ASCENT OF MAUNA LOA. [From Chambers' Edinburgh Journal.}

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume II, Issue 113, 29 August 1846, Page 4

ASCENT OF MAUNA LOA. [From Chambers' Edinburgh Journal.}

(Concluded from latt Number^) * To' the bottom of the crater there was a descent at the north-west angle of the black ledge, where a portion of it had fallen in, and afforded an inclined plane to the bottom. This at first appeared smooth and easy to de-

scend, bat on trial it proved somewhat diffi-cult,-for there were many fissures crossing the path at right angles, which it was necessary to get over, ami the vitreous crust was so full of sharp spicu'las, as to injure the hands and cut the shoes at every step. Messrs. Waldron and Drayton, after much toil, finally reached the floor of the crater. This was afterwards ascertained to be three hundred and eighty-four feet below the black ledge, making the whole depth nine hundred and eightyseven feet below the northern rim. Like the black ledge, it was not found to have the level and even surface it had appeared from above to possess ; hillocks and ridges, from twenty to thirty feet high, ran across it, and were in some places so perpendicular, as to render it difficult to pass over them. The distance they traversed below was deceptive, and they had no means of ascertaining it but by the time it took to walk it, which was up- t wards of two hours, from the north extreme of the bottom to the margin of the large lake. It is extremely difficult to reach this lake, on account of its overflowing at 6liort intervals, which does not allow the fluid mass time to cool. The nearest approach that any one of the party made to it at this time was about fifteen hundred or two thousand feet ; they were then near enough to burn their shoes and light their sticks in the lava which had overflowed during the preceding night. • The smaller lake was well viewed from a slight eminence. This lake was slightly in action : the globules (if large masses of red fluid lava, several tons in weight, can be so called) were seen heaving up at regular intervals, six or eight feet in height ; and smaller ones were thrown up to a much greater elevation. At the distance of fifty feet, no gases were to be seen, nor was any steam evident, yet a thin smoke-like vapour arose from the whole fluid surface : no puffs of smoke were perceived at any time. *At first, it seemed quite possible to pass over the congealed surface of the lake to within reach of the fluid, though the spot on which they stood was so hot as to require their sticks to be laid down to stand on. This idea was not long indulged in, for in a short time the fluid mass began to enlarge : presently a portion would crack, and exhibit a bright-red glare ; then in a few moments the lava stream would issue through, and a portion would speedily split off, and suddenly disappear in the liquid mass. This kind of action went on until the lake had extended itself to its outer bank, and had approached to within fifteen feet of their position, when the guide said it was high time to make a retreat.' The crater now described being, as already stated, on a shoulder of the hill, the summit or great dome impending over it remained to be scaled. The ascent was accordingly commenced on the 18th of December, and proved fully more fatiguing and hazardous than the previous part of the journey. As they ascended, every trace of vegetation disappeared; fierce blasts swept the mountain side : snow began to fall ; and the thermometer went down successively to 25, 18, and 15 degrees. It stood at this, with a heavy fall of snow, when they reached the summit — 13,760 feet above the level of the ocean. * Nothing can exceed the devastation of the mountain : the whole area of it is one mass of lava, that has at one time been thrown out in a fluid state from its terminal crater. There is no sand or other rock ; nothing but lava, on whichever side the eye is turned. To appearance, it is of different ages, some of very ancient date, though as yet not decomposed ; and the alternations of heat and cold, with rain and snow, seem to have united in vain for its destruction.* Having attained the summit of the mountain, which exhibited all the traces of an extinct volcano, * the sight was surpassingly grand. In the distance, the island of Maui emerged from and broke the line of the deep blue horizon, while its lower side was dimmed by a whitish haze, that seemed to unite it to the island of Hawaii. The same haze enveloped the hills of Kohala on our right, and the western extremity of Hawaii. Nearer to us was Hualalai, the third great mountain of Hawaii, up whose sides a compact mass of white fleecy clouds was impelled by the sea-breeze. To our right rose in bold relief Mauna Kea, covered with its snowy mantle ; and at our feet was spread out, between the three great mountains, the black plain of lava, overhung by a dusky pall of clouds. All these features were so blended into each other by the mist, as to exhibit a tone of harmony that could hardly be conceived, considering the variety of the forms, characters, and distances of the objects, and which seemed to blend earth, sea, and sky into one. I can never hope again to witness so sublime a scene, to gaze on which excited such feelings, that I felt relieved when I turned from it to engage in the duties that had called me to the spot.' Operations were how commenced for their survey. A rude enclosure of clinkers and scoriae was built forty feet distant from the edge of the terminal* crater ; the tents were erected inside ; and everything so disposed as

