﻿204 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  194 
  3 
  

  

  After 
  attaining 
  its 
  maximum 
  length 
  and 
  strength 
  on 
  the 
  evening 
  

   of 
  April 
  28, 
  the 
  fountain 
  activity 
  at 
  the 
  vent 
  at 
  9,200 
  feet 
  gradually 
  

   became 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  fissure, 
  building 
  up 
  a 
  chain 
  

   of 
  cinder 
  and 
  spatter 
  cones 
  1,000 
  feet 
  long. 
  The 
  restriction 
  of 
  the 
  

   fountains 
  marked 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  opening 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  flank 
  eruption. 
  

   This 
  opening 
  phase 
  was 
  characterized 
  by 
  the 
  "curtain 
  of 
  fire" 
  extend- 
  

   ing 
  nearly 
  uninterrupted 
  along 
  a 
  fissure 
  over 
  a 
  mil© 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  

   by 
  the 
  copious 
  outwelling 
  of 
  lava 
  along 
  the 
  fissure 
  with 
  the 
  building 
  

   of 
  low 
  ramparts 
  of 
  spatter 
  but 
  no 
  true 
  cones. 
  

  

  Middle 
  phase. 
  — 
  The 
  middle 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  flank 
  eruption 
  was 
  char- 
  

   acterized 
  by 
  lava 
  fountains 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  fissure. 
  

   It 
  was 
  a 
  phase 
  of 
  cone 
  building. 
  

  

  H. 
  T. 
  Stearns 
  and 
  the 
  writer 
  reached 
  the 
  lava 
  fountains 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  

   afternoon 
  of 
  May 
  2. 
  For 
  1,500 
  feet 
  at 
  its 
  western 
  end 
  activity 
  along 
  

   the 
  fissure 
  was 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  liberation 
  of 
  fume, 
  although 
  the 
  walls 
  

   in 
  places 
  were 
  still 
  red 
  hot. 
  At 
  night 
  pale 
  blue 
  flames, 
  having 
  the 
  

   color 
  of 
  hydrogen 
  flames, 
  were 
  seen 
  at 
  two 
  places 
  rising 
  6 
  or 
  8 
  feet 
  

   above 
  the 
  ground. 
  The 
  lava 
  fountains 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  

   eruption 
  had 
  built 
  a 
  rampart 
  of 
  spatter 
  cones 
  10 
  to 
  20 
  feet 
  high. 
  

   In 
  many 
  places 
  the 
  spatter 
  cones 
  had 
  bridged 
  the 
  fissure, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  

   possible 
  to 
  cross 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  side. 
  Several 
  of 
  the 
  cones 
  were 
  partly 
  

   coated 
  with 
  thin 
  deposits 
  of 
  sulfur. 
  The 
  fume 
  along 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  fissure 
  was 
  largely 
  steam, 
  but 
  the 
  odor 
  of 
  boric 
  acid 
  was 
  de- 
  

   tected 
  in 
  several 
  places. 
  

  

  Lava 
  fountains 
  were 
  still 
  vigorously 
  active 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  1,000 
  

   feet 
  along 
  the 
  fissure, 
  and 
  had 
  built 
  up 
  a 
  chain 
  of 
  spatter 
  and 
  cinder 
  

   cones 
  to 
  an 
  average 
  height 
  of 
  75 
  feet 
  (fig. 
  2). 
  The 
  westernmost 
  of 
  

   these 
  cones 
  had 
  exceptionally 
  steep 
  sides, 
  and 
  enclosed 
  a 
  vent 
  from 
  

   which 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  true 
  fountaining, 
  but 
  which 
  liberated 
  great 
  rolling 
  

   clouds 
  of 
  fume 
  (pi. 
  1, 
  fig. 
  1). 
  Occasional 
  violent 
  gas 
  explosions 
  at 
  this 
  

   vent 
  hurled 
  blocks 
  of 
  pumice 
  high 
  in 
  the 
  air. 
  At 
  other 
  times 
  periods 
  

   of 
  strombolian 
  activity 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  duration 
  occurred, 
  during 
  

   which 
  there 
  were 
  ejected 
  ribbon- 
  and 
  spindle-shaped 
  bombs 
  which 
  

   cooled 
  during 
  flight 
  and 
  struck 
  the 
  cone 
  in 
  a 
  solid 
  condition, 
  to 
  roll 
  

   clattering 
  down 
  its 
  sides. 
  The 
  most 
  copious 
  ejections 
  of 
  pumice 
  were 
  

   of 
  several 
  minutes 
  duration, 
  and 
  were 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  roaring 
  sound 
  

   of 
  escaping 
  gas. 
  Blocks 
  of 
  pumice, 
  of 
  a 
  pale 
  tan 
  color, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  

   as 
  much 
  as 
  8 
  or 
  10 
  inches 
  across, 
  were 
  projected 
  to 
  heights 
  estimated 
  

   at 
  1,000 
  to 
  2,000 
  feet. 
  The 
  larger 
  blocks 
  shattered 
  on 
  striking 
  the 
  

   ground. 
  Smaller 
  pumice 
  fragments 
  pattered 
  down 
  like 
  rain 
  on 
  the 
  

   hat 
  brims 
  of 
  the 
  observers. 
  

  

  The 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  cone 
  chain 
  was 
  in 
  typical 
  Hawaiian 
  activity. 
  Lava 
  

   fountains 
  played 
  to 
  heights 
  of 
  100 
  to 
  400 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  cones. 
  At 
  

   night 
  the 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  molten 
  lava 
  in 
  the 
  fountains 
  varied 
  from 
  

  

  