39 



that on the 25th (the latest date from Hilo) nothing was known 

 about the eruption except that it was the most brilliant and ex- 

 tensive on record. 



A letter from Waimea of Feb. 3, states that on Monday, Jan. 

 24, two fiery sources were visible, — one appeared to be very 

 near the top of the mountain, but its stream and smoke soon after 

 disappeared ; this was undoubtedly the eruj)tion visible at Hilo 

 on Sunday evening — the other was on the north side, further 

 from the top, and sent out its fires in a northwesterly direction ; 

 after the third night the smoke cleared away, and showed the 

 burning crater constantly enlarging and throwing up its volumes 

 of liquid fire. The lava poured on in a torrent between Mauna 

 Kea and Mauna Hualalai, until it reached the sea at a little vil- 

 lage named Wainanalii, near the boundary between Kohala and 

 Kona, about thirteen miles south of Kawaihae. It reached the 

 sea during the night of January 31, and was still flowing when 

 last heard from, about Feb. 10. The width of the stream was 

 said to be about a mile, and the distance passed over nearly forty 

 miles. 



This is acknowledged to be the greatest eruption within the 

 memory of any one now living at the Islands ; even as far distant 

 as Oahu the sky was obscured by the dense smoke, and at Lahaina 

 the " reflection on the water was at times like that of the full 

 moon." 



It is said that ships sailing along the windward shores of Ha- 

 waii, Maui, and Molokai, during the week in which the eruption 

 commenced, and before the lava reached the ocean, encountered 

 immense shoals of dead fish ; leading to the supposition that there 

 might have been a suboceanic eruption before the outpouring 

 from the mountain, and that possibly the whole island might have 

 been overwhelmed, had not this side passage given issue to a 

 portion of the lava. 



Dr. C. T. Jackson remarked that instances of fish being killed 

 by volcanic eruptions were not uncommon, and he attributed this 

 fact not to the heat communicated to the water, but to the action 

 of gases, especially the sulphurous, sulphuretted hydrogen, and 

 chlorohydric acid. 



Dr. Winslow was of opinion that the lava accumulates in large 

 cavities before it is cast up, and is thrown up by a geyser process. 



