VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 457, 16 March 1909, Page 6

VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

ASCENT OF NCAURUHOE. SHOWERS OF DUST AND STONES. (BY TEMiGIUrn—SPECIAL COIIItESPONDENT.) Auckland, .March 15. Tho following is a graphic description of ail ascent of Ngauruhoo to tho brink of tho volcano by a "Herald" representative who accompanied an exploring party:— ''At 2 a.m. on Saturday tho camp was astir. At 3 tho long weary trail over tho big divide between tho hut and tho main valley, tho first step towards tho ascent of Ngauruhoo, was commenced. In ilio valley there is a rapid stream about knee deep, and this stream wells up in a powerful spring at tho foot of the ridge, reminding ono somewhat of Ilamurana. After getting round abovo this spring the exploring party obtained a magnificent view of tho great mountain in the moonlight. A direct lino was mado for a leading spur, but to reach that the party had to first travel upwards of a milo of wild, rough, boulder-strewn country, _ where there was a perfect network of precipitous gullies or of wash-outs. "Tho great slopes of Ngauruhoo support no vegetable life, and tho prevailing characteristics aro boulders and broken rocks, and long slopes of grey and black sand, with hero and there lava ridges. Theso slopes arc steep. _ It was only possiblo to climb at all by using alpenstocks as support for every step, and at that high; altitude a halt for breath was necessary every few yards. It was a long, weary climb.

A Heavy Fog. "At about tho GOOOft. lovel a heavy fog camo up from Toiigariro, tho vast area of which had been in fairly clear view down below, but a few minutes beforo this mist drove across Ngauruhoo's slopes to such effect that wo- wero wot through in a very short time. But still the slow dogged progross was continued. Tho last few hundred feet wore climbed in very short laps, with long breathing times in bctweon, and when a lifting of tho mist for a few moments showed tho cxact spot'there was a filial strugglo up tho laval ridge, and tho climbors wero just at tho back of tho crater edge. Tho persistent fog had closed in again, and all that was visible was just that sudden end of the slopo on which tho party stood. At length tho fog thinned out a little, and tho explorers got a peop for a moment or two as through a chiffon veil into tho heart of tho crater. Wicked-looking Columns. "Steam holes were shooting up wickedlooking columns with great rapidity. Ono vent was throwing up steam, and then showers of dust and stones, abovo tlio roaring of tho steam, from the vents, which seemed countless. There was a harsh grinding sound from the centre of activity. From this vent there issued a rush of steam something like that from the great blowhole on White Island. 'Then camo a shower of sand. Ere that sand had time to fall back there was a' bigger rush, and then a bigger still, and stones were flying up, and lost to view in tho denso masses of steam continually billowing up. Tlio'crater is a quarter of a milo across, but it was impossible in the fog and steam to seo more than even half of it. For just a brief second the lip of tho crater in what was taken to bo the west side loomed dimly through tho fog, and it seemed as if somo change had taken placo there. Portion of the wall seemed to bo missing, but whethor it had actually beon blown out, or whether that portion was still there, and concealed by one of the billows of steam, it was impossible to say. No lava streams could bo seen, but -tliero was plenty of scoria about, and a piece of flint, which seemed to have been only just deposited on the edgo of tho crater, was brought away as a souvenir.

A Terrifying Convulsion. " No one ever wished for anything inoro than that exploring party wished for a clearing of tile fog, if only for 10 minutes. The thick veil was down again, and it refused to lift, and drove against our faces, and our clothing dripped with moisture. Suddenly there was a terrifying convulsion somewhere in the crater. A crash that souuded like the explosion of a battery of big guns was succeeded by a loud screaming of escaping steam, and there came another loud boom, and dust fell on our faces; but what had happened could only ho guessed. Wo wero 7515 ft, abovo sea level, the air was charged with sulphur, and tho danger of descent through tho fog had yet to bo faced. " Inch by inch, and testing every foothold with the alpenstocks, we started down the steop face. At last we camo on a soft sand and rubble face, and hero progress was rapid, rather too rapid sometimes, but tho mist eventually thinned below, and. it was only a caso of making for a known point. A drive back to Waiouru through a violent thunderstorm and pouring rain was not at all a pleasant ending to the journey, and while there is a lot of satisfaction about climbing a volcano, thoro is also a lot of misery when tho weather conditions are perverse. At any rate, it was lucky that wo wore off the mountain before tho afternoon had set in, for then the volcano and all tho surroundings wero enveloped in dense fog, and rain fell continually from 3 o'clock until lato at night. "Judging from 'observations extending over thi*co days close besido tho mountain, tho activity on tho crater, wliilo still continuing 011 a greater scalo than normally, soems to bo gradually decreasing, and tho volcano appears to bo resuming something like its ordinary state."