Year: 1877

A correspondent writing from Homo
lulu to the San Francisco Chronicle
says:


The steamer Australia arrived from
Sydney at 1920 ldsi night, and imme-
diately the whole business portion OF
the community were abroad looking to
the delivery of their South Pacific mail
and the preparation of their San Fran
cisco letters. For the remainder OF the
night the wharf and streets leading to
postofice were as lively as at any peri
cd of daylight. But as correspondent
of the Chronicle, / may say that the
prime news of the hour. and as wei as
the freshest, is the intelligence OF the
grand eruption ON Mauna Loa and sub
marine outbresk in Kealakeakua Bay.
As yet the d. tails received here are
meagre, but the general accounts agree
In pr0nOuncing the recent outbreak OF
the old safety-vslve of this hernis-
phere the grandest on record. The
eruption commenced between 8 and 10
O'Clock on the evening of Wednesday,
the 14lh of February, with great yio-
lenee and withcut moments warn
ing.


THE POINT OF ACTIVITY


was the old crater on top of the moun-
tain. When the eruption commenced
the flames suddenly burst from the
mountain and formed magnificent
column of fire to the height of sixteen
thousand feet above the summit. From
the deck of the steamer Kilanea, lying
at anchor at Kawaihae, five distinct
columns of fire could be seen belehfng
forth from the mountain, apparently
not from the great summit crater OF
MokuaweoweO, but from smaller
crater situated some miles distant from
from it, called Pohakuhanaiei. The
sigh was a grand one, as the columns
of Illuminated smoke shot up almost
simultaneously to an immense height
10 the air. The velocity with which
they ascended was such that the first
five thousand feet were passed inside of
a minute. A few days after intelli-
gence reached here that the fire had
disappeared, to the great diSappoint-
ment of thousands who were prepa-
ring to start for the scene. But soon
after the news came that the


GREAT PYRoTECHNIC EXHIBITION
of nature was still on the boards, or
otherwise the water, and that the ami.
nation of the spectacle was enhanced
by frequent earthquake shocks. 1t Is
the general opinion that the stream of
lava is flowing rapidly down the
mountain side toward Kahuhu in kau.
When last seen it had progressed q
number of miles from the place Of its
first outbreak, but did not seem to
have reached the woods. The illumi-
nation was so brilliant that all parts Of
the island were lighted up, and even
ON Maui the reflected glare was so
great that i'm Waikapu it was supposed
that the cane fields and mill buildings
OF Makee's plantation we're ON hre.
One spectator who has witnessed
number of erIptions states that he
never saw q more magnificent illumin-
ed smoke-cloud from any previous one.
By some ardent American patriots the
theory was started that Madame Pele
had instituted this festival in honor OF
the newly-elected President; but the
Kanakas entertain quite q diffs rent
view. On the 24th the steamer kilsu-
ca arrived with a arty Of excursion
lists at Kealakeakua Bay-the place
where Captain Cook met his death.
There they found that


A SUBMARINE VOLCANO


had broken out near the entrance TO
the harbor the preceding night. About
q mile from the shore jets OF red,
green and yellow fire leaped from the
waters, inierspersed with columns oil
steam and spray that glowed with IN
Vulnerable rainbows, the spectacle be
ing one of the grandest sights conceiv-
able. In this locality the water Is boil
ing and whirling like an immense cal
dron, or one might better say kettle oil


fish. Thousands are seen floating on
the surface, ready cooked for the re-
past of swarms of Kapskas engaged In
Gathering the dainty abundance In
their canoes. Large quantities of lava
are also thrown up and float for some
time on the surface. The matter IL
either buoyed by the intensely boiling
water or sustained by gases that gradu'
ally ooze from its pores.