THE AMBEYM VOLCANO

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1944, 30 December 1913, Page 5

THE AMBEYM VOLCANO

NATIVES TERRIBLE FATE.

DETAILS OF THE DISASTER,

(By Tcltsfrapli.—Special Oafrroaxmilcnt.] Auckland, December 29. Further particulars oi' tlio serious Volfliinic otitliroak on the island of Ainbrym in tlio Now Hebrides Group reached Auckland to-day, w Sydney, by moans of tlu'i Island steamer Makninbo to tiro New Smitli Wains part. The passengers on the Makiunbo saw tiw «'ht.i : t« occurrence, and the details furnished confirm tho belief expressed by Captain Clrsvi'V-in, the 'skipper of the I'iicifojtte, that, many tinlivss p<His'hed. . Amongst those who came by the Makiimbo was a party of Presbyterian missionaries, comprising the ifc'v. Dr." J. C. Nicholson, a medical mis- | siomiry at Tmimi, tlie I.{n>v. Dr. Hob- | ertson, # missionary who has been stationed on tin 1 island of .Krrorannga in the New llebrirks for over 46 years; tlio I Rev. John GiHaii and his fister s .Miss GiHmi, who has )j?en assisting her brother at Uripa, on the oast side of the island of Sliilekulft. "A Croat slfiht." "We saw a great sight," said Mr. Gillan, when Mcstiouttri about (Ho Ambrym antiiwttk. "We wefo on ibfl Mnkambo on. our way to Sydney. Wo had l»>en down to Dr. Howie's mission station, Ainbryui. On Thursday, December 4, owing to bad weather, afl?T passing Amhryin, wo had to run back to Port Sandwich oil Malakuja Island, which is a bant 16 miles from Dr. Howie's hospital. Of course, the Ambryiii Volcano has been active sines ISU4. It had been activo previous ic that dilte, but had boon (juioseeat to; a nniuhor of years, when it broke oul violently in 18! M. On that occasion n. stream of lava ran down into the seaTin? surve.yi.np; part? oil tho ship Ikrt —• .ill scientific nieii'-wh-o saw tlio effect', estimate.!.! that tho height of tlw steam that went up into the air when tlio lava ran into tho ,sea on that occasion, was about 85,01)0 feet, Since then the volcano has been active, just bursting out perhaps for n month of a year or two, but always slightly active, and occasionally breaking out pretty fiercely. On almost any occasion from the flight Yiilitiig!) point you could see tlio ll.inns coming np from one crater near the .centre of tho island. On Saturday, December C, nothing unusual was noticed in eoi.mection with tlio volcano, but after dinner the sa-tive eveivin.j; it was noticed the wlwvlo ridgO oil .Ainbrym seemed to bo in eruption, oxtendi'ng for four or five, miles. At tost fivo distinct craters could bo seen, ivhic l, ■ bckliod forth fife and aivoko ami ltiva.

VMotten Lava Ban Iftto tho Soa."

"I.H on: iiour or two," 'continttci Mi*. Gillan, "we could see a s'triwm of lnva coming down from this crater island and towards Craig's Cove, wliieli is about five miles from Dip Point., and .close to Dr. Jlowre's Hospital. . The lava camn slowly down the mountain side, burning everything in its track with aIS-devour* ilig fury, Tiltft a travelling bush fire, and then it ran into tho sea. When tbo molten lava ran into the water it scut lip 4i. volume tif steam to a tremendous (wight-, many times higher than the highest point on Ambryni, wliioh is about 3000 ft. K<i IVnf was felt for Dr. Howie's Hospital, as there is a big hill behind it, and it was thought unlikely tho hivii could get- down to it. It was wlwn wo got to Yili that tl'ie, news was brought, white we were' irait'iug.; I her A to connect with-the. stennter Sliilaita. On tire following Wodnesdav fi'Wii Sydney tho Franco, mioßirr JsJafid boat, came in. They told us the whole plaef* had been destroyed, ftnd that tjiey worn at Amlrfym on the Tuesday when 111" lava oamo down right over'the hospital.

Woto? Launches to ti)e noscuo. "It was aseorf'ained fi:nmj9;.ver,y iit« tclligcnt native,who wis Mi .'Uiibrvm. tJiat on Sunday morning Dr. Bowie ).?••- Ran to take the patients—white people ninl natives—io the Mission station on MoleUttln, whWh' is in xdmi-gA of «h* Hoi*. Jeffries, carrying. abowt 'hilly ot? each trip nf'sixlodn-.tuilesfo Tlioii,l\tr. Lang, fi plnVitor oil M nlpkuln, and tlio Rev.' Fro;], Paton brought motor launches to help in the rescue. A<- . cording to the native.'when Dr. Bowie raffle hack the third' tini'o. ■ftVrfi'tli'iflp; on. tho mission station W'tirf" tl» mission station was goijft. TlUs The Inva had . Covered )t over. At the outbreak in 1.894. the Sn.va flowed -to fiiio side;. «>f U-io hosuital, about ton miles away. Resides tlic hospital, tho natl ip said a trader's place, about a mwrtor of a uiilo ok tlte eastern side of tho hospital, was gone, as well us r*n«t trader's place at Craig's Covp, alioi.it five, miles on tlm other side. ' The 'native also said that he knew of at Iwst 20 natives w1»o were destraved near Dr. Bowie's Hospital. Some of thcni wore cmicht, in the lava, wlulft other* swam into tlm son, but wcra BsaWcd to death % tlic heal ef ike. sea water, where the lava bad rmi iivto it,

"Pfobibiy Hundreds Pcrlshqtf." "All tho patients fl-nd those. cojimvied with tlic hospital managed to get away sat'fly. The launches cmrnreHewi re!;?* work on tho Sunday mining. Tho Franco <U1 trot arrive till tho IneSday. It. is probable this report cows only a lew of tlm lors-mv ns tiio -population of Ambr.vn\ is about 5000. From what I could boo of it, a slroala of lovft seemed to be coming down between (..'raif/s Cave mid Port Vsiio, whild aioihri appeared to be coming ilwvit the oilier side near Ranon, where 1:-ho tirevtou-s stroiim lava went down. Pn?lxinly somo hundreds ,of natives . perished, though on otter parts of the .island to native? will probably be all right. Tho steamer Fi'ofioo enint? iftto * iln, and tlw French Resident CommiS&iover sent her bnsk with food to Malok-ula., while Mr. King, the British Resident Coninmsioncr. was coaling Ins vessel wueii «« left, iri order to tsike fur! her sup-pUei? to Malekuln and Ambryni."