The Tarawera Disaster

Manawatu Standard, Volume XII, Issue 1736, 17 June 1886, Page 4

The Tarawera Disaster

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["(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Wellington, Tnesday ; il p.m. A, Maori woman rescued from "Waihanga bas told a Wairoa native that she and her husband were m a large house at "Waibanga. The house fell, and her husband was killed. Tn the morning she tried to get to Karara, and was struok badly by falling mud, but she staggered on m a dazed state m the direction of Waiiro* till fonnd by the natires, but has no vecolleotion where. She is m a Tery weak state, and fears are entertaiiied that she will not survive. The natives will try and get her to the Eotnrna Hospital by way of Kaitereria. The Maori Tohunpa, old Tuhoto, is getting m well atthe Hospital, and oan now sit up and talk. Tb« heavy rag he had on when entombed kept him warm, and as he lay there was no waste of tissue, which acconnts for his being found after his captivity m such good condition. The Eev. Mr Fair/brother had a conversation with him at the Hospital to-day. He said he prayed earnestly and continuously to be delivered. Mr Fairbrother asked him if it was to the Atua of the Maoris, but he said no, to the Atua (God of the Pakehas, Europeans). The natives at tho Hospital will have nothing to do with him, being frightened that . he is a wizard. Mr Fairbrother changed his clothes for him to make him comfortable, the natives refusing any assistance. The natives from different settlements are coming m daily to tangi over the loss of the Tnhourangi people. Captain Mail* got into Rotorua via Kaiterii late this afternoon, with hi» boat's crew. On leaving Wairoa a iope was tied to a tree and thrown down the cliff, to enable them to climb up the clift; down which thoy lowered themselves to the boat, but the fissures m the cliff gave little hope of getting back that way. After starting from the lauding place at Wairoa 'for,? the . Moura native settlement, they were accompanied by avalanches of sand falling from the cliffs on the right, which fell iufo the lake with terrible velocity and weight, causing the lake to make serious pulsations. They reached the side of the Moura village, where 45 Maoris are buried. Hero the mud is m a liquid .state, running into the lake with rapidity. The whole site of the village has been shot bodily into the lake. Tho large grove of larka trees which grow there was floating a mile into the lake. All tie rocky points about here appear to have been batted or shaken to pieces. They floundered Llirongh the mud over to the bite of the village, and no sign of life went on to Ariki. Between Moura and Ariki, tie washing stone, where clii dirt of the lake was wont to ho precipitated, has disappeared. They reached Ariki at 3 o.in. The whole front of Tarawera on tins ' front bas boen changed by the earthquakes. At the base of tho mount vast inoun<la of volcanic grit were piled up, Fialf across the inlet; between Tarawcra proper, aud ftukunia was complerely filled up, making the range like one, and altering the contour of, tho country. The $«outb of Tarawcra Mount has been blown clean off. making an indentation like kicking m the front of a felt hat. This lias formed a large crater, which is xtill active, and the. upper lip of which seems hundreds of feet deep, J mmediately behind Ariki, m the direction of Rotoma haha, is a very large steam hole, near the Wbita Terrace, m violent and from which is springing immense clouds of black, steamlade'a dust. A chain of black steam i«ts or craters appeared to run from near Okaro, through Rotomahana to TaYawera, and along it to the north end, the last being the north-east end of Watanga, above Tapabaro. Fluff or volcauic dust appears to have been discharged by the crater at the end of Tarawera mountains j it varies from 10 to 50 feet m depth . At Ariki there are 40 natives covered by it 30 feet deep, with a top dressing of two feet deep of soft mm]. The Eairaki creek, f rum Rotomahana, is dry. Captain Mair decided to no up it, with walls of hot dust on either side 20 to 30 teet high. They penetrated up it till they found it became too hot to go further; then they got over the walls m the direction of the village, MtruggliDg op to their knees. From this point they could see steam jets steaming from a circle m the southern horizon. They tried to proceed over to the top wall, but found the stiff mud too deep, and had to return to the boat. Tli^y then counted round tho eastern side of tho lake, and found a .«eaivh party of 9 natives, who camo f. om Mahaka, of Ngahirongatikia, who had been two days struggling- through from Tapahoro m the endeavour to reach Ariki. They were exhausted, - and Captain M'air's parly supplied them «ith mont of tlnir stores of provisions, and then took tbyoj by boat to a place near the outlet of Tarawera, from which they could return safely to their homes. Captain Mair then headed back for Wairoa, but was unable to get ashore at the; landing place, owing to the fissures m fie cliff, where the road was suspended. but he put into Pomparoma, one mile from Wairca villiage, and abandoned the boat. It took two hours and a "~ hdf to get over a mile of ground, struggling through the mud which slipping down the side of the hill. HSome ot the party were completely and had to lie down m the mud track. They arrived' at Wairoa at 11 o'clock that night. Among other changes at Lak Tarawera, the grove of acacias at Kaivika is completely gone. The Tarawera River is blocked with sand run. ning at random over sand flats near the base of Mount Edgcumb, at the - back of Okataka. The lake seems to be intact, but everywhere else is ufcterley destroyed. 95 Maoris were at the nettlemenfc on the Ariki ; among tlnm Samuel Brown, baker, formerly of Qhinemutu, and his Maori wife apd five children perished ; and also at Te Ariki, four Taupo natives who wereonavnit. Eararo, a Roman Catholic catecbistoi the Rangitikitiki tribe, was also lost. Whikipara, chief of theNtratoi hapu, Tuhourangi, wfts lost at Moura, with fonr sons and their wives and childr n. . Captain Mair says it is evident tbar rtfce fist outbreak was at the south Ipiu^of Tarawern, from which came all dust ) 'then came the top dressing from the steam volcanoes Rotomahana. Tho whole HP^Jr look* like a vast buah clearKgtxcept for the Rrey ash instead fJJ black, and the rmtu.rnl features of tht COUUtry aro completely »1~

A paity of six who left for Rototnahana by the Galatea road have jtist returned. They advance! to a hill at the back of the Pink Terrace, being the most accessible side. Smoke was blowing u>> the valley. At a quarter of a mi! e from the crater at the back of thi; Ten-ace, four of the party declined to go further, but a son of Captain Still, of tiatnilton, and Mr Blomfi. Id pushed on to the very edge of th >, crater and saw the volcanoes m eruption m Rotouiahana. ft was unspeakably grand. They watched one mud volcano, and counted four second < before the mud fell. Mr Blomfield started to sketch, when Still called hiu back, and they had only returned thirty yards' when the place where they had been slipped into the crater. The whole slope appeared to have a sliding motion, which succeed an, earth tremor. On returning they met Dr Hector and parfy. The " otographeis with them hnd been successful m getting 1 views of the whole of the scene of the volcanic eruptions. N Gisbobnjs i uesday. News from the East Coast states that the districts beyond Tologa Bay are more or less affected by the eruption. Waiapn, Rotokautakua, Waiomatatini, Waiporo, and other places are coveied with sand to depths varying from three to eight inches. In many districts cattle and sheep are dyingibr want of food, not a yestign of which is to be found. A number of .1 irda are, also, lying about ;dead mobs of sheep, cattle, and horses, are wandering about m a bewildered condition. The settlers are feeding the sto k on what hard food they have got. ; On 1 Colonel Whitmom's run sheep arc wandering about for food. Stretches of c iuulry ; are ,completely devasted. The damage done mast be serions.