Statewide County HI Archives News.....Wiki Mo'olelo  Part 10 . November 4, 2008
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Darlene E. Kelley donkeyskid@msn.com November 16, 2008, 8:49 am

Keepers Of The Culture, A Study In Time Of The Hawaiian Islands November 4, 2008

Contributed for use in
USGenWeb Archives
by Darlene E. Kelley
donkeyskid@men.com
November 4, 2008

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Historical Collections of Hawai'i
Keepers of the Culture
A Study in Time, of the Hawai'ian Islands
Wiki Mo'olelo - Part 10
by Darlene E. Kelley

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Wiki Mo'olelo

Part 10.


Volcanic Activities, along with Earthquakes.


In a little note-book in Hilo is a record which from time to time has
been studied and copied frequently by visiting scientists. The
missionary mother who put down the facts therein recorded, never dreamed
of being scientific. She simply kept a record. In 1832, Mrs. Sarah J.
Lyman came to Hilo, where her husband founded the Hilo Boy's Boarding
School, a school, by the way, after which the great Hampton Institute of
Virginia was patterned. On October 3, 1833, she was tossed around in her
home in a way somewhat alarming. She opened her little note book and
wrote, " Two earthquakes, one of them heavy."

She had a little curiosity to see how frequently these eartquakes
disturbed her home. Thus the record went on from month to month and year
to year. 
" Earthquake, motion up and down."
" Heavy shake, stone walls down, cream shaken off milk."
" 4 A.M.., all the family aroused."
" Jar and a noise like distant cannon."
" Tremendous shock, brace ourselves to stand up."
" Kai-mimiki ( sea shaken by an earthquake ).
" All motions combined, warth lie sea."
" Frequent jars, severe, so many I have ceased to count."

Interspersed through this concise and interesting story of eartquakes
told in a few words are many references to other volcanic phenomena like
" Activity great in Mokuaweoweo. Mountain clear for several days, the
smoke is marked, light brilliant at night, snow extensive on both
mountains,"

The year 1863 has been marked as the volcano year of Hawai'ian history.
Mr. F.S. Lyman, now living in Hilo, wrote a journel letter, which was
quoted in full. He writes in 1868 as follows about that eartquake; 
" March 17-31, 1868. A sudden eruption from Mauna Loa, no forewarning, a
spray of red lava thrown high in the air, followed by a great stream of
smoke rising thousands of feet. In Kati we had a sprinkling of Pele's
hair, perculiar eartquakes -- first hard shakes, then  swaying motion,
as if the whole island were swaying back and forth and we with it. March
31-- From about 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. the shaking was incessant. Thursday
April 2nd.-- We experienced the most fearful of eartquakes. The earth
swayed north, south, east, west, round and round, up and down, and in
every imaginable direction, everything crashing around us, trees
thrashing as if torn by a mighty wind, impossible to stand. We had to
sit on the ground, bracing with hands and feet, to keep from rolling
over."

Mr. H. M. Whitney, editor of the Advertiser, says that " the number of
shocks which occurred at Waiohinu from March 29 to April 10 was
estimated at upwards of two thousand, The heaviest shock, that of April
2d, destroyed every church and nearly every dwlling in the whole
district. This eartquake was felt very sensibly in Honolulu. Following
the earthquake came a great tidal wave at Punalulu. It rolled over the
tops of coconut
trees, probably sixty feet high at least, driving all floating rubbish
inland about a quarter of a mile -- taking with it, when it returned to
the sea, houses, men, and women, and everything movable."

Mr. Lyman wrote; " We could see the shore. All along the seashore from
directly below us to Punaluu about three or four miles the sea was
boiling and foaming furiously, all red."

Two remakable eruptions accompanied this earthquake. The lava, starting
from the slope of Mauna Loa, sank into some great channel but " burst
forth with a heavy roar several miles further down. The lava stream
became a river of fire, flowing rapidly toward and around some
farmhouses. The inmates had barely time to escape. The path by which
they fled was covered with lava within ten minutes after they passed
over it. Animals and even human beings perished. The number of deaths
were between eighty to one hundred. This eruption flowed ten miles in
two hours, and continued five days, destroying many thousands of acres
of good lands." the second remarkable eruption was nearer the crater
Kilauea and has been known as " The Great Mud Flow of 1868." It is in
the region covered by the Pahula plantation.

