NGAURUHOE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 42, 13 November 1917, Page 7

NGAURUHOE

EXPERIENCES OF THREE CLIMBERS

NO INDICATIONS OF LAVA

(By Telegraph.) (From ft Correspondent.)

Waimarino, November 12. Messrs. Cecil A. Whitney, of Auckland, E. G. Humphreys, of Waimarino, and Frank Byer, of Wellington, climbed Nganr'uhoe yesterday, arriving at tho lip of tlio crater at 12.50 p.m. Mr. Whitney, describing- the experiences Of the party, said:—"The volcano had not ljeen active sinco 6 a.m., and was quiet whilst we ivero at the {op, but became'very active just after wo reached the foot of tho mountain, eleven very fine displays taking placo in three-quar-tors of an hour. No lava has been ejected from tho crater, and there are no indication!! of lava on the mountain. We climbed up tho north-west 6ide, and worked towards tho west, The crater has greatly increased in size, being over a quarter of a milo across. We could see down into the crater several hundred feet, but smoke and fumes hid the bottom from view. Tho north side is undermined, and there is much loose material on tho lip ready to fall into the. orater. There is every indication that further large oruptions will occur, but there should bo no danger outside the local surroundings of the mountain. The immense size of the crater, the quantity of material ejected, and tho volume of the smoke and sulphur fumes which were Mown by tho strong wind towards the south, made the spectacle most awe-in-spiring. The dark stream running down the north-west side is not lava, but black scoria ash: It had the appearance of a stream of lava from a distance. v ery little material has been deposited between Ngauruhoe and Tongariro. Ave could see the southern lip of the crater when the smoke was blowing a6ide. It is'fully 800 ft. higher than the lip on the north side. The lip on the north sido is fully 100 ft. lower than it was previous to the eruption, and there are indications that it will be considerably lower before the volcano becomes quiescent. Immense boulders are hurled to a great height during an eruption. • We could distinctly hear the noise • when they fell some time after tho explosion, and we eaw several bonlderß of about 500 cwt. that had fallen fully half a milo north of the crater. Odd patches of tufisock grass on the cone of the mountain had been burnod, but generally speaking, the greater portions liad not been burnt or singed. There were indilations of pumice on the mountain.'