780 TjiAXSACTIOyS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



there M'as notliiiig left of Piiiialun. Every house, the T)ig stone 

 church, even tliecocoanut trees, all but two, were washed away. The 

 number of lives lost is not yet ascertained. All who were out fishing 

 at the time perislied, and many of those ashore. A big chasm opened, 

 running from the sea up into the mountain, down which, it is said, 

 lava, mud, trees, ferns and rocks were rushing out into the sea. 



The same Avave tliat swept away Punaluu also destroyed the vil- 

 lages of IS^inole, Kawaa and Ilonuapo. Not a house remains to mark 

 the site of these places, except at Honuapo, where a small " hale 

 halawai," on the brow of the hill, above the village, stood on Friday 

 last. The large cocoanut grove at Ilonuapo was washed away, as 

 well as tliat at Punaluu. A part of the big pali at Honuapo, on the 

 road to Waiohinu, had tumbled into the sea, and people coming from 

 thence are now obliged to take the mountain road through Hilea-uka. 



" The sea swept Kaalualu on Thursday last, as it had swept Honu- 

 apo and the other places along the coast, washed away several houses 

 and killed a number of people, how many is not yet known. The 

 earth has been shaking almost constantly and severely every day and 

 night, A large land slide had occurred on the west side of Waiohinu 

 valley, near where Swain's tannery was formerly situated. Fire had 

 been seen in the mountains above, but none had come down on the 

 low lands between Kahnku and Waiohinu when they left on Monday 

 morning. A large hole, sixty feet in diameter, had opened on the 

 flat below Kahuku, with no bottom visible from the brink of it, and 

 emitting quantities of sulphuric vapor. 



I have just been told an incident that occurred at Ninole during 

 the inundation of that place. At the time of the shock, on Tliurs- 

 da}', a man named Iloloua and his wife ran out of the house and 

 started for the hills above ; but remembering the money he had in 

 the house the man left his wife and returned to bring it away. Just 

 as he had entered the house the sea broke on the shore, and, envelop- 

 ing the building, first washed it several yards inland and then, as the 

 wave receded, swept it oif to sea with him in it. Being a powerful 

 man, and one of the most expert swimmers in that region, he suc- 

 ceeded in wrenching off a board or a rafter, and with this as a j9a^<a5 

 heenulu (surf board) he boldly struck out for the shore and landed 

 safely with the return wave. When we consider the prodigious 

 height of the brealcer on which he rode to the shore (fifty, perhaps sixty 

 feet), the teat seems almost incredible, were it not that he is now 

 alive to attest it, as well as the people on the hill side who saw him. 



