We could see this flow for some ten or fifteen miles from the opening, marked by the red changing glow on the clouds of sul phurous vapor and smoke. It was probably some two-thirds of a mile wide, and showed us all kinds of phenomena. Its movement varied greatly, for though advancing with scarcely perceptible motion for some time, it later crossed the road with a sudden rush and hastened below. This movement was not at all dependent upon the slope of the ground, but on the varying amount of ma terial conveyed from the source. A friend called my attention to the glacier-like resemblance of the fiery front and edges with its cooler blackened top constantly falling over as it advanced. After this mass of seething as passed, the center seemed to run a molten stream carrying down huge masses of all shapes and sizes, red-hot or cooling in all stages. At times every one was reminded of a stately procession of massive ships, or again of a river at flood bearing away houses and people. Above us appeared rapids where the waves of fire tumbled and broke into fiery spray, and again there was a hill which formed a breastwork at one side be hind which the flood gathered until a more copious flow over topped it to spread a solid sheet of flame in a huge semi-circle to its base. Again and again through the night this would cool, and again and again overflow. The whole surface of the stream was constantly changing, black or fiery, at places resembling nothing so much as the lights of an enormous city, especially that portion below us. The scattered trees burned here and there in its course, and the whole region for miles about was turned from night almost into day. For the first few days, until smoke filled all the air, I could tell time on these moonless nights when in my room over thirty miles away. Little fiery explosions arose here and there on the flood, and occasional short side flows appeared. The heat was intense on nearing the flow and a fine cindery dust parched the air, but we were fortunate in having a strong breeze to drive off the smoke from our side, although occasional hot eddies were whirled about us. Heat radiations kept all the air aquiver, and for sometime after our return home our eyes felt badly, and every light quivered and twinkled.
The scene by daylight was nothing compared to the scene by night. Fire scarcely showed at all, and one could almost step upon the flow without knowing it, were it not for the still quavering radiations of heat. The clink of falling stones was still heard from the sides, but the appearance was only of a huge ridge blackened by a fire which had passed, although the trees were still burning in the distance.—From The Friend, February, 1907.
The lava at the original place of emission had cooled before the second flow commenced ; but there was a continuous line of vapors along the line (fault) between the two openings. At the upper outlet the material was pahoehoe changing to aa lower down. The same was true of the lava from the second outlet, which was .aa at the crossing of the Government road from fifteen to thirty feet thick. At the lower end it had become over fifty feet thick.
The party were able to look down from near Keokeo into a lake of red hot lava eight hundred feet in diameter, and saw two holes in the bluff out of which the stream was issuing. Near the sea shore there was a fountain fifty to sixty feet high. The flow ceased January 24.
Hon. G. C. Hewitt viewed the spectacle from the Kau side on the last night of its activity. A large lake, half a mile long ac cumulated from the stream, but was not permanent. "Shortly after forming there began to arise upon the surface many vivid flashes, tree-shaped, but fluttering rapidly and becoming so numerous as to finally merge into one broad sheet of flame. These flashes were of the most vivid colors of the rainbow, and con tinued from one end to the other." * * * "Meanwhile, ap parently about a mile away and slightly lower in elevation, in a deep gulch, a hill began to form, growing rapidly and becoming as it grew of a dull reddish form. This hill increased to an im mense size and widened till it was as large as Diamond Head." Later the hill began to crumble and the whole mass flattened out down the side of the mountain, covering a territory a mile wide with aa. There were other masses of aa spreading over the moun tain side.
Simultaneously with the cessation of this flow near Kahuku Kilauea renewed her activity, said to exceed any of her wakeful periods since 1894. Halemaumau filled up very noticeably.
Sept. 10, 1907. The following is from the record book of the Volcano House. At 6 :45 A. M., a very black cloud over the top of Mauna Loa, with flashes of lightning. At 7:45 the cloud began to disappear, spreading out into a fan and growing thinner. 8 :3o—Cloud all gone. People at the Mahogany Lumber Com pany's mill saw three large columns of flame through this cloud. Sept. I I, 4 A. M.—From this mill a pronounced flow was seen on the other side of Red Hill.