NGAURUHOE STILL ACTIVE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 525, 4 June 1909, Page 4

NGAURUHOE STILL ACTIVE.

AN AW-E-tNSPIRING SPECTACLE.

IBJ tlLtUKim,—Bt'iCUl. 1

V', Auckland, Juno 3. There .lias-.<been practically ■. no .cessation of tile activity, in the crater of NgaurUhoe volcano Sinco >early in March, but;at times the clouds, of steam and dUst ejected decreased i -considerably. : At the , end of last Week, however, the Volcano broke out again' in heavy eruption, and tile spectacle on Saturday attd bUnday Was something to bo roluembered for a lifetime, ill'. I'. E>BBu r ton, who has -arrived, in- Auckland after a few days'- stay in" the vicinity of the mountain, when interviewed, remarked that the Eruption was one of the most awe-inspiring speotaoles the Dominion had to present.to a visitor. - ( . ' "Early on Saturday afternoon," he said, ■'there Was a prolonged rumble from the volcano. I thought at first it was thunder, but it seemed to come along the ground, and resembled the roar of a( fast express rushing' • into . a tuiinel. Then' enormous gushos of black smoke, of dust-laden steam, shot iip from the crater,'rising quickly to a hoight anywhere between 2000 feet and 8000 feet, and ■ cloud after cloud went up at. an' enormous velocity, until ft great area flf the Bky field was darkened.. So rapid I was the upward rush of the steam, which Was rendered as black as ink by the Volcauio dust, that 1 erpeoted at every moment to see the red Hash of inoltett lava, but no; sign of it came. Volcanic dust has been deposited over a wide area of the surrounding country* and ,1 was ( informed, in tho district that the ash, or dust, has been falling! for the past three months in 6ne part or another. The eruption I have Spoken of was succeeded by another, and (mother; iii fact, tho volcano Was in' con-, ti'nuous and heavy eruption' until Va late hour that night, and the-etfect of the great black tblutrtll against the mobnlight wds Very impressive. During tho night, tho tumbling noiso was very pronounced, seeming to Sbak6 the gfoUnd 4t_ times Jis if an earthtpiako - were approaching. "On Sunday/ again, tho eruptions were almost eotttinubus. 1 have' never seen .anything like it in my life before, and I almo'st begah to think that that country Was a good placo to bo out of. One'outburst on Sunday aftfcrnobn was a terrific one. ' The vblcattb Sent'out a loud, Warning boom across tho country, and then up Went a gigantic column of inky black ash-laden steam, and this, column seemed to- whirl round nnrl round, finally spreading out in cloud shape at a great height above tho conp. On Monday, again, up till tlm tilno I left in the express, the'volcano was in continuous eruptioij." ' ;