ASCENT IN 1883.
The writer was privileged to follow the trails taken by Cap tain Dutton to the sources of the 18So flow near Puu Ulaula and to Mokuaweoweo. His companion was F. J. Perryman of the Government Survey, and the time was January. Following so closely to Dutton, our observations could not vary much from his. The trip has been a great help in the understanding of the phenomena attending the later eruptions; and some refer ence may be made to what was seen by us in 1883 in the sequel.
Our experiences on the summit of Mauna Loa were some what unique. Because of the presence of snow our guide com pletely lost his way. The Hawaiians remember every crag and fragments of rock along the route, as they are landmarks. But the snow had completely concealed everything upon which Ahuai relied for information, and we found ourselves walking in a circle. We had just determined to find our way out by the compass, when Ahuai fortunately descried the pit, and we had as good a view of the caldera as the season permitted. My
point of view was the same with that showing Dutton's panorama. Just before reaching the edge of the pit a snow squall struck us, charged with electricity. All of us in the party emitted electric sparks from our persons, with a prickling sen sation. The feelings were such as I have experienced when holding the cups of a magneto-electric machine. Mountaineers have occasionally passed through similar experiences in highly elevated regions.
The fresh snow gave us a view never before reported from the summit. The platform beneath us, probably only the limited shelf which occupies so much of the foreground in the panorama, was white with snow. Hence the volcanic peculiarities were concealed from view. But the fact that snow could exist there in the short time we had to observe corroborates Captain Dutton's statement of the absence of all signs of igneous action. The volcano was so dead that snow could rest upon it for a time without being melted.