508 W. T. Brigham — Recent Eruption of Kilauea. 



indications that the entire floor of the crater, which has long- 

 been domed, had been elevated to some undetermined extent. 

 One indication of this was seen in the great crack which 

 extends across the trail near the eastern edge of the crater. 

 This crack had closed nine inches. 



The peaks that have long been an interesting feature of the 

 fire area, as well as a land mark for the whole crater, had risen 

 with the tide, and now towered at least 200 feet above the 

 pools of liquid lava at their feet. Seen from the Volcano 

 House, one-third of their total height was above the outer 

 western wall. Their structure was loose, and so much smoke 

 or sulphurous fumes escaped from almost their entire surface 

 that it was not safe to attempt the ascent. On all sides they 

 were surrounded by cones, generally hot and ejecting lava 

 spatters. These cones were, in at least two cases, high up on 

 the side of the main peaks, and exactly resembled the " Horni- 

 tos " of Humboldt. Several of the cones could be approached 

 closely enough to throw blocks of lava into the oven door. One 

 large cone of a group of three had become extinct, and one- 

 half had fallen in fragments, showing the smooth inner walls, 

 and the exceedingly superficial nature of its action. The 

 wind was southerly, and it was therefore easy to go to the 

 south and west of the fire area. Southeast of this was an 

 extensive lava flow, covering some six acres, and proceeding 

 from the base of a cone. To the southward of this a previous 

 flow had formed a high ridge of " a-a" 



West of the peaks was the most active portion, while in 

 July the active lake was on the southeast side. The northern 

 pool was the largest, of an irregular shape, having a promon- 

 tory extending a third of its diameter from the middle of the 

 western side. Its diameter, north and south, may have been 

 250 feet, and the banks were of unequal height but averaged 

 fifteen feet above the lava surface. The next pool was the 

 smallest, but the most active, and was 500 feet south of the 

 first. Its diameter was less than one hundred feet, but the 

 banks were overhanging. The third pool was near the last 

 and intermediate in size. 



All these pools were seemingly on a level, and were in my 

 opinion connected ; the crust intervening being not more than 

 fifteen inches thick, and quite hot, although all the neighbor- 

 hood was covered with a thick coating of " Pele's Hair," a 

 good non-conductor. The usual intermittent action was no 

 longer there : the surface had no time to cool, and no crust 

 was allowed to cover the surface. From all the pools spatters 

 of considerable volume were thrown on to the surrounding 

 banks, and the direction of these jets was very peculiar. The 

 molten lava was thrown obliquely, and the bright matter de- 



