576 W. T. BRIGHAM ON THE RECENT 



ing behind us we saw that the rock we were resting on was separated from the mountain 

 by a deep crevasse, parallel to the wall, and only partly visible, as it extended under the 

 dense trees. To our left, a clear, sparkling mountain stream leaped in a bounding cascade 

 over the crag, and after losing its course amid the maze of rocks, gathered itself again, 

 flowing over the solid bed-rock in a deep gorge cut in the mud. This stream had existed 

 here before, but ere it reached half down the pali, became lost in the soil. It can easily be 

 imagined what an amount of subsoil water must have been deposited here. Bearing this 

 in mind, and the great depth of soil and conglomerate on this slope, as indicated by the cuts 

 in the hill-sides, there seems to be no great difficulty in explaining how such enormous masses 

 of earth, at first propelled horizontally through the air, hurled down the valley by the tre- 

 mendous force which tore off the side of the mountain, should then have been seized by 

 the propelling force of the now liberated subsoil water, and carried in a mighty stream far 

 beyond the place where at first they were deposited. 



" On returning, we concluded to reach and follow the ridge of the hill flanking the stream 

 on our left. Having arrived there, we could survey the extent of the land-slides on the 

 opposite side of the hill, which were considerable. From this place, our guide pointed out 

 to us a human figure in the distance, moving slowly over the dreary field. It was a hus- 

 band searching for the body of his wife. Our guide, himself, poor fellow, mourned the loss 

 of a wife, two little boys, and both parents. All slept their long sleep under that field 

 of desolation. Following the crest of the hill still covered with grass and wood, we were 

 startled by the number of fissures and crevices intersecting it in every direction. In some 

 places, one was tempted to say that more space was occupied by them than by the solid 

 crust. 



" The direction of the solid rock wall and the crevasse in the forest, is northeast by north 

 to southwest by south, nearly parallel to a line connecting Kilauea with the lava outbreak 

 in Kahuku. The stream running from the mud-flow is likely to remain permanent, as it is 

 a continuance of the mountain stream above, and now runs upon exposed solid bed-rock. 



" All this destruction was the work of the great earthquake of April 2d. During the five 

 days preceding it, over one thousand shocks had been counted. On that afternoon Mr. Har- 

 bottle, at Reed's, with his men, was driving cattle across the hill towards Hilo, when suddenly 

 the earth shook violently and a great detonation was heard behind them. Horses and 

 cattle turned round involuntarily. The whole atmosphere before them was red and black. 

 In a very short time this subsided — some say in one minute, others in five minutes ; but a 

 black cloud continued to hover over the scene for some time. A native who resided less 

 than half a mfle from the scene, and who had friends living on the hill, found courage 

 enough to run to it half an hour after the occurrence. He thrust his hand in the mud, and 

 found it cold. 



" From that Thursday to Sunday the earth constantly rocked and swayed ; the hills seemed 

 to alternately approach and recede. Most people became seasick. Strange roaring and 

 surging noises were heard under the ground. When the ear was applied to the earth it 

 would often receive a distinct impression as if a subterranean wave struck against the 

 earth's crust. The prevailing direction of the earthquake waves was said to have been 

 from northeast to southwest. 



" During the twenty-four hours of April 21st, we experienced twenty shocks at Kapapala. 

 From the upper road from Kapapala to Waiohinu (the lower road has been rendered impas- 



