﻿206 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  194 
  3 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  cone 
  chain 
  there 
  issued 
  a 
  lava 
  river 
  50 
  feet 
  

   wide 
  which 
  flowed 
  seaward 
  through 
  an 
  open 
  channel 
  along 
  the 
  course 
  

   of 
  the 
  eruption 
  fissure. 
  The 
  speed 
  of 
  the 
  fastest-moving 
  central 
  part 
  

   was 
  estimated 
  to 
  be 
  15 
  to 
  20 
  miles 
  an 
  hour. 
  This 
  speed 
  is 
  comparable 
  

   to 
  that 
  of 
  25 
  miles 
  per 
  hour 
  determined 
  by 
  stop-watch 
  observations 
  

   by 
  M. 
  H. 
  Carson 
  during 
  the 
  1926 
  eruption, 
  8 
  and 
  7 
  to 
  19 
  miles 
  per 
  hour 
  

   by 
  C. 
  K. 
  Wentworth 
  during 
  the 
  1935 
  eruption. 
  9 
  Near 
  the 
  cones 
  small 
  

   fountains 
  occasionally 
  erupted 
  through 
  the 
  lava 
  river. 
  It 
  was 
  impos- 
  

   sible 
  to 
  approach 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  river 
  on 
  May 
  2, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  4th 
  the 
  writer 
  

   crossed 
  the 
  eruption 
  fissure 
  and 
  obtained 
  an 
  excellent 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  

   from 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  near 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  cone 
  chain. 
  Its 
  surface 
  

   undulated 
  and 
  bounded 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  river 
  of 
  water 
  in 
  flood. 
  

   Broad 
  standing 
  waves, 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  extended 
  entirely 
  across 
  

   the 
  river. 
  Where 
  it 
  left 
  the 
  cone, 
  its 
  entire 
  surface 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  orange- 
  

   red 
  molten 
  lava, 
  but 
  crusts 
  of 
  gray, 
  ropy 
  pahoehoe 
  started 
  to 
  form 
  

   within 
  100 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  cone, 
  and 
  200 
  yards 
  downstream 
  the 
  river 
  

   was 
  completely 
  crusted 
  over. 
  The 
  crusts 
  were 
  repeatedly 
  broken 
  up 
  

   and 
  swept 
  away, 
  many 
  fragments 
  slowly 
  tilting, 
  elevating 
  one 
  edge 
  

   above 
  the 
  river 
  before 
  sinking 
  out 
  of 
  sight. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  May 
  4 
  the 
  fountain 
  activity 
  had 
  become 
  largely 
  

   restricted 
  to 
  a 
  single 
  central 
  fountain, 
  which 
  played 
  to 
  an 
  average 
  

   height 
  of 
  150 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  cone, 
  with 
  occasional 
  bursts 
  going 
  as 
  high 
  

   as 
  500 
  feet. 
  The 
  cone 
  had 
  increased 
  in 
  height 
  to 
  about 
  100 
  feet. 
  

   The 
  vent 
  at 
  the 
  western 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  cone 
  chain, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  in 
  

   strombolian 
  activity 
  on 
  May 
  2, 
  had 
  become 
  a 
  roaring 
  gas 
  vent 
  with 
  

   occasional 
  violent 
  explosions 
  hurling 
  ejecta 
  500 
  feet 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  with 
  a 
  

   noise 
  like 
  artillery 
  fire. 
  The 
  fume 
  at 
  the 
  fountains 
  had 
  greatly 
  in- 
  

   creased 
  in 
  volume, 
  and 
  smelled 
  strongly 
  of 
  sulfur 
  dioxide. 
  

  

  An 
  epoch 
  of 
  frequent 
  small 
  lava 
  flows 
  which 
  broke 
  laterally 
  from 
  

   the 
  cones 
  probably 
  commenced 
  on 
  May 
  2. 
  Two 
  such 
  small 
  flows 
  of 
  

   pahoehoe 
  had 
  already 
  occurred, 
  one 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  cone 
  chain, 
  

   previous 
  to 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  May 
  2. 
  Both 
  spilled 
  over 
  low 
  places 
  in 
  

   the 
  cone 
  rim, 
  and 
  flowed 
  only 
  100 
  feet 
  or 
  so 
  beyond 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  

   cone. 
  The 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  was 
  probably 
  erupted 
  early 
  on 
  May 
  

   2, 
  for 
  it 
  still 
  showed 
  many 
  glowing 
  apertures 
  on 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  that 
  

   day. 
  In 
  the 
  early 
  morning 
  of 
  May 
  4, 
  E. 
  G. 
  Wingate 
  saw 
  the 
  southern 
  

   wall 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  cone 
  partly 
  collapse, 
  liberating 
  a 
  short 
  flow 
  of 
  

   viscous, 
  slow-moving 
  pahoehoe. 
  At 
  about 
  8 
  : 
  45 
  p. 
  m. 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   day 
  F. 
  B. 
  Herman 
  witnessed 
  the 
  break-down 
  of 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  cone, 
  

   which 
  liberated 
  very 
  hot 
  fluid 
  flows 
  that 
  carried 
  away 
  a 
  small 
  sec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  cone 
  wall. 
  These 
  lava 
  streams 
  broke 
  out 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  

   the 
  cone 
  chain. 
  That 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  side 
  soon 
  rejoined 
  the 
  main 
  

  

  8 
  Carson, 
  M. 
  H., 
  personal 
  communication. 
  

  

  • 
  Wentworth, 
  C. 
  K., 
  unpublished 
  memorandum, 
  1935. 
  

  

  