The Hawaiian Archipelago - Six Months Among The Palm Groves, Coral Reefs, And Volcanoes Of The Sandwich Islands By Isabella L. Bird
- Page 399 of 466 - First - Home
The Crusted
Large Area, With Its Blowing Cones, Blotches And Rifts Of Fire, Was
Nearly All Visible, And From The
Thickness and quietness of the
crust it was obvious that the ocean of lava below was comparatively
at rest, but
A dark precipice concealed a part of the glowing and
highly agitated lake, adding another mystery to its sublimity.
It is probable that the whole interior of this huge dome is fluid,
for the eruptions from this summit crater do not proceed from its
filling up and running over, but from the mountain sides being
unable to bear the enormous pressure; when they give way, high or
low, and bursting, allow the fiery contents to escape. So, in 1855,
the mountain side split open, and the lava gushed forth for thirteen
months in a stream which ran for 60 miles, and flooded Hawaii for
300 square miles. {411}
From the camping ground, immense cracks parallel with the crater,
extend for some distance, and the whole of the compact grey stone of
the summit is much fissured. These cracks, like the one by which
our tent was pitched, contain water resting on ice. It shows the
extreme difference of climate on the two sides of Hawaii, that while
vegetation straggles up to a height of 10,000 feet on the windward
side in a few miserable blasted forms, it absolutely ceases at a
height of 7,000 feet on the leeward.
It was too cold to sit up all night; so by the "fire light" I wrote
the enclosed note to you with fingers nearly freezing on the pen,
and climbed into the tent.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 399 of 466
Words from 109726 to 109998
of 127766
