Letters to his brother David Brainerd Lyman ( 1840 – 1914 ) describe a massive eruption of Mauna Loa on their ranch accompanied by a series of earthquakes from March 27 to March 31 . His eyewitness observations , sometimes called the " best account " of the events , has been used by scientists for many years . A few days later the powerful April 2 , 1868 Hawaii earthquake , destroyed their house and most others in the area . A massive landslide triggered by the shock killed much of his livestock . From one of the letters : " It was impossible to stand , we had to sit on the ground , bracing with hands and feet to keep from rolling over . In the midst of it we saw burst out ... what we supposed to be an immense river of molten lava ( which afterwards proved to be red earth ) , which rushed down its headlong course and across the plain below , ... swallowing up everything in its way , trees , houses , cattle , horses , goats and men . ... After the hard shaking had ceased , all along the sea-shore the sea was boiling and foaming furiously , all red , for about an eighth of a mile from the shore , and the shore was covered by the sea . " The resulting tsunami killed many of the witnesses who were living at lower elevations . It was the largest earthquake in modern recorded history of the Hawaiian Islands . This convinced the family to return to town , where he looked for whatever employment he could
1868 Hawaii earthquake
1868 Hawaii earthquake
Frederick S. Lyman