The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo. FRIDAY. JUNE 11, 1886.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 135, 11 June 1886, Page 2

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo.

FRIDAY. JUNE 11, 1886.

For the caint titat lacks assistance, for the -wrong that needs resistance, For tbe future 1 in the distance, And the good Hat we can do.

Latest accounts fuom the scene of the volca'ft??:eruption,-sra furnished by our; two special reporters- now at Rotorua, favour the hope thai She violently des-1| tructive agencies have expended their force, and that no fresh outbreak of a.: serious kind may be apprehended for some time. Now that the results of the j calamity can to some extent be esti-' mated, it is seea how dire a visitation, is this fearful and unexpected awaken-, ing of the extinct volcano of Tarawera. The lives of at least five Europeans and '■ fourteen natives are known to have \ been lost, while a tourist is missing, and it is feared that two entire native settlements,, with all their inhabitants^ | have been overwhelmed in the fiery 8 shower of mud and ashes. The Pink and . White Terraces, the fame of which was world-wide, are believed to be completely demolished, though it seems impossible as yet for anyone to make a sufficiently close inspection of their vicinity to speak with certainty on the subject The surrounding country for a radius of over thirty miles, has been covered with mud and volcanic ashes to a depth varying from ten feet to half-an-inch. Roads nave beenin consequence blocked and telegraphic communication delayed while farmers are reported to be ruined through their winter grass being destroyed. . In addition to this there has been great damage to property, while many residents have lost all . their worldly possessions, including even their wearing apparel. So sudden, so awful, so overwhelming was the catastrophe that yesterday morning caused consternation throughout ; this colony, and the news of which

conveyed by telegraph to the ends of the earth will by this time have aroused feelings of sympathy in the breasts of millions of our kith and kin in every climate under the sun.

Already in.Auckland the feeling of horror at the calamity has given place to one of-;..practical sympathy with the sufferers, and steps are being taken to collect a fund to relieve any cases of distress. As compared with the loss of life, all other losses at first appear insignificant; but as people realite the extent of the disaster and the financial ruin in which it will involve many struggling settlers and their families, they will cheerfully give all the aid in their power to alleviate their- sufferings. After the individual losses, a long way, will come the colonial calamity of our great Sanitarium of Wonderland possibly losing sorpe of its attractions. Even supposing, however, that the terraces are irrevocably destroyed, the loss will not be so great as has been imagined. The Hot Lake district will be a great centre of wonderful natural phenomena, the mineral waters will still possess their curative powers, and invalids will still come from all parts of the globe to experience the relief that they afford. To tourists the district will acquire fresh interest because of the deplorable occurrence of yesterday, and the danger of residence at Ohinemutu (shown to be but slight by the fact of no one there being injured) will not weigh heavily wilh those light-winged birds passage who only tarry a few days ere they fly to fresh scenes. As showing the difficulties in the way of reaching the- scene of the disaster we may mention that our two reporters leaving by special train and steamer about mid-day yesterday have little more than reached Rotorua. By the sea route, TaurangaJ.vas not reached till three o'clock this morning, and soon afterwards our reporter set out on the coach journey of 35 miles to Rotorua. The reporter who went overland reached Oxford by special train at nine o'clock last night, and covering the rest of the distance by road, arrived at Rotorua at six o'clock this morning. The block of traffic on the single telegraph wire available between Rotorua and the city is great, and our messages are necessarily delayed in arrival, but later editions will be issued with the detailed accounts as they come to hand.