Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1920-02-20

fore il. With speed varying from
one to twenty miles an hour, according
10 the country IL was passing over, II
broadened out until 1t was nearly a
mile in width. After wiping out the
government belt road, razing telephone
poles and destroying vast amount OF
property, the red-hot lava tumbled over
a high precipice and plunged kissing
into the sea.
"rhis outbreak was on the western
slope of Mauna Loa, occurring at the
6.5OO-foot level. less than half way to
the top of the mountain, whose round
ed summit rises majestically 1855 feet
above the sea. This flow reached the
ocean on the Kona coast OF Hawaii,
near Alika, the small village for which
II has been named. In its downward
course il followed the general direction
of the 1915 flow, but was much more
rapld In Its progress, as II was only
some twenty-six hdhrs from the time
of the outbreak until the first lava
poured into the ocean. In the case or
the earlier flow a period of more than
n day of apparent Inactivity INTERVIEWED
between 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 APP
proaching the flow from the sea in
the early. evening the glow from the
lava was visible for many miles be-
fore Alika was reached. Drifting
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
source, 20 miles away, lifted and
the river of fire stood out in its full
glory. holding one speechless and
spellbound. Leaping from pail TO
valley, rushing uphill and roaring
down. the fiery food Numbered down
the mountain slope, carrying on its
bosom rocks as big as houses that
were tossed about as II they were
mere pebbles.
"As the stream of blazing lava
neared the coast line 1t appeared to
gather greater speed, taking the final
plunge over 100-foOt cliff at ter
rife rate, and looking for all the
world like fiery Niagara. AS the
red-h0t lava came in contact with
the water great columns of steam and
gas. like huge waterspouts, were
forced hundreds Of feet into the air.
Huge powders hurled into space,
exploded with thunderous reports
into auras Of red and green lights,
while flashes of what looked like
lightning added to the chaos.
Miles up the mountain the lava
stream became blocked, forming a
great lake, which spread out on each
side. seeking new point Of egress.
Suddenly, as IL a giant hand had
tipped the bowl, the lake overlooked.
The whole heavens were lit up as
the lava, like great cataract,
plunged and boiled over the cliff.
Fires Died Suddenly.
CAS- days passed by, the aspect OF
the flow gradually changed. Great
banks of cooled and blackened lava
were piled up on either side and the
stream of pahoehOe (smooth Laval
shrunk to width OF about 40 feet
Thus confined In a deep gorge, rlv-
er of swiftly moving molten stone sped
silently for ten consecutive days to-
ward The sea, building up the floor of
the ocean into new land--and then II
stunpcd. The volcanic fires died as
su'ld, NJ, ~ mysteriously, as they had
appeared, and standing on the still
warm lava, gazing at the, great black
river bed, one can but marvel.
'This outbreak was followed by sew
eral others at slightly higher eleva.
lions. The source Of the second
showed great activity, it was reported,
fountains 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 reaching the gov