The Elk Mountain pilot., 1920-02-26
NORA kELLoee DEsoRisEs
...-r ..t--. RaANneAH.8 lava PH0N

NORA kELL0ee DISORDERS
tiAtVAH.S LAVA Flott
From the Delta Tribupe.
The following lettsr from Miss
Eleanor Kellogg to her mother will
be of interest to her Delta friends:
Volcano House, Hawaii, T. H.,
December 20, 1919.
Dear Folks: It Is raining tonight
and we can't go over to the volcano
so I'll write to you.
We left Maui day before yester-
day, arrived in Hilo, Hawaii, about
9 o'clock yesterday morning We
hired car and went over the city
or town of Hilo, then out to the
Rainbow falls. They are beautiful
but the sun was not shining so we
couldn't see the rainbows. The
driver then brought us up here. We
had lunch then went to the new lava
flow The flow is about three miles
from the road so we had hard walk
over the old lava beds, the flow Of
1868 When we finally reached the
| flow, we were just awe struck. It is
beyond description. First we sa"
a big cloud of smoke with patch of
fire in the distance. We nearly fell
all over ourselves getting there We
crossed over one lava flow which was
still hot, but crusted over. We could
s:e the fire underneath. Afterwards
we heard it was dangerous but we had
no trouble. When we got a little clos
er we could see fountains of red hot
lava were squirting up into the air and
the whole side Of the hill seemed to
be on fire. As we came nearer We
could see the dark crusted lava with
the red hot lava flowing from beneath
it. The upper part of the lava hard
ems soon after it flows, then the red
hot lava flows out from beneath 1t. 1t
is wonderful sight to see whole
hillside like this. We took sticks and
pushed them into the lava, brought
some out and put pennies or anything
we happened to have in it. I'll send
you some, some day. At the top OF
TIE hill great sheets of red hot lava
would burst through the crusted lava
and rush down the hill like a river OF
fire. OF course it cools very quickly
so by the time 1t gets to the foot OF
the hill it is crusted on top and flows
very slowly. This flow broke out
from the volcano about . week ago.
This is the only one since 1858. 80 we
feel that we are very fortunate. They
predict that 1t will flow down to the
sea, like the flow from MAuna Loa .
short time ago. They say that the
craters of Mauna Loa and KilaueA in
fiuence this one. Since the flow =
week ago, the lava in the main pit has
fallen about ITO feet 1t has fallen
about Is feet since yesterday. They
say there is a possibility Of the flow
draining the Kilauea crater. If It
does, there will be no more active
volcano.
Last night we went over to the pit,
the real volcano. As we came near.
all we could see was steam and smoke
from the pit, steam from cracks all
around us and the sky all aglow with
saffron gold shade. My! 1t was
s.,ooky. We were almost afraid to
go up. 1t makes you feel rather
shaky to see huge cracks with steam
coming up all around you. The pit
was awful. 1t is a huge, oblong hole.
We looked in and down about ITO feet
we could see a great seething mass OF
almost white-l,ot lava boiling up like
huge pot of molasses, except Is WAS
boiling around the edges. In the CEN
tor the lava was not so active SO IL
had caked, forming sort OF an is
land in the center. Fountains OF fire
squirt through into the air at inter-
vas; cracks that look like lightning
keep forming in the cake or island.
These fountains and cracks change
consta tantly. Every once in while we
would hear loud explosion, caused
by gas. The whole thing roared like
the ocean. 1t must have been terrible
when the natives threw young girls
in there to appease Pele, the goddess.
There is sort Of yellowish vapor
coming out Of the pit all the time
and the hot lava squirting up into the
air formed a fine haAr-like substance
called Pele's hair. I'll send you some
of that We watched 1t for a couple
of hours, fascinated. It is ever-chang-
ing and you can watch for hours
without tiring.
I hope l have given you some idea
of it. 1t is very hard to describe
the only way is to SEQ for yourself