NOTES ON THE 19 16 ERUPTION OF MAUN A LOA 



HARRY O. WOOD 



Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 



III 



The writer spent the two days and night of May 30 and.31, 19 16, 

 in making a hurried reconnaissance of the Kahuku branches of the 

 recent flow, and of the region near its source, where action was still 

 going on, though the eruption already had greatly diminished. 

 There had been no forward movement of the flows at their fronts 

 later than May 27 or May 28. A preliminary account of this 

 work was published at once in the Weekly Bulletin of the Hawaiian 

 Volcano Observatory. 1 However, difficult foot traveling was 

 encountered, and somewhat adverse weather conditions, which 

 prevented thorough and accurate work; and the presence of fog 

 and fumes led to erroneous estimates of distances and heights; 

 also, our guide applied place-names incorrectly and his errors 

 naturally found place in the early report. Further, observations of 

 much interest, but not pertinent to the present subject, were 

 included in that account. Hence an abridged and corrected state- 

 ment relating to the 19 16 action finds appropriate place here. 

 Much that was only glimpsed on this hurried trip was fully con- 

 firmed by the later study. Whence certain observations thus 

 confirmed it is convenient to mention here. 



ITINERARY 



The writer and one companion left the observatory in the early 

 evening of May 29 and motored to the village of Waiohinu, where 

 the night was spent. Early the next morning we motored to a 

 gate of the Kahuku ranch about a mile west of the ranch buildings. 

 Here we were joined by the guide, and the party set out on horse- 

 back at 8 : 00 a.m., going up the south slope of the mountain between 



1 Vol. IV, 6, pp. 51-57. 



467 



