THE RECENT VOLCANIC OUTBREAK.

Kumara Times, Issue 3016, 3 July 1886, Page 2

THE RECENT VOLCANIC OUTBREAK.

The latest information regarding the late volcanic ernption we extract from lhe Auckland Herald's special correspondent's letter, dated Rotorua, Thursday, 24th ult., 8 p.m.:— A party went out to-day to Rotoma. liana volcanoes. Mr Dansey, officer in charge of the telegraph station at Rotorua, and a guide rode their hoises to within one mile of the site of Rotomaha Lake. The track has got firm enough for pedestrians, but is very tiring for horses. Volcano No. 1 is dead for the present ; Nos. 2 and 3 are just steaming; No. 4 is throwing up mud occasionally, but the roaring heard on Mr Dansey's last visit had entirely ceased. Lake Rotomahana is quiet, only one mud geyser is playing in the centre. At the back of the Pink Terrace a further portion of the hill had fallen in,'which was traversed by the first visitors, as the lip of the lands'ip showed footprints half broken off. The Pink Terrace geysers are still bowing up clouds of steam, but are not so active. The steam prevented any view of the site of the terrace. They g'<s a splendid view of the country at the back of the White Terrace and of Tarawera proper. The northern lip of the rent is all steaming, but there is no eruptive cone in the rent. There is a cone on the top of the mountain throwing up vast volumes of black smoke and steam. Appearances of the liottom of the rent give the impression that after the first explosion at Tarawera, the White Terrace and geyser system of Like Rotomahana had thrown up an enormous quantity of mud on 'he top of the lower portion of the rent ;is it was filled up apparently 50 feet deep with a deposit. The deposit gave the impression that the large streams of water had worked their way through the mud bank inzigzng directions down to the back of where the White Terrace stood, and into Rotomahann, which still remains in a state of liquid mud. Mr Dansey's impression, contrasting present appearances with those on his former visit, is that volcanic action is grndually dying out. The dense colnmu of smoke and vapour ascending from Mount Tarawera was visible from New Plymouth on Sunday (13th ult., three days after the outbreak), when crowds of persons were to be seen on the various hills surrounding the town gazing at the niHJestic column ascending high up from the horizon. Mr Humphries, Chief Surveyor, took observations with his instruments, with which he was aide to compute accurately the exact height of the rising vapour. He found that the column ascended a height of 22,000 feet above the top of Mount Tarawera. The width of the columu was from If miles to 2 miles, which showed the immense amount of smoke and steam being emitted from the mountain and its surroundings. The New Zealand Times devoted a long leading article to the volcanic eruptions. It said : Deplorable as is the loss of life, it is nevertheless singularly small as c:impared with that which has attended similar outbursts of volcanic energy in other parts of the world. There ig Ul "ch to be thankful for in the fact that

the disturbance occurred in a part of the country so thinly peopled. Again, the destruction of property has been relatively trifling in proportion to the magnitude of the outburst, although serious enough to the unfortunate individual sufferers. Perhaps the heaviest loss will prove to be in the temporary destruction of all feed for stock by the tremendous avalanche of mud which deluged the whole of the affected district, but it is already hoped that the winter rains will speedily overcome that difficulty. There is one loss which is most regretable, and wholly irreparable, that of the unique Pink and White Terraces, the wonder and delight of every visitor, and a yearly increasing attraction to tourists. The Rotomahana Lake and its Terraces have bodily disappeared from the face of the earth, and have been replaced by a numerous group of active volcanic craters. Much is lost in beauty, but as much, is gaiued in sensational and scientific interest, and we anticipate that more rather that fewer tourists will come to see the new Volcanic Wonderland that has been opened up within the last eight days. The area affected is of limited extent, and so far as the colony as a whole is concerned, even this huge local outburst has caused no disturbance at all, although it has, of course, excited intense interest. [united press association.] Auckland, July 2. All is quiet again at Rotorna, the clouds of smoke over Tarawera having dispersed. Tnhoto, the old Maori who was rescued after having been over four days at Wairoa, died in the Rotorna Hospital yesterday afternoon. The water of the south end of Eotoiti was in violent commotion forfive hours last night. This was succeeded by occasional violeut shakes. There was constant vibration, and no wind at the time of eruption. The women and children leave now.