Judge Hitclicocks's Account. 



149 



that of mere transient visitors seeing such wonders for the first time. The first is from 



my friend of long time, the late Judge David H. Hitchcock. It is dated from Hilo, 



Thursday, June 30, iSSi : 



About Wednesday of last week, the old mountain was observed to be more than usually active, 

 the whole summit crevasse pouring forth immense volumes of smoke. By Friday noon the three 

 southern arms had all joined into one, and rushing into a deep but narrow gulch forced its way down 

 the gulch in a rapid flow. By Saturday noon it had run a mile and was just above John Hall's house 

 on the south side. On Monday morning it was reported to have reached the flats back of Halai 



Fig. 8S. view of thk seat of the eruption of 1880. Furneaux. 



Hills. My wife and self started that afternoon with the intention of spending the night alongside the 

 flow. We met crowds of people returning from the flow, and all reported it active and coming rapidly 

 down the gulch. We rode up to it before dark and found that the stream was entirely confined to 

 the gulch and intensely active. It was then about half a mile from the flats spoken of. 



The flow was on an average about seventy-five feet wide and from ten to thirty feet in depth 

 as it filled the gulch up level with its banks. The sight was grand. The whole frontage was one 

 mass of liquid lava carrying on its surface huge cakes of partially cooled lava. Soon after we arrived 

 the flow reached a deep hole, some ten or fifteen feet in depth, with perpendicular sides. The sight 

 as it poured over that fall in two cascades was magnificent. The flow was then moving at the rate 

 of about seventy-five feet an hour. About midnight we noticed a diminution in the activity of the 

 gulch flow and soon saw a bright red glare above the tree tops mauka [inland] of us, and were 

 presently startled by the burning ^'aj~ bursts, and the crackling and falling of the trees somewhere 



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