Description of the Devastation. HEROIC EFFORTS TO SAVE LIFE Rotorua, June 11.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 157, 19 June 1886, Page 2

Description of the Devastation. HEROIC EFFORTS TO SAVE LIFE Rotorua, June 11.

I left Tauranga at half -past six, the wind sharp and bracing and the ground covered with hoar frost and the pools with ice. All over tho surface of the land a's far as the ey£ could reach lay a coating of volcanic dusi which was Stirred up into clouds by every puff of wind. As we ascended the hill towards Oropi bus"h this coating 1 became' thinner, f diminishing from an even deposit of about a quarter pf an inch, to th'o bare, covering of the 'ground. " 'Vogotatiok. everywhSro is coated s with this enrthfo* matter, although it is not so -1 deep' aB . . to prevent the cattle from obtaining food. The atmosphere was perfectly clear and the sun unobscured. The few settlers spoken to on the road all referred to the, alarm caused by the un»

toward event of the previous day but it was generally taken lor grantudljtfiat the force of the eruption had expended itsolf. Its distance and the canso of the dust cloud being "frndorstoocl, there was no further uneasiness, except- for the' fate of those near the centre of the oruption. The coaling of I dust steadily diminished as wo nrared Ohinemutu itself. On em erg ng from the bush at the top ot the hill overlooking Lake Rotorua, a magniiiccnt, and at tho fame timo, fraddoi'i'\u spectacle was disclosed. A dense bank of steam of snowy w hiteness expended for miles, and rose above tho range of hills on the shore of Rotorua, opposite Ohinemutu. This bank of vapour diiftcd slowly to the north-wai-d, and merged into another dustcloud, which appeared to be created by the play of the wind upon the thick deposits of dust which covered the hills and foivsts in that direction. In the direction where Tara wera was known to be, I/he bank of steam i was solid and unbroken for miles, and rose to a height of beveral thousand feet farther to the light. Over the road leading to Kototnahaua was another va-t coluuin ; over that lake tho setting sun lit up thesu cloud - banks with a Hush of pink, .covering with a gloiy tho ramparts of desolation below. Taking within this view the whole lino of hills iioin Taheke to Ohinemutu, that is to say, the whole of the northern shore of Rotorua, everything wore the grey drab tint of the volcamccMm. At Ohinemutu itsulf tho steam jots appearod rather less active than otherwise, although numbers of new .springs have broken out and the water of Lake .Rotorua has riten a foot.

TAHEKE. Parties have arrived from the Land Court which was fitting at Taheke under Judgo Mair when the eruption occurred. They modify tho statement made regarding the depth of the volcanic debt if along this line. At Taheke it averaged four inches and foil softly, settling into mud by the rain. Piceautions wore taken to shovel it off the buildings in order that they might not be crushed by the weight.

TREES STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. At the Ngao the shower was heavier, the dust falling to a depth of nine inches. The stories of mud and stones being deposited to a depth of several feet at this place are thus disproved. The dust covered up all vegetation, leaving cattle absolutely without food ; pome have already died at the Ngae. Others are being fed on hay. The block of land at Taheke, which was valued on Tuesday at eleven shillings an acre, is now declared almost worthless, owing to this thick deposit of dust. Beyond Taheke, in the direction of Taurangu, the lightning felled several trees, which produced bush fires, and falling timber has obstructed the coach road. There was, fortunately, no loss of life in any of these directions.

