Angry Goddess On a Rampage

Eruption in Hawaii

Native Hawaiians have long attempted to placate the fire goddess Pele by dropping offerings--ohelo berries, liquor and, once upon a time, an occasional human--into the crater of the 4,090-ft. volcano Kilauea. Legend says the fire goddess lives within Kilauea, and it is her outbursts that have made the volcano, located on the big island of Hawaii, the world's most active, erupting on the average of once every 2 1/2 years. But even longtime Kilauea watchers were concerned about the magnitude of the latest demonstration of Pele's power. In mid-September the volcano rumbled and then erupted. For several days, Kilauea tossed lava bombs, rock and ashes into the air. Then, with fire spouting up to 350 ft. above the crater rim, the volcano spewed out a fountain of fluid, superhot lava that glowed like a Dantean vision of hell.

A fiery river 40 ft. deep and 1,000 ft. wide flowed toward the tiny (pop. 100) village of Kalapana at a rate that reached 1,000 ft. per hr. Many residents of the village fled. But some stayed, including a 70-year-old storekeeper named Walter Yamaguchi. "If Pele wants my store, Pele will take my store," said Yamaguchi, who remained open to serve firefighters and National Guardsmen called out to protect Kalapana. "But no way it's going to come. No way."

Yamaguchi's faith proved well founded. Army engineers attempted to control the lava by exploding water bombs designed to cool the molten rock and dam its flow, but found their efforts ineffective. Hawaiians tried more traditional means. Flying over the crater, they sacrificed three bottles of gin to the angry goddess. Last week Kilauea gave a final mighty burp and dozed off. The lava flow topped and began to cool into black rock --only some 400 yds. from Kalapana.

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