to render tolerable a temperature varying in one day from 84 to 13 degrees. The attendants, most of whom had been left at various stations below, now brought the surveyors supplies of food and water, and thus they were enabled to jirosecute their observations, and examine the phenomena of the terminal crater, without obstruction. This crater, or rather craters — for there are two, separated by a narrow partition of compact lava and clinkers — is an immense depression, with an elevated brim about twenty miles in circumference, which gradually narrows by successive ledges to the depth of eight or nine hundred feet. It has been dormant ior many years, but is still filled with fissures and caverns, which emit steam and sulphureous vapours. ' Dr. Judd, the sergeant, and Brooks, descended into the crater ; they made the descent on the east bank among large blocks of lava, and reached the bottom in about an hour. There they were surrounded by huge clinkers and ridges, running generally north and south in lines across the crater ; between these was the pahoihoi, or smooth lava. They passed over these obstructions to the south-west, -and found in places many salts, among which were sulphate of soda and sulphate of lime. Fourfifths of the way across was a hill two hundred feet high, composed of scoria and pumice, with fissures emitting sulphurous acid gas. To the west was a plain full of cracks and fissures, all emitting more or less steam and gas. They found the west wall perpendicular ; its lower strata were composed of a gray basalt. For three-fourths of the distance up it had a dingy yellow colour ; above this there are a number of thin layers, apparently dipping to the south-vestu est with the slope of the mountain. They also visited many steam cracks on the north-east side, from which fumes of sulphurous acid gas were emitted ; no hydrogen was found in the gas, which extinguished flame without producing explosion.' On the 13th of January preparations were made for the descent, and this they accomplished by the same route, but with greater difficulty, as many of the men were worn out, their shoes gone, and not a few suffering severely from the mountain sickness. On their way they again halted at Kilauea, where Dr. Judd, anxious to obtain some rare specimens of lava, as well as a vesselful of the molten matter, met with a very narrow escape. He had descended into a small detached crater thirty-eight feet deep by two hundred in diameter ; smoke and a little igneous matter were issuing from a small cone in its centre ; but with this exception, a crust of solid lava covered the bottom. While advancing downwards, ' he saw and heard a slight movement in the lava about fifty feet fiom him, which was twice repeated, and curiosity led him to turn to approach the place where the motion occurred. In an instant the crust was broken asunder by a terrific heave, and a jet of molten lava, full fifteen feet in diameter, rose to the height of about forty-five feet with a most appalling noise. He instantly turned, for the purpose of escaping, but found tl.at he was now under a projecting ledge, which opposed his ascent, and that the piace where he had descended was some feet distant. The heat was already too great to permit him to turn his face towards it, and was every moment i increasing ; while the violence of the throes, which shook the rock beneath his feet t augmented. Although he considered his life as lost, he did not omit the means for preserving it; but offering a mental prayer for the Divine aid, he strove, although in vain, to scale the projecting rock. While thus engaged, he called in English upon his native attendants for aid ; and looking upwards, saw the friendly hand of Kalurao — who on this fearful occasion had not abandoned his spirtiual guide and friend — extended towards him. Ere he could grasp it, the fiery jet again rose above their heads, and Kalumo shrunk back, scorched and terrified, until, excited by a second appeal, he again stretched forth his hand, and seizing Dr. Judd's with a giant's grasp, their joint efforts placed him on the ledge. Another moment, and all aid would have been unavailing to save Dr. Judd from perishing in tbe fiery deluge.' After much breakneck and foolhardy adventure among the craters, steam fissures, and fumiroles of Kilauea, the party made their final descent, which was accomplished after i an absence of forty-two days j, * and it was delightful,' adds the narrator, * to feel ourselves as it were at home again, after so arduous and fatiguing an expedition.'