Mr. Lynam writes; " In the midst of the great earthquake we saw burst
out from the top of the pali about a mile and a half north of us, what
we supposed to be an immense river of molton lava ( which afterwards
proved to be red earth ), which rushed down in headlong course and
across the plain below, apparently bursting from the ground  and
swallowing up everything in its way-- trees, houses, cattle, horses,
men, in an instant as it were. It went three miles in not more than
three minute's time and then stopped. After the hard shaking had ceased
we went right over to a hill with the children and our natives expecting
every moment to be swallowed up by the lava from beneath, for it sounded
as if it were surging and washing under our feet all the time. Outside
of Punaluu we saw a lng black point of lava slowly pushing out to sea.
An island about four hundred feet high rose out of the sea at the south
point. The lava river has extended the shore to this island one mile at
least."

Mrs. Lyman wrote " Jan 30,1875. Light exceedingly brilliant.
Perpendicular column of smoke over 1,000 feet high onthe summit crater
spreading out at top like an expanding flower." This August glow was
described by members of the Challenger expedition as " a globular cloud
perpetually reformed by condensation, having a brilliant orange glow at
night as if a fire were raging at the distance." This display from the
summit of Mauna Loa continued about eighteen months. During these months
of 1874-1875 therewere mgnificent exhibitions of clouds reflecting
volcanic fires caused by the outburst of lava fountains.

The summit crater of Mauna Loa is about 13,000 feet altitude. Snow has
frequently covered the top of the mountain, lying in banks around the
edge of the crater. The cold has acted quickly upon the lake of fire,
congealing a large prt of the surface into a hard floor of lava. Gases,
steam, and smoke lift this floor and break through it with great
violence, escaping from the melted lava in pillars of clouds against
which the fires beneath mirror themselves in glorious displays of color.
These outbursts were frequently called eruptions. The modrn name is more
correct. They are' glows," reflecting wonderful fires beneath.

Mrs. Lyman mentions another eruption from the summit of Mauna Loa. "
1877. Feb.14. Eruption seen on the mountain. Ten days extinct than broke
out lowe down the mountain and reached the sea in a few days, near
Kaawaloa, Kealakekua Bay."

Dana says " The columns of illuminated steam rose with fearful speed to
a height of 14,000 to 17,000 feet and then spread out into a vast fiery
cloud looking at night as if the heavens were on fire."

After this, there was and under ground eruption to the sea marked by a
fissure down the mountain side through which clouds of steam and smoke
were forced. The lava at last found its palce for escape under the sea.

H. A. Whitney, the editor of the Hawai'ian Gazette, was a witness of
this submarine eruption. In the issue of Feb. 28, 1877, he wrote; " As
the steamer Kilauea came toward the bay, the passengers saw some canoes
rowing about over boiling water. The natives reported that about three
o'clock in the morning  of Feb.24, they had seen innumerable red, blue,
and green lights dancing in the waters. Morning disclosed a new volcano
inthe sea. The southern shore of the bay has been known as Keei
point.The eruption appeared to be in a straight line out from this
point. Three boats from the steamer went out, cruising over the most
active part of the boiling waters, appearing as if passing over rapids.
Blocks of lave two feet across were thrown from beneath, striking the
boats and jarring them. The lava was quite soft and no harm was done.
Six stones hit the boat in one minute. Several hundred pieces of these
stones were floating on the sea at one time. Nearly all the pieces on
reaching the surface were red hot, emitting steam and gas stongly
sulphurous. Several were taken into the boats, perfectly incandescent
and so molten in the interior that the lava could be stired with a
stick, the water heving penetrated only about an inch. When these stones
cooled and became water soaked they sank repidly. The specimens taken
from the wate were of the a-a variety and very light. Probably only the
lightest come to the surface. Some of the lava consisted of Pele's hair,
red hot, yet preserving its pecular characteristics."

Mrs. Lymn has the record of a terrible tidal wave which struck Hilo
harbor May of tht same year; " 1877, May 10. A heavy tidal wave at 5
a.m., destroying 34 houses on the Waiakea side of theharbor, also the
brdge and twelve houses between Waialama and Aiko's old store. One
hundred and sixty peope homeless, some bruised, bones broken, five dead.
Wave was thirteen and a half feet above high water mark at Waiakea,
swept inland forty rods, accurate measurement."  Following this on May
31, came the record " severe shake, things thrown down."

