Year: 1860




A correspondent of the Alta California gives
the following incidents of visit to the volcano
Kiaue--not the celebrated Mauna Loa--n
the Sandwich Islands, thirty-six miles from
Hlo:


Those who have stereotyped ideas Of yolca-
noes, as obtained in childhood from picture
books and Biographies, will be sadly diSappoint-
ed when they come to stand upon the brink of
Kiauea. 1t is unlike any other crater--an
anomaly in nature. 1t is vast pit in the
midst of plain-one of natures great safety
valves. 1t is elevated 4,500 feet above the
level of the sea and in approaching it, the
ascent is so gradual as to be impercepitibe-
1t is very remarkable that, during the great
eruptions on Mauna Loa, (thrty miles distant
this crater remained almost quiescent and
now that the eruption has about ceased, its
action seems to increase every day.


So great was our anxiety to descend into
the crater. that the hours of darkness seemed
unusually long Frequently we would get up
from our bed of fern leaves, and peering through
the darkness from our dooreSS huts, watch the
red fountains of fire bursting mp from the chasm
below and breaking in chains of light A great
lurid mass of cloud hung perpetualy over the
fiery lake. The wind, blowing literally through
the crater, howled and Shrieked in an unearth-
ly manner Above the voice Of the midnight
blast could be heard occasional explosions, and
distant rumbling sounds like those We heard
on Mauna Loa, while, during intervals of ceSsa-
ton, the surgiug and splashing of the furious
waves in the ever troubled lake could, be dis
tinctly heard. Dayligh: came at last a cold
rainy, cherries day dawned upon us. But
this could not damp our ardor. After a good
breakfast, away we started-all hands-leav
ing our hut and contents to take care of them
selves. Descending the precipitous sides, on
the southern side of the crater, great caution
must be exercised Reaching the floor, we
found it composed of swelling masses of black,
brittle lava, of a comparatively recent forma
ton. We walked over this, taking the pre-
caution to carry good sized stick, with which
to test the thickness of the crust. Here and
there we met with huge masses of solid rock,
many of them weighing more than a hundred
tons, which had evidently been thrown from
the crater


Within a quarter of mile of the burning
lake is the entrance to great cave which my
guide says is probably mile long We enter
ed through very narrow aperture, around
which lay loose heaps of fre-scarred stones
Lighting our candles, we passed on, exploring
in this direction and that, until we had gone
perhaps half a mile, and yet we did not find
the end of this remarkable cave. In some
place it is narrow, and in others widenS out
into vast chambers. In some places we had
to crawl where the roof was only two or three
feet high, and in others the roof would be ten
or twenty feet above our heads. Hanging from
this roof, we found some choice specimens of
fine black metallic lava,in the shape of stalac-
tites while stalagmites of the same material
were found on the floor. After being in that
dreary chamber three hours, we emerged into
the daylight just as our candles were used up.
Earthquakes are frequent here, and a slight
shock might be sufficient to roll huge rock
against the apertue, and seal US up hermetical
ly in that dark cavern.


Suddenly we came to high bank, and look.
ing down we beheld the lake of fire beneath us
about seventy,fve feet This lake is something
more than a mile in circumference. There in
full view, were real waves of liquid fire, of a
bright red color, splntterirg and splashing like
ocean waves. A little island of hard lava
stands in the middle of the lake against the
black sides of which the waves of fire dashed
with tremendous fury, and breaking on its jag
ged cliffs they would cast their red spray high
in the air. The sides of this lake are solid
walls of red fire, glowing with fearful intensity
We were standing en- the windward bank with
a strong cold wind blowing down, yet the heat
was so intense that we could only look min
ute at time, and then turn away to catch the
influence of the cool breeze. In ad-
dition to the bdeous roaring and Kissing of the
lake, We heard, at short Intervals, sounds much
that of steamer blowing off steam
only infinitely louder-and ominouS grow
lings of pent up forces struggling in subterran-
can caVernS, at which the very earth seemed
to tremble Occasionally, large masses of the
cooled lava on the edge of the lake became de-
tached, and falling into the boiling cauldron
we're instantly reduced to liquid state


After few minutes silence, disturbed only
by an occasional kissing and murmuring, |
was soon startled by that awe-nspiring sound
of escaping steam. In an instant faint glim-
mering of red, like sheet of lightning shot
but from under the overhanging brink where
was standing, and ran across the lake. This
was the signal for change in the whole pro
gramme Immediately the whole lake became
of bright red color, and four fountains burst
up in different portions of the lake.


My eyes followed these with amazement, as
one after another they cast up great quantities
of pure vermillion-colored liquid. These were
followed by two Others in rapid succession, one
OF which burst up near where | was standing