﻿208 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  river 
  flowed 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  a 
  long 
  embankment 
  30 
  feet 
  high, 
  enclosed 
  

   between 
  levees 
  built 
  by 
  its 
  overflow. 
  The 
  lava 
  repeatedly 
  broke 
  

   through 
  the 
  levees 
  and 
  sent 
  short 
  streams 
  down 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   embankment. 
  

  

  Several 
  times 
  fragments 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  bank 
  crumbled 
  away, 
  tumbling 
  

   large 
  blocks 
  of 
  lava, 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  10 
  feet 
  across, 
  into 
  the 
  river. 
  These 
  

   were 
  rolled 
  along, 
  and 
  wrapped 
  up 
  into 
  ball-shaped 
  masses 
  by 
  the 
  

   moving 
  lava. 
  

  

  About 
  200 
  yards 
  below 
  the 
  vent 
  the 
  lava 
  was 
  mostly 
  aa. 
  The 
  

   walls 
  of 
  the 
  aa 
  channel 
  were 
  10 
  to 
  15 
  feet 
  high, 
  and 
  composed 
  of 
  

   loose 
  blocks 
  of 
  clinker. 
  Between 
  them 
  the 
  aa 
  stream 
  was 
  moving 
  

   very 
  slowly, 
  blocks 
  occasionally 
  tumbling 
  down 
  and 
  revealing 
  the 
  

   glowing, 
  pasty 
  interior. 
  Along 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  the 
  aa 
  stream 
  flowed 
  a 
  

   river 
  of 
  pahoehoe, 
  and 
  across 
  the 
  jagged 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  aa 
  blocks 
  borne 
  

   on 
  the 
  lava 
  river 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  moving 
  slowly 
  by. 
  Small 
  flows 
  of 
  

   pahoehoe 
  occasionally 
  broke 
  from 
  the 
  lower 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  aa. 
  In 
  

   one 
  of 
  these, 
  when 
  stirred 
  with 
  a 
  stick, 
  the 
  molten 
  lava 
  had 
  the 
  

   consistency 
  of 
  very 
  viscous 
  taffy. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  May 
  10, 
  activity 
  at 
  the 
  fountains 
  was 
  nearly 
  at 
  

   an 
  end. 
  The 
  western 
  vent 
  showed 
  moderate 
  fuming 
  and 
  weak 
  lava- 
  

   ejection 
  activity, 
  throwing 
  scattered 
  shreds 
  of 
  red-hot 
  lava 
  10 
  to 
  25 
  

   feet 
  above 
  the 
  rim 
  of 
  the 
  cone. 
  The 
  other 
  fountain 
  and 
  the 
  lava 
  

   river 
  no 
  longer 
  existed. 
  The 
  channel 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  river 
  was 
  

   empty, 
  and 
  about 
  12 
  feet 
  deep. 
  In 
  places 
  its 
  walls 
  had 
  collapsed. 
  

   The 
  cones 
  were 
  still 
  very 
  hot. 
  It 
  was 
  impossible 
  to 
  stand 
  still 
  on 
  them 
  

   for 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  few 
  moments, 
  and 
  sticks 
  thrust 
  into 
  glowing 
  cracks 
  

   were 
  quickly 
  ignited. 
  On 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  May 
  11 
  the 
  cone 
  area 
  was 
  

   completely 
  dead, 
  except 
  for 
  minor 
  amounts 
  of 
  fume. 
  On 
  May 
  31, 
  

   small 
  amounts 
  of 
  white 
  fume, 
  probably 
  largely 
  steam, 
  were 
  still 
  rising 
  

   along 
  the 
  fissure. 
  

  

  LOWER 
  PORTION 
  OF 
  THE 
  LAVA 
  FLOW 
  

  

  The 
  lava 
  river 
  that 
  escaped 
  from 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  cone 
  chain 
  

   flowed 
  seaward, 
  dividing 
  and 
  reuniting 
  like 
  a 
  braided 
  stream, 
  and 
  

   finally 
  being 
  joined 
  by 
  that 
  from 
  the 
  lower 
  source 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  single 
  

   flow. 
  The 
  earlier 
  lateral 
  outpourings 
  formed 
  broad 
  fields 
  of 
  aa 
  

   along 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  flow, 
  but 
  the 
  actively 
  moving 
  central 
  portion 
  

   remained 
  pahoehoe 
  for 
  about 
  6 
  miles, 
  finally 
  changing 
  to 
  aa 
  at 
  an 
  

   altitude 
  of 
  about 
  6,500 
  feet. 
  During 
  the 
  first 
  few 
  days 
  the 
  advance 
  

   of 
  the 
  flow 
  front 
  was 
  rapid. 
  At 
  noon 
  on 
  May 
  1 
  it 
  was 
  reported 
  to 
  

   have 
  reached 
  a 
  point 
  15 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  9,200-foot 
  source, 
  and 
  only 
  

   11 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Hilo. 
  If 
  the 
  advance 
  continued 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  

   rate, 
  it 
  appeared 
  likely 
  that 
  there 
  might 
  result 
  serious 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  

   Waiakea 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  and 
  possibly 
  to 
  Hilo 
  harbor. 
  

  

  