Thus con-
fined in a deep gorge, river OF swift
ly moving molten stone sped silently
for ten consecutive days toward the sea,
building up the floor of the ocean into
new land-and then it stopped. The
volcanic fires died as suddenly, as mys-
toriously, as they had appeared. and
standing on the still warm lava, gaz-
ing at that great black river bed, one
can but marvel.
"This outbreak was followed by sev-
eral others at slightly higher eleva-
tions. The source of the second showed
great activity, it was reported, foun-
tains of lava 400 feet high being thrown
into the air, while the flow equaled
in magnitude that from the Alika crater.
This flow became damned up on the
mountains side and did not succeed in
rea aching the government road. Consid-
erable pasture land was destroyed. how
over. and q small herd OF cattle was
imprisoned on an island between the
fresh lava and the still hot Alika flow.