Hawaii — page 42: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

: CLIMATE AND NATURAL FEATURES. 33 Extinct and partially active volcanoes exist in most of the islands. Two of the largest volcanoes are Kilauea, which is usually visited by strangers, and Mauna Loa. Kilauea is not a separate mountain, but is a crater which seems to be at the base of the mountain Mauna Loa, and the idea has been, and is now commonly, entertained, that they are the same mountain with one vent, but in reality are twenty miles apart. The movement of a volcano is always from the side to the centre, like the rush of a whirlpool, accompanied by hissings and roarings. Frequently one may see a dozen fountains of fire playing near the edge, but they are soon swallowed up in one fierce vortex. At times the whole lake appears to have the form of huge waves, and dashes against the sides with large clots of fire, thrown up nearly to the top of the crater. All is confusion, terror and majesty, and the sight cannot fail to inspire one with great awe. The color is not the crimson of blood, nor the whiteness of light, but an indescribable something be- _ tween the two. Kilauea was in a constant staté of erup- tion from 1856 to 1859, and at night it formed a most ex- quisite spectacle. One of the burning streams which it *cast off totally destroyed a small fishing village, filled up -a bay on the shore, and a promontory formed in its place. In 1887 there were continued earthquake shocks. This was a grand display of nature’s forces. Out ofa streak of forked lightning arose what appeared to be a waterspout of immense size and height. Then would shoot up a huge pillar of smoke, which was lighted to a lurid red _ by the fiery mass below, accompanied by constant trem- i 3 . | Gomicbooks:- co