L. A. Thurston — Recent eruption of Kilauea. 341 



was all hot and in a semi-molten condition. From 6 to 8 o'clock 

 the entire face of this bluff, some 800 feet in length and over 

 200 feet in height, was a shifting mass of color, varying from 

 the intense light of molten lava to all the varying shades of 

 rose and red to black, as the different portions were successively 

 exposed by a fall of rock and then cooled by exposure to the 

 air. During this period the crash of the falling banks was 

 incessant. Sometimes a great mass would fall forward like a 

 wall ; at others it would simply collapse and slide down making 

 red hot fiery land slides ; and again enormous bowlders, as big 

 as a house, singly and in groups, would leap from their fasten- 

 ings and, all aglow, chase each other down and leap far out 

 into the lake. 



The awful grandeur and terrible magnificence of the scene 

 .at this stage are indescribable. As night came on, and yet hot- 

 ter recesses were uncovered, the molten lava which remained 

 in the many caverns leading off through the banks to other 

 portions of the crater, began to run back and fall down into 

 the lake beneath, making fiery cascades down the sides of the 

 bluff. There were five such lava streams at one time. 



The light from the surface of the lake, the red hot walls and 

 the molten streams lighted up the entire area, bringing out 

 every detail with the utmost distinctness, and lighted up a tall 

 column of dust and smoke which arose straight up. During 

 the entire period of the subsidence the lava fountains upon the 

 surface of the lake continued in action, precisely as though 

 nothing unusual was taking place. 



Although the action upon the face of the subsiding area was 

 so terrific, that upon the portion between the falling face 

 and the outer line of fracture was so gradual that an active 

 man could have stood on almost any portion of it without 

 injury. Enormous cracks 20 to 30 feet deep, and from 5 to 10 

 feet wide, opened in all directions upon its surface, and the 

 subsidence was more rapid in some spots than in others, but in 

 almost all cases the progress of the action was gradual, although 

 the shattered and chaotic appearance of the rocks made it look 

 as though nothing but a tremendous convulsion could have 

 brought it about. 



Another noticeable incident was the almost entire absence of 

 sulphurous vapors, no difficulty in breathing being experienced 

 directly to leeward of the lake. 



At 8 o'clock P. M., when the party left the lake, its profile 

 was approximately as shown in figure 4. 



At 9 o'clock the next morning the lake was found to have 

 sunk some 20 feet more ; the banks at the right and left of the 

 subsiding area, which had been the chief points of observation 

 the day before had disappeared into the lake for distances vary- 



