S. K Bishop— Kilauea in April, 1892. 209 



actually several times as great, and exhibiting larger single 

 areas of violent activity. It differs materially from Dana Lake 

 in the distribution of its action. The general movement of 

 the thin crust is steadily from the periphery toward the center, 

 where there is the greatest action. Long seams (fiery cracks) 

 open near the outer edge, and draw inward, crinkling up as 

 they progress, until they become interlaced. An open area of 

 perhaps two acres at the center is occupied by a strong current 

 pouring westward, filled with fragments of crust and exhibit- 

 ing sparkles of fire with a multitude of small jets and sprays. 

 This current disappears under the crust that extends out from 

 the west side. Near the eastern edge of this central area there 

 is a powerful fountain which did not intermit its action a single 

 minute during several visits from the 8th to the 13th. Its 

 movement was pulsating; about every twenty seconds it 

 welled up in a round billow varying in diameter from 30 to 50 

 feet, and from 20 to 35 feet high. There was no explosive 

 action, or spray, except what was caused by the falling back 

 of the upheaved fluid. 



A similar but smaller fountain played nearer the bank at the 

 south. This, however, at my last visit, had exchanged its action 

 for a more violent but intermittent one. Occasionally, and 

 once for twenty minutes continuously, an area of 150x40 feet 

 was occupied by a violently tossing mass of surges, from 15 to 

 25 feet high, the entire summit of which was feathery with 

 spray. A similar but smaller area was several times in like 

 action northwest of the center. 



The great regurgitating and explosive fountains under the 

 little cliffs, which made the chief displays in Dana Lake, were 

 scarcely to be found here. A slight occasional action of that 

 sort was noticed at two points at the northwest edge. 



The remarkable fact is here to be noted, that no vapor 

 could be distinguished without careful scrutiny. From the 

 Yolcano House, a column of very faint blue haze could be 

 observed ascending, having the diameter of the lake. In the 

 night, this column of vapor, illuminated by the fires, was more 

 discernible. But from the edge of the crater, close at hand, 

 it could barely be distinguished, even by night. I spent many 

 hours on different sides of the crater, once walking around it, 

 but never even perceived any odor of fumes when at the edge, 

 although at some distance from it and all over the floor of 

 Kilauea many crevices were emitting sulphurous fumes. At 

 the present time, the lava seems to have no contact with old 

 rocks near the surface, while the ducts below are doubtless 

 heavily glazed, like those we saw at the bottom of " New 

 Lake " in '87. 



The top of Halemaumau crater has been found by aneroid 

 measurement to be from 30 to 50 feet higher than in 1886. 



Am. Jour. Sci.— Third Series, Vol. XLIV, No. 261. — September, 1892. 

 14 



