﻿624 DK. TEMPEST ANDEESON ON THE [Nov. I9IO, 



Saturday September 2nd to September 4th molten lava was poured 

 out, which advanced 2 miles. 



On October 28th the lava was at Saleaula, and on November 3rd 

 the lava-stream at Saleaula was a quarter of a mile across, the side 

 of the crater fell out, and a flood of lava issued therefrom. 



On December 7th the lava reached the sea at Toapaipai. It 

 filled up the lagoon between the shore and the reef, a space perhaps 

 a quarter of a mile wide and of depth varying from 20 to 30 feet. 

 It then took a turn westwards along the reef, leaving untouched a 

 part of the lagoon which was not filled up until later. 



From Sunday, January 28th, 1906, to the middle of February 

 there was great increase of activity ; the lava extended along the 

 coast from Salago to Saleaula, a distance of 1130 yards, burnt 

 Mr. Bartley's house, and filled the space between the shore and the 

 reef. On the ironbound coast to the east of this, the lava-flow 

 was about three-quarters of a mile broad, and still farther east 

 half the town of Malaeola was destroyed. 



On March 6th, 1906, the lava extended along the coast eastwards 

 to within 200 yards of Sataputu, which village was destroyed 

 somewhat later. 



On March 3rd, 1906, the lava ceased running in the swamp 

 behind Saleaula, this being the furthest extension of the lava to 

 the west. Near the coast about half the town of Saleaula had 

 heen destroyed, the devastation reaching to about a mile and a half 

 from the Government Offices at Pagamalo in the town of Matautu. 

 Besides filling up the space between the shore and the reef at 

 Saleaula, the lava has extended westwards along the summit of the 

 reef for a considerable distance, and blocks up one of the entrances 

 to the lagoon. The lagoon between the shore and the reef was not 

 filled up until later. 



The formation of the coast is little altered where it was previously 

 4 ironbound,' as the lava there flows directly into deep water. 

 Where, however, there was formerly a reef with a lagoon between 

 it and the coast, the lagoon is generally filled up, and the coast-line 

 correspondingly extended as far as the line of the old reef. 



In the early part of the eruption the lava did not extend far 

 from the crater, the longest streams not exceeding 2 or 3 miles, 

 and these did not present the same heated appearance as sub- 

 sequently, but were covered with moving scorise and stones, so that 

 the whole mountain appeared to be in motion. Later on the lava 

 was often very abundant and liquid : at times it flowed like a 

 river of water 200 yards wide ; at others as numerous small streams 

 not above 10 feet wide, and in these cases was often so fluid that 

 it nearly all ran away and only left a fresh crust less than 2 inches 

 thick, over which it was safe to walk next day. 



The large fresh lava-streams soon got crusted over on the surface 

 with solidified lava, and the liquid lava continued to flow underneath. 

 Even at the crater it seldom flowed over the lip, but generally 

 entered holes and tunnels in the sides and flowed underground. 

 The lava-field thus became honeycombed with channels of liquid 

 or pasty lava, which occasionally came to the surface, and flooded 





