THE ROTORUA FATALITY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 196, 1 September 1903, Page 2

THE ROTORUA FATALITY.

DETAILS. DESCRIPTIONS BY KYE WITNESSES. Per Pries Association. Auckland, August 31. The erup f i;n if tho Wnimar.gu geyser, which uiused the d»ath of four pecipl l , ia described «s stupendous nod terrific, and the "greatest yet witnes •■cd,

Sightseers who have seen what this great natural wonder is capable of will know what this means. There seemed to be three ehots in quick succession, one straight up, and >;he others in a spreading direc f ion. M;sees Nichols were only 19 and 20 years old respectively. An eye witness stats that no blame is ctt-.citable in any way io Guide Warbr'"k, who, prior to tho eruD-ion, beggel his biotner, the young ladies, and JM vNaughton to come away from the position they were in, as be considered it dangerous. To his brother he remarked :- "If an accident happec*you know I will get the sack." He also told Mrs Nicholls to tell her daughters they were in a dangerous position and to urge them to come back. Mrs Nicbolle, cdliog her d*u?hrers by name, rt quested them to come away, to which one of them replied; -- "Justa moment, mother." At that moment the geyser went up, and whet) it subsided it was found that the four were missing. The ill-fated party were on the brow of the hi'l overlooking Waimangu.

Mrs Nicholls is almost distracted at the loss of her daughters. It is only a few months since her husbabd died.

Bu'/keri'lgp, who recently crossed the Waimangu g«yfer with Alf Warbsick, s'ates that h>i is inclined to believe that yesterday's disaster was occasioned by a tremendous inrllsb of air towards the centra of the pool on the subsidence following the upheaval. It is more than probable that the ill-fated people were thus dijawn into the seething cauldroc. One of tha victims, Divid Mctfaughton, was a married man with no children, sged 30. He was manager of a butcher's shop at Archbill and was a personal friend of the Warbricks. He was to have returned to Auckland earlior, but wrote that he intended to stay over Sunday to see Waimunga play.

Later. An eyewitness Bays a large party left Rotortii for Waimangu. The geyser commenced to play soon after the party arrived, and played at short intervals to various heights. About 3.30 p.m. one explosion having occujred, Misses NicholU got their cameras ready to take their next burst. They were then standing 20ft, above the geyeer basin. Two ontbursts followed in quick succession. The second, catching the first and splitting i% threw a tremendous volume of mud and stones over th« surrounding cliffs, rising to above 800 ft.

A puiic took place among the onlookers, every one fl«eing for their lives.

When the burst subsided the four vic'ims had disappeared, and the place was strewn with lock and mud. A. WVtrbrick and o'hers ran to the oudet of the stream, along which 12ft. d ep of boiling water was ru-hing, and elVr an hour's search they found the bodies battered almost beyond recognition. Their clothes had been literally torn from their baoks. Mrs Nicholls was a witness of her daughters' de»truttion, and her grief was I Several of the relief pirty were' scalded by hot sind and bo.liog mud. !

INQUEST. 1 THE GUIDE'S WARNING DISREC'ARDKD. Auckland, August 31. At the icquts; 011 the bodies of the four victims the guide, Warbrick, said he warned the dpeeifel and others that the spo'. where they were killad wat. dangerous, hut bis wartiir.es were d:s rt-girded. He told Mrs Nicbolls to OAll hnr daughters back, but th-> girl* only locke'l round and smiled at * heimother. Mrs NicholU and witnes>then wa!kti on thinking the or.brnwould follow. When hj» last saw the deceased they were standing on th» brink of the geyser. When the grea' eruption went up he had to carry Mrs Nicholls out of tha reach of dangnr. Trie others wera washed away, Witness proceeded to describe the finding of the bodies There was no barrier or protection to prevent people going too do-ifl to the geyser, though warning notices -vtre stuck up. Dr Wohlmacn expressed tha opinion that death must have been instantane ous.

John Djnnelly, who was with deceased at the time of the eruption, but managed ti esc-p*, said one of the young Indies seemed anxious to get a snapshot with n camera. As ha ran there was a terrific roar, and everything became dni'lr and matorml seemnd to fall ov.t th-m. Hud they taken notice of the guidn's warnings no accident would have occurred.

| The jury brought in a verdiot of accidental death, and stated tint no blame was attachable to the guide, who repeatedly warned the decaasei and otb.-rc?, and pointed out the dangerous spits.