J. D. Dana — History of the Changes in Kilauea. 357 



12. Floating Island of 1882 to 1886, now stranded. — Mr. 

 Emerson speaks of the stranded floating island of New Lake as 

 over sixty feet high, and describes well its surroundings.* I 

 found, from an early photograph, that not long after it began its 

 floating career it had the form shown in the following figure, 

 as if it were a portion of a solidified lava-stream, either taken 



5. 



fronuthe sides of the lake, where undermining by the dashing 

 and "fusing lavas might have separated it, or more probably 

 derived from depths below and floated upward by the rising 

 lavas. An examination of the stranded island showed that it 

 consisted of the ordinary Kilauea lava, not much vesiculated, 

 but enough to enable it easily to float. Further, it indicated 

 great change in form since its first appearance. It lies on the 

 bottom of the emptied lake-basin, as seen in the following 

 figure [(taken from a photograph). Two other photographs 



6. 





ic!iflSJ?r 



which 1 obtained at Honolulu, show intermediate forms, but 

 they do not differ greatly from figure 5 above. The change 

 in form might have come both from the projection over it of 

 liquid lavas, and from erosion of its sides by the fusing heat. 

 It is not known how much of it was beneath the surface of the 

 lava ; but the reader may perhaps satisfy himself on this point. 



13. The fissured borders of Kilauea. — Besides the great fis- 

 sures of the northern border of the crater, near the path of 



* This Journal, xxxiii, 91, 1886. 