Dana says; " A destructive eartquake wave was felt at the Hawai'ian
islands on may 10, 1877, which rose at Hilo to the height of 36 feet,
But it was of South American origin, when there were heavy earth-shocks,
and not Hawai'ian.

One of the eruptions from Mokuaweoweo tried to take pssessin of a
river-bed, but the waters chilled one side of the lava and built it into
a wall. On one side was flowing fire and on the other the swift rapids
of a river. The antagonistic elements sought the sea side by side.

A native account of Kilauea in " Ka Hae Hawaii [ The Hawaiian Flag ]"
was published in Honolulu in March, 1859. In it is a very interesting
native account of eruptions on the island of Hawaii.. The sketch is in
quaint Hawaiian tongue and is valuable throughout, but only a few
extracts from the translation can be used at present. The story as told
by the Hawaiian runs as follows;
" In the very ancient time Mauna Kea threw out vast Pele fires, but long
ago these eruptions have been imprrisoned. The earth has covered them in
on all ides and the abundant soil, lare tres, and green tings of many
kinds are multiplying. But not so Mauna Loa and Hualalai, other
mountains of theis island Hawaii. Pele fires have burst forth from them
even up to recent times.

" Mauna Loa is the greatest of all mountains, opening doors for the Pele
fires from all its sides. Kilauea and Mokuaweoweo are the very wonderful
Pele pits ( craters ) discharging fire from the very depths of the
mountains.

" In the year 1822 or 1823 perhaps, there was an eruption from Kilauea
pouring down into the Kau district very close to the Puna line. From the
depths of Kilauea was this bursting forth. The a-a ( broken lava ) of
this eruption in its journey to the sea spread about eight miles. In the
year 1832 the pit of Kilauea was full of burning a-a. It broke into some
ancient tunnel connected with Kilauea and flowed away.
The place where the a-a reached the sea is not known. It is supposed to
have gone into the sea underground..

In the year 1840, the people of Puna and Hilo districts saw a great fire
inland. They thought that te forest wilderness was burning. That day
waste Sabbath. the people assembled togther and looked toward the place
where the fire was very great and the air was heavy with smoke. then
they saw that this was not an ordinary forest fire but a Pele ( an
eruption ). They could not see any a-a breaking out of the mountain, and
therefore were greatly afraid that it was very near and would destroy
their lands. Volumes of smoke rolled,  curled upward, while the strong
steam burst forth with reports like a firing of a cannon. On the 4th day
of June that eruption poured down into the sea. Narrow was the flow in
steep places and spread out widely in others. When it came to the sea
mighty was the stormy rage and the boiling of the sea, the steam rising
in clouds to the sky. There were built up on the beach two hills of
black sand, about 400 feet in height. Only on the side from which the
wind blew could anyone come near. On the other side the smoke was very
strong, offensive and sickening like a volcano. Then tere were burnig
ashes destroying every green thing for many miles. The lands of the
people of Nanawale were quickly made desolate wilderness by the hea and
the overflowing lava. Some animals were caught by the lava and burned to
death. None of the people ere destroyed. They escaped with poverty."

A curous and interesting statement made by the Hawaiian fishermen of
Waikiki concerning a peculiar disturbance of the sea simultaneous with
all various seasons of volcanic agitation. One of the older and more
intelligent fishermen says that from his boyhood he has known a pushing
up and down, backward and forward, of the waters every time that Mauna
Loa has shown activity in either of its great craters. Fishnets are so
tossed about that it is impossible to retain fish  in them. Hooks are so
rapidly moving by the commotion in the waters that fishing with hook and
line is not very successful.

The Hawaiians call the ocean at such times kai-mimiki ( the rushing
sea.) Mimiki is defined as a meeting of a returning wave with another
advancing, and sometimes used to express the confusion of advancing and
returning tidal waves. Sometimes mimiki is used to denote the choppy
waters which follw a strom. The inherent idea of the word seems to be
quick, independant action of waves, bringing them into conflict with
each other and destroying the quiet , regualar motion.

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Next part 11.



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