S1LA1TEA IN 1868.
The disturbances occurring this year have been to some extcnt confused with those emanating from the greater neighbor on the north. It was the time of the most extensive earthquakes known in the history of the islands and it has not been absolutely demon strated whether Kilauea was or was not concerned with them.
Dr. Hillebrand obtained information from Judge Kaina, an in telligent Hawaiian who resided near Kilauea during the times of disturbance. He and a Chinaman were the only persons at Kilauea at that time. From January loth to March 27th the crater had been unusually active: there were eight lively lakes, frequently overflowing. There was a large blow hole to the northwest of the lakes which at regular intervals of a minute or less threw off large masses of vapor comparable to the discharge of steam from a locomotive. This ceased about IVlarch 17th, and the lakes became more active. March 27th the first earthquake shock was noted. March 29th Mr. Fornander found fresh incan descent lava in the bottom of the crater. April 2nd, a little after 4 P. M., the great shock occurred and great commotions through out the districts of Hilo, Puna and Kau ensued : the ground swayed back and forth, large quantities of lava were thrown to great heights ; portions of the walls of Kilauea fell in and there were fearful detonations. These continued for more than three days. "From the very first the fire began to recede." The first night it was confined to the lakes ; the third night it appeared only in the south lake ; and twenty-four hours later it had entirely disappeared. Two days still later came the first outburst of Ka huku. April 2d Kilauea iki was overflowed by a black shiny lava, which adhered to the trees and shrubs in the upper part of its course as shown in Plate 23.
Dr. Hillebrand visited the locality where the lava from Kilauea came to the surface, April loth. Near the fork where the road turns to Puna instead of continuing on to Kilauea (Halfway House), heavy clouds of white vapor were seen to rise on the lower side of the road. Half an hour's ride brought the party to deep crevasses in the pahoehoe—the longest one twenty-four feet wide with no bottom visible. It was followed for four hundred feet, but with less width, never less than eight feet. In a belt about six hundred feet wide parallel with the first were a number of smaller fissures. From many of these openings hot steam is sued. Fire was not visible, but it would appear by reflection at night and was probably the cause of the supposed fire seen for several days.
Judge Kaina is quoted in the Record Book as saying that by April 5 the fire disappeared and was not seen again till May 27. Since then the depression has been filling up.
July 26 W. D. Alexander says: "No material change has taken place since the visit of Dr. Hillebrand, April IS. Nearly the whole of the pit in the southwest end of the crater is in a state of fusion. It is nearly divided in two by a ridge of rocks. The farther one of the two has about the same position as the old South lake. Nine caves, five on the south and four on the north side were spouting fiercely, while at the eastern end a small lake spouted thirty or forty feet high, forming a large cone out of the falling fragments. About the center of the farther lake lava was flowing in a southeast direction. Streams from the cones took the same direction. The eastern boundary of the pit seems to coincide with a great crack formerly existing and delineated upon Mr. Brigham's map. The display of fireworks tonight was magnificent and shows increasing activity.
Aug. 5 the South lake was the center of operation.
Aug. 7 W. W. Hall says: "There was very little action but there were eight or nine blowholes making a great noise, and fire was visible in some of them. The activity was less than in July." Sept. 5, C. E. Stackpole says: "There were twelve lakes in ac tive operation just before April 2. Nearly the whole of the north part of this pit was thus covered with liquid lava. For two weeks after the earthquake there was no fire, but it has now returned." Mr. Coan was quite successful in his search for a discharge of the lava in August. After passing several smoking fissures he turned to the left, towards the sea, and after an hour's hard search among rough hills discovered five different points on a line of less than a mile in length where fused lavas had been thrown out. The largest patch was i,000 feet long and six hundred wide, with an average depth of ten feet, upon whose surface tumulated eminences were still steaming, and is represented upon Plate 26, near the Halfway House. This locality is about eleven miles S. W. from Kilauea. The facts discovered by Mr. Coan and their connection with Kilauea are acceptible ; but his theoretical view that these lavas continued underground to connect with the discharge at Kahuku is open to serious objections.
Mr. E. D. Baldwin has investigated the country to the south of the Halfway House, and has kindly furnished the following statement : The reader will note that there is a series of cracks to the south of the Half-way House from which the considerable area of lava southwest from the 1823 flow exuded. This was not seen by Mr. Coan. The area as figured may in clude a little more lava than belongs to it. The eastern finger-like protuberance must have been part of an older flow : but the flow is believed to have included most of the area marked '68 crack.