: The Two Admirals by Cooper James Fenimore - Historical fiction; Sea stories; Inheritance and succession Fiction; Jacobite Rebellion 1745-1746 Fiction; Male friendship Fiction; Admirals Fiction; Great Britain History Naval 18th century Fiction; Kings and ru

@FreeBooksTue 06 Jun, 2023

Posted in: #FreeBooks #FreeBooksIndia #FreeBooksApp #gg

Vote Up Vote Down

Foreword iii Introduction xi

PART I--LEGENDS

PART II--GEOLOGICAL FACTS

Giant Tree Ferns on the Road to Kilauea Frontispiece

PAGE Fire Fountains in Halemaumau, Kilauea 2 Lava Cave 16 Decked with Leis of Plumeria 24 Hibiscus 39 Mokuaweoweo, Mauna Loa 44 Asa-Yama, Japan 52 Ice-crested Chimborazo 60 Mt. Shasta, California 70 Mt. Rainier, Washington 78 Mt. Shishaldin, Alaska 88 Mt. Katmai, Alaska 98 Sunset over Leahi 108 A Storm on Mount Haleakala 118 Lohiau 128 Two Maori Girls in Ancient Greeting 140 Twisted Lava at the Foot of Vesuvius 150 Smoke Column over Mt. Pel?e 160 Kaimimiki 178 Hawaiian Volcano Observatory 194 Map of Hawaii 204

INTRODUCTION

THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

Of all the noteworthy groups of islands of fire rock in the Pacific Ocean, the Hawaiian Islands are the most stupendous.

The crack in the floor of the ocean upon which they are built extends from the large island Hawaii northwesterly about two thousand miles toward Japan. The islands for the first four hundred miles are large and mountainous, but as the chain is followed toward the end, the islands quickly become mere bluffs rising out of the sea, or low coral islands which have been built on the rims of submerged volcanoes.

It is interesting to note that the oldest, the smallest, and the lowest of these islands lie nearest to Japan. One of these--Midway Island--is used as the United States mid-Pacific cable station. Properly speaking, the Hawaiian Island group should cover all the islands in this chain two thousand miles long. The mountains of the large islands rise from 3,000 to 14,000 feet above the sea-level. Between this majestic range of island mountains and the "Giants of the Rockies," along the western coast of the United States, lies a rough ocean valley abounding in hills and deep ravines with an average depth under the sea-surface of about 2,600 fathoms, or 15,600 feet.

We know very little about this valley save that its floor is covered with evidences of volcanic action. Pumice and scoriae appear to be universally distributed on the bottom of the ocean. Red and gray, and blue and green clays abound. The disintegration of pumice is given as the chief source for the formation of this clayey matter. Sometimes the deposits are permeated with meteoric or star dust.

As the ocean depths draw near the island coasts, they grow more and more shallow and become a wonderful fairy-land into which the dreamer looks from his floating canoe. Strange branching thickets of coral lie below, sometimes fringed with moving seaweeds and exquisitely colored sea-mosses, while through the coral and moss swim the marvellously painted fish of a hundred varieties. Turning and twisting in and out of coral caves are the spotted eels or the great pink or brown anemone-headed sea-worms. Sea-urchins and star-fish crawl lazily along the valleys and the uplands of the coral reef. The surface of the sea is itself covered with ceaselessly moving waves reflecting a tropical luxuriance of color. From well-known localities hundreds of fishermen gather spoil for the sustenance of life for themselves and their friends.

Free books android app tbrJar TBR JAR Read Free books online gutenberg

Login to post a comment!