THE CONDITIONS OF 1880.
By May, 188o, according to Mr. Coan, Halemaumau had be come a boiling lake discharging copious streams into the great central basin. In July, Professor W. T. Brigham paid another visit to the volcano. He considered that during the previous eighteen years Kilauea must have increased five per cent. in its lateral dimensions. The floor where first trod upon was six hundred and fifty feet below the Volcano House and the central portion three hundred feet ; or, in other words, the floor was raised as a flat dome three hundred and fifty feet high, which had accumulated partly by the natural building up by accretion and partly by an irregular elevation. Halemaumau had now become a regular dome surmounted by four lakes having an average dia meter of L000 feet each. The lake of 1865 seemed to have lain in the midst of these four lakes, no one of them by itself reproduced from its progenitor. The latest one began to form May 15th and its bank was nearly on a level with the surrounding rock. The others had stratified walls, sometimes an hundred feet high, from which blocks were constantly falling because of the undermining action of the lava beneath. As seen at night these molten lavas were white hot. In earlier visits blue and green flames were ob served, seldom lasting more than a few minutes. Now the flames issuing from a cluster of blow holes burned constantly with these colors, the time of continuance exceeding twelve hours. Very little steam was thrown off at this time. The southern sulphur bank had wholly disappeared, having been consumed by a fire occurring a few months earlier.
Sept. 18. The "New" lake, starting in May, increased to the circumference of 3,00o feet with sides from fifty to sixty feet high. Sept. 25. Severe shock of earthquake. Lentz.
Oct. 27. New lake said to be one hundred and eighty to two hundred feet below top of its banks. Both lakes quite active.
L. P. Tenney.
Nov. 4. W. Bolsea describes three lakes. Lava flowing on north side of Lake Kilauea crowded into very small dimensions. Halemaumau remains as it was eighteen months previous, but is inaccessible. The special seat of activity is a new lake to the southeast not far away from Halemaumau. Activity vigorous but not violent. No apparent sympathy between the two lakes.
Dec. 7. J. M. Lydgate finds Volcano House 4,021 feet above the sea by syphon barometer.
Feb. 15, 1881. Fountain of lava streamed up northwest of rough pile and spread lava over much of the floor.
Feb. 20. New lake very active.
July 20. Four lakes visited, viz., Halemaumau, New Lake, Old Lake and South Lake. New Lake specially interesting. Lava in it rose and fell twenty feet. A bright red spot appeared in the farther corner, the crust cracked, red lines of lava appeared, pieces of the crust thirty feet long sank beneath the surface and the whole mass was boiling. W. W. Hall, Miss H. S. Norton and others.
Aug. 2. Flow of lava from New Lake. The same from Hale maumau Aug. 5.
Aug. 15. N. B. Emerson reports activity in New Lake. Foun tains thirty to forty feet high ; waves dashing against cliffs ; tables of black lava drawn into the settling vortices.
Aug. 19. New Lake has become the "show" crater. Much the same as when last described.
Oct. 25. T. H. Davies. Surface of New Lake always agi tated. Nine caldrons splashing twenty feet high. Halemauman has more jets. A pit of fire also to the right. Considerable flow of lava.
Jan. 16, 1882. S. C. Damon had a grand view of the breaking up of New Lake.
March 7. Lakes break up both in day and night time. March 30. Additional lava poured into lakes.
May 3o. Both lakes active.