HAWAIIAN VOLANO MAUNA LOA IN VIOLENT ERUPTION

Wanganui Chronicle, 5 June 1950, Page 5

HAWAIIAN VOLANO MAUNA LOA IN VIOLENT ERUPTION

HONOLULU, June 4 (Reed 9 pm). —Erupting Mauna Loa showed no sign of abatement today. Officials were keeping a close watch on flows of lava so that they could warn residents if the streams branched unexpectedly The police said there had been no reports of tiesThe Associated Press says the eruption was one of the most spectacular on record. According to the Hawaii observatory volcanologist, on the basis of averages and pest performances, the present erupticn should last perhaps two weeks. The area outside the cratei swept by lava in the first 12 hours was the greatest on record. Earlier reports said that an undetermined number o- people were trapped by spreading rivers of red hot lava which were pouring from the volcano which is cn the Island of Hawaii, down to the ocean 20 miles away. The volcano erupted on Thursday night, destroying 15 homes and a church. The police said that molten lava streams poured into several sea coast villages over a mile wide area. About 60 families evacuated their homes. All telephone communication with the area has been cut by the lava, which burned down t elephone poles. Tremendous clouds of steam shot a mile into the uir as the lava reached the sea. Observers in planes which flew near the volcano on Friday said the major part ol the slope looked like a mass of solid fire. Anns of molten rivers were merging into one broad sweeping wall of flame. The eruption showed no signs of abating and fountains of lava were spouting 400 feet. Smoke clouds towered 30,000 feet about the mountain. The reflection from the volcano could be seen at Honolulu, 220 miles to the noxth-west. Volcanologists who support the theory that New Zealand and Hawaii volcanoes aie allied, said they were wondering what were the symptoms in New Zealand, Eye-witnesses said that when 13,680 ft. Mauna Lea erupted, the mountain “split open’' 1706 ft. below the crater's rim. Three vents appeared at 12,000, 10,000 and TOOTH. levels. A river of fire and molten rock began pouring down. The river, which was 10ft. deep in places, split. One arm boiled into the sea 25 miles away three and a-half hours after the eruption. Tae police sfeid the lava at times ran at 40 miles an hour to the south of the first liver. Hilo, the only sizeable town on Hawaii Island, was stated to be safe, It lies to the east of Mauna Loa. A string of villages and plantations on the west side v ere threatened immediately. One of the arms of the molten river poured through the centre of the village of Pahoehoe, from where the occupants hart fled.