The Waimangu Accident.

Manawatu Herald, 3 September 1903, Page 3

The Waimangu Accident.

INQUEST ON THiii BODIES.

It is believed that Joe Warbrick, who was among those killed by an eruption of the Waimangu geyser, might have escaped, but that be turned back to try and assist the women.

The remainder of the party, numbering twelve, had a narrow escape. At the inquest on the bodies of the four victims of the Waimangu accident, Gi.ide Warbrick said he warned the deceased and others that the spot where they were killed was dangerous, but his warnings fterb disregarded. He told Mrs Nicholls to call her daughters back, but the girls only looked round and smiled at their mother.

Mrs Nicholls then walked on thinking the others would follow. When he last saw deceased they were standing on the brink of the geyser.

When the great eruption went up he had to carry Mrs Nicholls out of the reach of danger. The others were washed away. Witness proceeded to describe the finding of the bodies.

The clothes of the deceased were torn to shreds.

There was no barrier or protection to prevent people going too close to the geyser, though warning notices were stuck up. Dr Wohlmann expressed the opinion that death must have been instantaneous.

John Donnelly, who was with the deceased at the time of the eruption, but managed to escape, said one of the young ladies seemed anxious to get a snapshot with a camera.

As he ran there was a terrific roar and everything became dark. Material seemed to fall all over them.

Had they taken notice of the guide’s warnings, no accident would have occurred.

The jury brought in a verdict of accidental death, and stated that no blame was attachable to the guide, who repeatedly warned the deceased and others and pointed out dangerous spots.

Mr C. Glover and his sister, who witnessed the terrible accident at Waimangu geyser, had a narrow escape. When the eruption took place Mr Glover called out to his sister to run for her life. Fortunately, they had a clean path in front of them, and got away just in time, a huge fragment of rock falling in front of them. The eruption lasted about two minutes.

A Tasmanian and a Maori escaped by pressing themselves tightly against the . bank, taking advantage of a slight depression in the surface. The others apparently attempted to reach the path, but without success, the boiling torrent sweeping them into the seething cauldron below. The Maori had an open umbrella with him at the time, and this kept much of the blinding spray off him. The Tasmanian had bis knee badly cut.

In an interview Mr Glover said: — “ You will form some idea of the force of the explosion when I tell you that a stone weighing not less than a hundredweight was projected through the air for well-nigh a mile, and ere it buried itself almost out of sight in the earth split a hugh rook into fragments. Hundreds of tons of mud and stones were thrown up from the mouth of the geyser.” Joe Warbriok, who perished in the disaster, was one of the famous footballing Warbricks of years ago. He represented New Zealand as far back as 1884, and, with four brothers, was a member of the representative team which went to Ragland in 1888, after the visit to this country of Stoddart’s fifteen.