24 J. D. Dana — History of the Jit. Loa Summit Crater. 



on the mountains this winter have been frequent and heavy, 

 extending almost to their bases." ]S"o earthquakes were re- 

 ported. "As it was winter, no one ascended the mountain." 

 In May, a great increase of activity began in Kilauea. 



1868, March 27th.— On March 27th, Friday, many slight 

 earthquakes were felt in Kau, southern Hawaii, and in Kona, 

 the southwestern district. On the 28th they were more ener- 

 getic and frequent, and extended east to Hilo, and northward 

 through Kona. Mr. T. D. Paris, of Kealakekua, south Kona, 

 reports'* that on the morning of Friday, fire and great columns 

 of " smoke " were seen at the summit ; and on Saturday the 28th, 

 the fires were visible from Hilo, according to Mr. Ooan.f Mr. 

 F. S. Lyman reports, from Kau, that the first outbreak was a 

 little to the southwest of the summit ; that others followed, 

 and soon the lavas were seen in four streams running down the 

 mountain in a southerly and easterly direction. By Sunday 

 (the 30th) the line of smoke had advanced about 15 miles on 

 a line toward Captain Brown's house in Kahuku ; but the 

 light of the summit had disappeared : it was not seen at Hilo 

 after the 28th. During this time the earthquakes became still 

 more violent and destructive, and almost continuous. On 

 Thursday, April 2d, at 4 P. M., occurred " the terrible shock," 

 destroying houses and life, making fissures of great length and 

 depth, dislodging rocks and half a mile in breadth of marshy 

 earth from the mountain side of Kapapala, to the destruction 

 of a native village, besides raising earthquake waves on the 

 southern coast, that swept away the villages of Punaluu, Pi- 

 nole, Kawaa and Honuapo. The position of the land-slide is 

 shown on the map of Hawaii, Plate I. It was also violent 

 to the eastward in Hilo, the only stone building being thrown 

 down, and furniture in other houses ; but so light on Oahu, 

 200 miles to the westward, that most of the inhabitants of 

 Honolulu were unaware of it, those in stone houses being 

 almost the only persons that felt it. 



On the 7th of April, the lava escaped from a wide fissure in 

 the district of Kahuku. Along this fissure, in the course of a 

 mile, the escaping lavas were thrown into four fountains, 

 which were playing on the 10th, when the place was visited 

 by Mr. H. M. Whitney, of Honolulu. According to this 

 writer's description, the fountains rose to a height of 500 to 

 600 feet, along the line of the fissure for a mile. The lavas 

 were " blood-red, yet as fluid as water." Sometimes two of 

 the fountains joined, and then all four were united. At one 

 time they subsided for a few minutes, and then burst out 



* Paris, this Journal. II. xlvi. 107. 1868. 



f Coan. ibid., p. 106: P. S. Lyman, ibid., p. 109 ; H. M. Whitney, ibid., p. 112. 



