THE DISPLAYS IN 1905.
New interest has been manifested in Kilauea in 1905 because of renewed activity. At the opening of the year Halemaumau was a lifeless pit over eight hundred feet deep, whose floor con consisted of the cooled overflows, last seen November 25, 1903.
February 24th fresh lava appeared on one side near the bottom, flowing down to the lowest point. After four days of display it was covered up by a slide of debris. Fire was again seen March 3d and March 2oth. On March 3oth several fiery spots were re ported. April 18th, at the depth of six hundred and fifty feet, there was special activity; fountains were playing continually ac companied by large volumes of red-hot lava.
May 1, 1905. L. A. Thurston. A blow hole on the north side has flowed out over the bottom of the pit, making a platform five hundred feet in diameter. It was exploding at intervals of several minutes throwing spatter lava thirty to forty feet. The pit has filled a considerable since November, being now five to six hun dred feet deep. The southern bank continues to fall in.
The history for the ensuing four months has been an alterna tion of fiery discharges and a cooling surface. July 24th to 26th, the depth of the pit was estimated by myself to be about six hun dred feet. About every third night the displays of fire are ex ceptionally brilliant. The place of the discharge shifts constant ly from one edge to another. Those that I saw were on the north, west and south edges. The latest report given to me was of a
brilliant display on the nights of August 12th and i3th.
Sept. 18, 19o5. L. A. Thurston. Very little change since May 1, except that the pit has filled a little more and the vapor has increased, rising from two cones on the northeast side of the pit. No fire visible nor noise heard in the pit. Bank on south west side has caved in considerably since May. Smoke very dense, light brown in color, with very little sulphur.
I find in the Hawaiian Gazette for March 13, 1906, the follow ing: The fires of Kilauea are still in evidence (by wireless tele graph). Volcano House, March 12. Last night our party sat on the edge of Kilauea, fascinated by the display of fire which burned for hours. Mr. and Mrs. Waddell, Edna Lloyd.
Dec. 2, 1906, fire appears in Halemaumau. E. D. Baldwin reports two small lakes, mostly cooled over, the one six hundred and two and the other five hundred and ninety-seven feet below the edge of the pit. Near the center of the western lake a small cone sputtered lava occasionally, with loud reports of escaping steam, which at times sounded like rifle shots. The surface would crack, and considerable lava flow out. The action in the east lake was much the same. There was no sputtering cone, but steam escaped under the east bank with noisy outbursts. The smaller spot to the south is nearly cool.