Volcanic Eruption.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7914, 1 September 1905, Page 3

Volcanic Eruption.

Particulars of the Savaii Outbreak.

A bca ol iiioiitii Lava.

Crater Belching Forth Flames. The Auckland Herald's "conespowlwit al I ago Pago, in Samoa, who lias visited the scene of the recent volcanic eruption in tile German island of Savaii, sends the following interesting particulars of the 6utlireak : "tin Friday, Aug. 1, early in the morning, thu residents of bofotu and surrounding districts were awakened hy shocks of earthquake and loud reports resembling the discharge of heavy guns. On looking outside the whole place was lit up. A fresh crater had broken out, which appeared to them almost at their back doors. When day broke it was found that the crater was seven miles inland, and nine miles to the eastward of the old crater, which broke out a.,bui three years ago. A party of residents left at once for tne scene of the outbreak, and located the crater as being in a gully on a piece of land known as Matavanu. "During the next week, as all kinds of conflicting rumours were coming to Apia daily, His Excellency Dr. Solf chartered the steamer Maori, and proceeded to Savaiij Leaving Apia at eleven p.m. on the 17th, Matautu was reached at five a.m. on the 18th. His Excellency and party were accorded a fine view of the crater, as, from the ship, when, outside of Matautu, the flames were seen shooting up about 100 ft into the sky at Intervals of about seconds, and the sides of the lava field looked like a serpent of fire as the niolton lava wound its way through the dense Hush, burning everything along its sides.

"On landing, the Governor found that the natives were not in the least alarmed, and that no damage to property had been'done. Air von de Heide, whose plantation was reported destroyed, came down to the post office at Matautu to get his letters, and told us that his place was not injured at all. On the 18th, Dr. •Milf, accompanied by Messrs Williams and Haidlen, went round by Safotu to view the lava field, whilst another party, of which your correspondeut was one, started for the crater. "Leaving Matautu on horseback and in buggies, an hour's ride inland over a good road brought us to Mr Schmidt's plantation. Here we lctt our horses and buggies, and a 34 hours' pleasant walk through the bush on a 'airly good track, brought us to the south side of the crater. Dunn" the last half-hour . the reports of' the explosions were deafening. Wc could not sec anything through the dense bush, and imagined that we were within a few yards of the crater, llic first actual proof we got of its proximity was a large lump of redhot stone crashing down through the trees within a few feet of our track A few seconds after we could see the smoke through the trees, then a larger heap of stones about 300 ft liigh, from the top of which, at intervals of about ten seconds, masses of stone were being thrown Into the air. Large blocks coming out of the water at a white heat, turning red and then black, were going up in the air until almost invisible, and falling some at the crater's edge, others a quarter of a mile away in the bush, lire noise made by the explosions was like thq discharge of artillery, and was quite deafening. We approached jo within 100 yards of the crater out, as the stones were coming down all around us, we turned back "After about one and a half hours' sojourn we turned off our track and went to the end of one of the arms of Hie lava field. At this place the ■a\a in in a deep gully, which it has 0II(d up, and is over 100 feel hi E h ami in a straight line anout two ami * "all miles from the crater The lower portion is like sand at a wuiu leal, and on the top are stones and aige rocks. The whole mass is gradually moving towards the sea, pushF?om th Way i th ? Ugh the densc bush, nom the elevation the lav a looks ;k(,. great s e a, with the" n g S r hills sticking out of it, as if thev were islands, and covers about s?x square miles of country. But as (is jo far no great damage has been ;<o..e,.a ndno6oodlan / has^a bten