Correspondence. 
63 
sides of the mountain. Ilie ^moke cloud rcllccted the glow of the fires. 
Surveyors Baldwin and Dodge reported what seemed to be a flow 
among the small cones on the southwest of the. mountain, going towards 
Kahuku along the general line of the flows of 1868 and 1887. This 
flow was probably lost among the many cones and chasms of that slope 
as it was soon lost sight of. 
The smoke froin the summit crater rose in three columns, two small 
ones .and one large one. The columns were aligned almost due east and 
west. The larger column was on the east towards Hamakua. The col- 
umns as they rose united to form one great column that rose to a great 
higlit and in some cases spread out like a great umbrella, the under part 
reflecting the dull glow of the flres beneath. 
Eruption of Mauna Loa, October, 1903. 
Many wild stories were circulated, and among them was one, of 
some ranchmen, that the lava was overflowing the crater wall at the 
lowest point and flowing down towards south Kana in the general line 
of the flow of 1859. This report, although verified by two different 
parties, is probably not correct. The persons (ranchmen) 'may have 
seen what appeared to be a flow over the wall, but was simply a crack 
filled with hot lava that failed to find an outlet. It seemed to be along 
the line of weakness where you might expect such phenomena. 
