52 Notes on Manna Loa in July, 1888. 



In Prof. Dana's paper of July last, accounts are cited of a 

 fountain of lavas in the summit crater in 1873 — in June, by 

 Mr. W. L. Green and Miss Bird, and in August, by Dr. O. B. 

 Adams. President Merritt obtained from Mr. E. G. Hitch- 

 cock the following facts observed by him and Mr. H. R Hitch- 

 cock on a visit to the summit in October, 1873. They spent 

 one night at the summit near the site of Wilkes's camp, on the 

 east side of the central crater or pit. At the time a fountain 

 of lavas was playing in the southwestern end of the crater, to a 

 height of 600 feet. The height was ascertained by lying upon 

 the brink and looking across the pit to the top of the opposite 

 wall ; the column of lire ascended at least one-half higher than 

 the distance from the floor to the top of the walls, and taking 

 this distance at 400 feet, the height of the fountain was de- 

 cided to be approximately 600 feet. Moreover the descending 

 lava of the fountain, falling into the basin, flowed off north- 

 ward nearly the whole length of the western side of the pit. 



President Merritt also visited Kilauea on July the 14th. His 

 letter speaks of the walls of Halema'uma'u as in part wholly 

 obliterated, as represented by Mr. Dodge ; it was 15 to 20 feet 

 high in some places. The nearly circular lake (at I) on the west 

 side of the cone (which he calls " Dana Lake ") was in ebulli- 

 tion, but not more active than in August, 1887. The enclos- 

 ing walls of this small lake were 10 to 15 feet high above the 

 liquid lava within, and 15 to 20 feet above the floor outside. 

 With regard to the rising of the cone in Halema'uma'u Mr. 

 Merritt expresses full confidence in the view of Mr. Dodge. 



II. Notes on Mount Loa by Rev. E. P. Baker. 



In the month of July, Rev. E. P. Baker of Hilo, made an 

 excursion to the summit of Mt. Loa, and also to the sources of 

 several of its great eruptions, and, in addition, visited the 

 lava stream of Kilauea of 1849 and the Kau " desert." Mr. 

 Merritt's trip to Mokuaweoweo was made with Mr. Baker. 

 The following notes are from a letter on his excursions ad- 

 dressed to the writer. Mr. Baker also made a valuable collec- 

 tion of rock-specimens which will add much of interest 

 to the paper on Hawaiian lavas soon to be published by Prof. 

 E. S. Dana. J. D. D. 



To the facts respecting the summit of Mt. Loa, reported by 

 President Merritt, Mr. Baker adds that he observed six parallel 

 fissures ten to twenty rods apart at the south end of Mokuaweo- 

 weo which had a course toward the place of eruption of 1887, and 

 which were probably there produced at the first outbreak, be- 

 fore the outflow of the lavas in Kahuku. (See vol. xxxvi, p. 21.) 

 A descent was made into the southern crater of Mokuaweoweo 

 — probably the first ever made — and the depth found to be 



