February 25, 1887.] 



SCIENCE. 



183 



is very irregular, some portions of it equalling the 

 New Lake terrace in altitude, while the deepest 

 part is in the centre. The walls of the depression 

 may now be called the ' black-ledge ; ' and their 

 limited dimensions, as compared with the greater 

 pit formed in 1840, will illustrate the littleness of 

 the late discharge. Like the last, the next erup- 

 tion may be expected after the new pit has been 

 refilled. 



The accompanying illustrations show the sunken 



from its lowest point. The greatest depth exhib- 

 ited is 570 feet. 



Besides the formation of this pit, there were 

 produced several large cracks in the neighborhood, 

 — one on the Poli-o-keawe, at the sulphur-banks 

 near the Volcano House ; and two on the way to 

 Keauhou, two miles distant. 



Quietness and darkness reigned in this pit till 

 the fourth day of June. Four days later we 

 visited it, and found upon the east side of the 



Fig. 2. — Halema'uma'u after the disappeakance of lava in April, 



region. The first (fig. 1) shows the space oc- 

 cupied by New Lake. The steep wall was the 

 edge of the molten lava, and the depth 165 feet. 

 In both views the precipitous walls constitute the 

 new black ledge. 



The second (fig. 2) shows the pit of Halema'u- 

 ma'u. The lava reached very nearly to the top 

 of the cliff before the eruption. The general 

 level of the depression is similar to that of the 

 bottom of New Lake, and the central pit is well 

 shown with the steam and sulphurous gases rising 



deepest pit a hole about forty feet across, descend- 

 ing at an angle of eighty or eighty-five degrees to 

 a lake of fire. Great volumes of steam and sul- 

 phur vapor poured out of this orifice, whose walls 

 ■ were lined with sublimed sulphur and Pele's hair. 

 As the opening lay in the midst of loose blocks of 

 lava and widened out downwards, it was danger- 

 ous to stand near the edge ; but the swashing of the 

 liquid was distinctly audible, and stones thrown 

 down were heard to splash into the liquid. 

 The depth to the lava was probably about two 