SANG FROID OF THE OHINEMUTU PEOPLE. The inhabitants of Ohinemutu have now settled down quietly to their former pursuits, almost as indifferent as ever to the treacherous character of the ground on which their buildings stand. They have not, however, got over the shock caused by the horrors of that dreadful night when the heavens glowed with lurid fires, the earth shook and trembled, and the air was alive with missiles. Women fled affrighted in the direction of Oxford, but most of them stopped at the residence of Mr Robinson, native school-master, at To Awahou settlement, nine miles from.Ohinumutu, where they remained till yesterday. Butit is when we &etout from Ohinemutu in the direction of Tarawera and Rotomahana, the favourite resort of tourists, that the stupendous calamity which has befallen this place is revealed in all its awfulness. A melancholy procession passed along this road to-day to dig out the Hazard family and the remains of missing natives. The pretty little Tikitapu bush, such a favourite with tourists, is completely destroyed ; the hole forest is covered with three Feet of volcanic dust. Trees 170 fee high are lying flat, torn up by the convu sion and the high wind, and their roots, dfe they wero torn from the earth, lying in many caess 10 feet high. All undergrowth is swept away or torn down with the weight of the debris, and. not a leaf is to be seen and tho foliage of the big trees is destroyed. On reaching tho Tikitapu Lako wo find that it is the "Blue Lake" no longer ; the colour of tho water is changed to a dirty brown. Following the road the sidings aro filled up with drift deposits to half tho width of the road. Rising the hill we como in view of Rotokakihi. What was once the green lako is now dirty water, and the heaviness of the shower may bo gauged by a ditch of two feet and a bank tour feet, the top of which only is visible. The rivci- conveying tlio outflow of the lake is stopped, and the bed filled up. In tho gully beyond this point was seen tho dead body of a hovso, which had been tethered, and had esidently made a fierce struggle for life. Tho entrance of Wairoa presents a ppcpc of complete desolation, the whaie top^ pceiing out of tho accumulated dehi't'f. On the roof of one was lying dead tho body of of its former owner, who had been dug out. Throe rooms of the Terrace Hotel aro standing, but the back part is knocked away and the balcony stove in. The Rotomahana Hotel is a shattered wreck. The roof of a store next door has tumbled in with the m eight of stuff. Mr Hazard's Body STcund. The search party hnd dug out the remains of Mr Hazard, who -^as lying face downward, evidently crushed to the earth with tho weight of th'.bcainswhichfcll across his back. Mr Hazard's death was probably instantaneous as also that of hw little boy who is in a fearfully crushed state, but hia little seven-year-old daughter appeared to have suffered a groat deal ot agony. 3ho was 1\ ing on her back with a wound on her face. The house had taken fire and was smouldering, but tho bodies weie not burnt. The three bodies taken out to-day, with the bodies of the two children exhumed yesterday, wore conveyed into Ohinemutu. The old mission station near Hazard's had collapsed. Only a littlo of the roof is visible. The natives aro working hard in the village digging out their belongings. Buried Alive for Thirty Hours. Ono old fellow had dug a way out for himself, after remaining buried in his whavo for thirty hours. An old woman was found doubled up in her whave, dead. A search was, made in a boatshed for the boats, but they were buried beyond recovery. Tho track was noarly obliterated. Lako Tarawera itself is completely overhung with vapour, and the mountain has not yet befem seen, in consequence of the obscuiiug clouds. No single native has come in from Rotomahana — a too significant indication of The Fate of the Arils! Settlement, near tho entrance to' tho lake, which' has, it is feared, been; engulphed, with all- its inhabitants, computed at .about., fifty, .The stream ,ancf waterfall at Wairoa, for"merly running" at the back of tho hotol, has suddenly ' dried' up. One, poor horse' 'w"as seen 'wandering about th & township ifrigli tf fully; cut and battened, This;was\the,,d'nly * sign oL animal, life Jn the deserted pillage. . 'Everything ' else had succumbed to" thai; terrible storm. Mr Blythe> surveyor, who was in Hazard's at the time of the catastrophe, says that at first they thought it was an electric storm with hailstones,

