VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

Kumara Times, Issue 3007, 23 June 1886, Page 2

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

THE NORTH ISLAND. —: ♦ Our record of events in connection with the great volcanic eruption at Tarawera might be considered incomplete were we to withhold from publicscation the thrilling account given by Mr M'Rae, hotel-keeper, Wairoa, of the terrible convulsion which visited that district on the morning of the 10th inst. Amid the flashes of lightning, the roaring of thunder, the booming of volcanoes, the howling of the wind, the falling of mud and fireballs, and the earth underneath shaking continuously, Mr M'Rae seems never to have lost his self-possession, and did all that humanity could do to relieve and succour those around him, and others whom he thought might be in danger; and he may claim certainly to have saved several lives. The following is his narrative of the “ sight that no man who witnessed it can ever forget.’* m'rae’s statement. About 12 30 a.m. the earth began to shake, and shook continuously for an hour before the eruption broke out. When this was first seen it was just like a small cloud on the mountain, with flashes of lighting of great brilliancy. All were got out of bed, and went to the old Mission Station to ascertain the cause of the occurrence. We saw a sight that no man who saw it can ever forget. Apparently the mountain had three craters, and flames were shooting up fully a thousand feet high. There seemed to be a continuous shower of balls of fire for miles around. As a storm appeared to be coming on, we returned to the hotel, and shortly afterwards what seemed to be heavy stones came pouring on the roof, which •continued about a quarter of an hour. This was succeeded by a fall of heavy stones, fire-balls, and mud and lava falling after the manner of rain. The weight of these substances upon the roof soon began to tell upon it. The first portion that gave way was the detached kitchen and pantry, and then all collected in the smoking room. Those present were Mr and Mrs Humphries, Mr Minett, of the Terrace Hotel, Mr Stubbs, a gentleman from the Terrace Hotel; Mr Bainbrige, a young tourist; Mr Fallon, storekeeper; George Baker, cook ; Mary Kean, Mary Bridan, John and William Bird—my brothers-in-law—one of whom arrived the previous night from Rotorua with a waggon-load of goods for the store. Some Maoris were also in the house. The roof of the hotel gave way about half-past four, and with a loud smash the whole upper storey collapsed, the debris falling into the rooms below. We left the smoking-room and went into the drawing-room, which, as it was the newest part of the house we thought would stand the longest. But it was with the greatest difficulty that we got there, going through falling stones and mud, which impeded us. When we went outside, everybody, without exception, wus cool and selfpossessed. The back part of the house, in which was the dining-room, gave way next, and all of a sudden we heard a fearful crash, and roar as if thousands of stones were falling, and we heard the balcony come down. The danoec of our position was now fearfully apparent. Mr Bain bridge remarked on the fact, and suggested we should engage in a religious service, fie remarked, with awful calmness, that he expected to be before his Maker in an hour or so. We acquiesced, and Mr Bainbridge read a portion of Scripture and said a prayer, in which all fervently joined. At the same time we agreed we should make an effort to save ourselves, and with this object determined to leave (he hotel and make for the first Maori whare we saw standing. At the time ihe-p was a terrific gale, ami hot. s-o ..s and mud still descended i <;•&• santly. We agreed to s i c k togelhar, Mr and Mrs H-impluies aud Mr Bg^

bridge went out first; I and the two girls followed with the rest. It was so daik we could not see a hand before us, and we directed our way by instinct, calling to one another frequently to ascertain the relative positions. One of the men, myself, and two girls arrived at Sophia’s whare, when we found Mr and Mrs Humphries and Messrs Minnett, Stubbs, Bainbridge and Baker missing. In the shower of stones and mud I went out to try and find where they were, and found Baker stuck against a tree. I took him to the whare, and went back to the hotel to find the others, and found Stubbs and Minnett, who having groped about for some time, had returned to the drawing-room. I directed them to the whare, and then went towards the wharepuni, and my delight was great when I heard the voice of Humphries answering my shout. He and his wife made for a carved house, and they reached there and remained all night. I went back to the whare, looking for Mr Bainbridge, but could get no answer, and have not seen him since. My belief is he was stunned by the falling stones, and buried under the mud, which now lies sft. deep all over the settlement, covering everything up. At half-past six I got a candle in a bottle and went up to the residence of Mr Haszard and family. It was still pouring with mud and stones, and I was knocked down three or four times. I had previously been struck down many times when looking after others. When I reached the school residence I found the two eldest daughters, and a Maori girl, Mr Blythe, the Government Surveyor, and his assistant Lundon, some sheltering in a fowl bouse, and others under a part of the house, the wall of which was still standing. The house was in ruins and flames, and I could see no signs of Mr or Mrs Haszard and the other children. I sent the party down to Sophia’s whare, and thence as soon as a glimpse of daylight came, which was about eight o’clock, all the party with the exception of John Bird and myself started for Botorua. I looked again for Mr Bainbridge, and made search for Mr and Mrs Haszard, but was unsuccessful, and then collected tbe horses and started for Obinemutu. When we got a couple of miles on the road we met Messrs Humphries, Minnett, and Blyth returning, with Douglas and Constable Moroney, who had ridden from Rotorua. We all returned to Wairoa and commenced to dig for tbe bodies of the Haszards, and to our great astonishment discovered Mrs Haszard alive. Two children were found dead beside her, but she was not greatly injured. We continued operations until quite exhausted, but found no bodies. We carried Mrs Haszard to Sophia’s whare, and applied restoratives—brandy and port wine—which were the only things we could get.

The contractor for the Rotorna waterworks, Mr Cullen, has reported to Mr C. Malfroy, Government Inspector of the works, that there appeared to be a larger volume of water tn the Puaringa stream|than formerly, and as no rain had fallen he was unable to account for the phenomenon. So far as (he race was cut the ground was solid, and there was no appearance of hot springs or mud holes. There are only about half a dozen on the works, the rest having cleared out since the eruption. Among other changes at Lake Tarawera, the grove of acacias at Karari is completely gone, and the beautiful trees round the lake are all smashed. Tbe Tarawera River is blocked with sand, and is running at random over the sand flats near the base of Mount Edgecumbe at the back of Okataki. The lake seems to be intact, but everywhere else is utterly destroyed. Ninety-five Maoris died at settlements at Ariki. Samuel Brown, a baker, fotmerly’of Obinemutu, and his Maori wife and five children also perished at Te Ariki. Pour Taupo Natives on a visit to Kararo, the Roman Catholic Catechist, were also lost. Wbikipara, the chief of the Ngatai, of tbe Tuhourangi was lost at Mourea, with Hapu, his four sons and their wives and children.