578 W. T. BRIGHAM ON THE RECENT 



house, after darkness had set in, and then he hardly had time to save himself and family, 

 the lava rushing down the last gulch ten minutes after he and his family had crossed it. 

 From Mr. Whitney, who approached the stream from the Kona side, I learn that a goatherd 

 assured him that he had been prevented from returning to Waiohinu as early as the morn- 

 ing of April 7th, by the lava flow. 



'■' As the principal interest was the discovery of the main source of the stream, we at 

 once went to that part of it, where, according to common report, the lava had issued. A very 

 light, dark-brown, glistening pumice-stone lay scattered about long before the lava was seen. 

 Near the flow it increased so much that the animals' feet sank deep into it at every step. 

 We soon reached the ridge of a hill from which we surveyed the place where, according to 

 our guide's account, the fountains of lava had been seen. This upper portion of the lava 

 stream fills a broad valley or depression, between two parallel low hills of not more than three 

 hundred feet high, both running almost due north and south. From the western one of these 

 hills Mr. Whitney had witnessed the eruption. From the eastern hill we in vain looked for 

 a crater or cone. We did not make out any indication of an eruption until we had crossed 

 nearly three fourths of the stream, which here is not far from a mile wide. Then our atten- 

 tion was attracted by an accumulation of scorise. Nearing this we were struck by a current 

 of hot air, and, a little further on, found ourselves on the brink of a deep gap in the lava 

 about twenty feet wide, but narrowing and continuing itself northward. We walked round 

 the southern end of the gap, and followed it up on the western or lee side. Before long we 

 came to another enlargement of the fissure like the former, emitting hot air charged with 

 acid gases which drove us back. Still continuing our march on the west side of the fissure 

 as close as the hot gases would allow, we came in sight of a pretty miniature cone, built up 

 most regularly of loose scoria to the height of twelve feet, and located right over the fis- 

 sure. It incloses a chimney crater of about twelve feet diameter, with perpendicular sides, 

 the depth of which could not be ascertained. Hot gases issued in abundance. On account 

 of the exhalation of the latter we were obliged to cross the chasm, on the bridge formed 

 by the side of the cone, to the windward side, along which we followed up steadily. 



" This crack or fissure tends south six degrees west to north six degrees east, and is in the 

 slope of the hill that forms the west boundary of the lava stream. Its lava cover therefore 

 is quite thin in many places, so that you can see how it sinks in the original rock of the 

 hill. Its depth cannot be ascertained anywhere. More than four fifths of the lava is on its 

 eastern side, as it followed the declivity of the hill-slope to fill the trough of the valley 

 where it assumed a general downward course. It is from the entire length of this fissure 

 that the lava has welled up simultaneously. The waves of lava for some distance from it 

 are all parallel to its course, while in the middle of the stream they stand at a right angle 

 to it. The edges are somewhat raised above the remainder of the stream, and scoria covers 

 it in most parts, forming quite heavy layers where the stream has blow-holes. Isolated 

 flakes of brittle lava, resembling cow-dung, probably blown out at the end of the eruption, 

 with fitful spouting of steam and gas, are seen all along its course. Nearing the upper end 

 of the valley, where I expected to find the end of the fissure, I was surprised at the sudden 

 appearance of a veritable cataract of lava coming down the precipitous side of the eastern 

 hill, a height of at least three hundred feet. Havina; ascended it with considerable toil, I found 

 myself again alongside the big crevasse, which in passing across the valley had deflected from 

 its former course to a nearly N. E. direction, heading direct for the summit of Maun a Loa. 