but they soon found out its true character. When they found that the roof wag collapsing with the weight on id, they tried to open the door, but it was blocked up. Mr Lundon, a young surveyor, who was also staying thero, burst the window out, and getting through himself, assisted Misa Hazard through, Mr Blythe following. The,. wind was so tremendous that they made for^an old verandah under which they took shelter. From here they Saw the Fire Bolts fall on the roof and set the place on fire. Miss Hazard then led them through the gloom to the henhouse, which was partly Bheltored. There they remained until found by Mr Mcßae. Mrs Hazard and two daughters are staying in Ohinemutu, and the girls are bearing it wonderfully well. Mrs Hazard's leg is injured very severely below the knee. She is prostrated, but is not considered in a dangerous condition. Describing the manner of the Escape from the Rotoxnahana Hotel, Wairoa, Mr Mcßae, after graphically picturing the scene, paid :— After the first eruption had started, and I found the torrents of lava were b< caking down the hou&e, I said, " Boys, wo shall have to go. Put on what you can to cover your head.'' We all placed rugs and blankets over us to protect us from the danger. Mr Humphries and his wife went first ; Mr Bainbridge, the English tourist, next ; then I took the girls, jumped over the broken balustrade which lay in our way, and lifted the girls over. I called out, *• Are you all right, boAS?" and all seemed to call out " Yes " ; 30 we went on shouting to each other. Having only to go 500 yards to reach Sophia's} house, wo continued shouting to prevent us losing one another. Suddenly 1 missed the young tourist, and putting a shawl tightly round my head, I went at at once back after him. The Snower of Debris was Great. I was knocked down, but getting up •again, called as loud as possible. Though unable to find him, I was rewarded by coming in contact with George Baker, my cook, who was standing against a tiee, and got him Lo the w hare. Then I went to look for Mr and Mrs ttumphiies, whom I had missed. While looking for them I met Messrs Minnett and Stubbs, and helped thorn to reach Sophia's. After some time fuithei searching I was assisted by a brilliant tiro ball coming from the crater and settling on a wharo. It burst into flames and I could sec bettor. Presently I found them, and we went on towards Sophia's. A native accompanied us with a lantern, but suddenly left us in a torrent of blinding mud, which caused us to miss the track, and after much trouble we succeeded. I took a botiJe lantern and covered it over -with a sh.iwl, and going to the schoolhouso caught sight of Miss Hazard clinging to the broken roof of their house. Blythe and Lumsden and the other Miss Hazard joined us. The girls, in reply to questions, said their sisters and Their Parents were Dead in the house. I then got my hrothcr-in-law, Johnny Bird, to return with mo to see if we could render any assistance to the natives. We got into my house and obtained a couple of bottles of biandy and some bread, and gave it to the natives. Johnny and I then returned to the schoolhouse to try and dig out the buried Hazard family, but could not find a spade, so were obliged to abandon the attempt, more particularly as olio darkness and obscurity caused by the falling debris was so great as almost pi*evented us again finding our way, and after going tv. o miles, we were ready to give it up and try and return, not knowing where we might be going to. Mud, stones, etc., weic falling fast about us. We weie much pleased at this juncture when we heard the approach of Blythe, Humpluics, Constable Moroney, Douglas, and Willie Bird. We all Avcnt back in a body to "Wairoa and gob into the store, obtaining two spades and a shovel, and commenced to dig at tho buried schoolhouse. We were rewarded by Peeing the hand of a woman, and quite a thrill was caused by seeing the fingers moving, showing that she was alive. We called to her that v, o a\ ould soon have her out, and on digging away the accumulation, found Mrs Hazard with a shawl wrapped round her head, which wo unfastened. She was sitting on a chair with her back to a cheflbnier. Her right arm was rinind the neck of Mona, her dead little daughter. Her dead little son a\ as across her lap. She said, "Yes; I know they are both ' dead. You can take them away." Ted ! Robertson now came to Wairoa, and helped us to cany Mrs Hazard on a stretcher. Marchereau, manager for Mr Carter, had been half-way to Oxford, but kindly brought his coach and refreshment over to our relief. Next morning (Friday) the Government sent men to help to clear the road, which had got packed up five feet deep with enormous trunks of trees, 9 feot in diameter, across the track, consequently the work of digging out the bodies was attended Avith the utmost difficulty, although from sixty to seventy men mustered on the ground. Tho first thing done wab to search for the bodies of the Hazard family. After cleaning tho diift &and from the demolished structure, the pand was carefully taken from among the sheets of iron and timber, and after a little time the foot of a little boy was seen. When taken out he Avas quite dead. His head Avas fearfully mangled. The next body recovered Avas the little girl. Her face showed that she had been crying bitterly and suffored much, Avhich corroborated her poor mother's statement that she was sure the child wa& dead, as she had heard her crying with pain. Next Ava& found the body of Mr Hazard, much injured on tho head, but his face looked placid, as if death had been instantaneous and there had been no buffering. Operations were meamvhile being curried out by the natives to dig outr tlio members of their tribe, the men and women being found dead in the various buried Avhares. The road to the Hut at Wairoa had to bo cleared and great trees removed. An Unconcerned Maori. An old Maori over 100 years of ago Avas dug out. He had Avaited patiently with his elbows on his knees until his deliverance came, and when tho ashes Avere properly scraped off him, he rose, shook the | dust of the crater from .his person, and without giving a look of recognition to inyone, went straight away off and had, a, good feed. The Rev. Mr. Fairbrother, who lived at Wai roa for so long as a missionary, rode over from Cambridge to visit his former flock as soon as he heard of the misfortune that had befallen them. He Bays: 1 Those who know what a big snow stor^n is,, if .they can imagine lava instead oi heaped up or drifted snow, can understand what Wairoa looked like. • To get to the scen6 of the.Hazard catastrophe Aye had to go through nine miles of it. ' The difference between > Java and snow .is the greater weight of the former, which has borne down wh'atWer it 'rested on, arid what,' was once the l be'alvbif ul A'illage'of Wairoa' is a deso- « late plain of mtjd, with here and there ■ ; of,; trees 1 covered with , lava. Many of the 'great trees of the forest are levelled to the ground Avhile every vestige of forage has entirely disappeared from plain and mountain, the forest looking a perfect wreck. When I arrived, there was one old Maori lady, who

Threw Her Arms Round my Neck. crying, "I must die heie ! I must die here ! " I attorwatds persuaded her to leave and come to Ohinemnfcu. , She then told' mo that Mary and her little boy, were lying^dead in Sophia's wharo. I went inBide. "and, "when able to command my feelings, Molii, the husband of tho dead girl, told me her sad story. JIo .said they were in tho chief's house v\ hen the eruption first commenced, but Maiy was afraid to stay there, because of the noi«e of the falling boards ot the houfcc, and I hey then went down to their own whare, taking two little boys with them. Mohi said, " Well, Fairbrothor has taught us to pray, Let us pray to God," and they prayed. The roof now -was t-mahhed in with lava, stones, and mud. To save the life of the elder boy, he wrapped him in a &hawl and knelt over the little one that its body should not receive any hurb irom falling lava and stones, but the drift rose so quickly round his body that the little one was soon covered, and he had to keep throwing it aside with one arm to keep it away. Mohi had his hands on the ground, and was alsc on his knees, so as to provide effectual shelter for the little one on his back, thus forming a resting place for the increasing fall of lava. All this time hia wife was trying to protect the other littlo boy named after Fairbrothcr, but her effort" weie in vain, and after a &ilent struc^le with the elements, the Java overpowered both mother and child, killing both. Mohi finding it getting dark and lava very heavy on hJs back, made a desperate effort and flung it off, and, taking up his little one, called to his wife to be quick and follow, when to his horror he tound both his loved ones had died silently by his side. They were afterwards dug out. She was in a sitting position with her arncs extending over her babe to protect it from the sand drift. This ia but one of many sad narratives which could be told of Maori devotion to their loved ones in danger.