TARAWERA TRAGEDY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 312, 29 June 1912, Page 1 (Supplement)

TARAWERA TRAGEDY

.«_ ! A MEMORABLE ANNIVERSARY. Twenty-six years ago the tragedy of Tnrawcni liml just occurred, and the Maori villages of Wairoa and Te Ariki (on the shores of Lake Rotomahana) were freshly buried in their tombs of fiery volcanic debris. Likewise, half a dozen European residents and many scores of natives had perished. The story of the great eruption of June !) and 10, 1880. has been told times without number to the thousands of tourists wlio pass through the hot lakes district each year, but many of the vital facts have become garbled in transmission. A Star reporter, therefore, recently sought an interview with Mrs. Hazard, widow of the well-known schoolmaster, who perished with a portion of his family in the awful calamity. This interesting lady was found at Heme Bay, and from a wonderfully preserved store of memories she graphically described the appalling disaster that bereft her of a husband, two daughters, a son, a nephew and a much-loved home. Mrs. Hazard is 0!) years of age, and is as active as many a woman of far fewer trials would be at 50. Hers is a sunny disposition, and but' for a head of silvery hair her age would be under-estimated. Seated in her cos-ily-furnished sitting-room, with her painting outfit by her side, and many scenic pictures hung round, this lady is an entertaining hostess. A HAPPY HOME. "Yes," she said, when ushering the visitor in; 'T will be pleased to tell you all about it. That large photo is the picture of the house as it stood 'before the eruption. It was a beautiful little \ home, with its garden and orchard. We had been there about nine and a-half years. The natives would not hear of us leaving, for they had taken such a liking to my husband, even to offering valuable gifts of land. He was in charge of the native school, and apart from our own children and those of the Mcßae family, who kept one of the two hotels in the district, there were no European children to be taught." The photo referred to showed a small single storey house with a detached building, which Mrs. Hazard explained had been put up a short time before to afford more room for the entertainment of visitors. There, too, were all the members of the Hazard family photographed among the flowers and the fruit. It is an enlarged picture of a photograph taken by Mr. Blythe, Government surveyor, about six months before the eruption. The last-named, together with an assistant (Mr. Lundins) were guests of the Hazard household, as they had often been before, when the tragedy occurred. It was- a Thursday night. AX APPALLING SPECTACLE. "Besides myself and my husband," said Mrs. Hazard, "there were in the house Mr. Blythe, Mr. Lundins, our daughters, Clara (aged 22), Ina (aged 16), Edna (aged 6), and Mona (aged 4), our son Adolphus (aged 10), our little nephew, Charlie Hazard, and a Maori woman. We had retired to bed after \ spending the evening sociably Mr. j Blythe was reading aloud, others were playing chess—when at about 11 o'clock there was an earth tremor. First it was severe, then lighter, then severe again. We all got up and went into the sitting I room, in the detached portion of the I house, The place commenced to shake severely, and through the front window I we could see bursting from Mount Tara- ! wera, on the opposite side of Lake Tara- ■ wern from where we were, a distance of i about twelve miles, great volumes of | flame, just as though a huge bush fire | was raging. Above the angry tongues lof Are were awful-looking coils of dense black clouds, while dancing about all over the mountain were balls of light, like immense lanterns, together with a continuous zigzag of lightning. I have learnt since that this was an I electric storm." THE WORST REALISED. The household would appear to have been remarkably serene. Mr. Hazard remarked: "This is a most wonderful sight. It will be something to tell of throughout the rest of our lives." Mrs. Hazard had by now, however, awakened to the danger that threatened them from the effects of the eruption, even at that ] great distance from the source whence - I came those dreadful volumes of molten ! matter and the terrorising flames. She replied to her husband. "We will not all live to tell it." The Maori woman expressed the belief that the day of judgment had arrived. Then the family and visitors got settled down inside, where the eldest Miss Hazard played at the organ, with the others standing round and singing. The last hymn they sang was. "There will be Light in the Morning." A NIGHT OF HORROR. "It was Providence that saved me," said Mrs. Hazard, with the further remark that she' had never before told the story of her actual escape to an interviewer. "I was sitting on a chair which ran on casters." she added, "and when the mud and stones commenced to fall on the roof T wriggled the chair backwards towards the chiffonier. Just then a large beam fell down from the root, striking my husband, and falling at one end at the'spot where I had been sitting. The other end crashed down on the chiffonier, rested with agonising weight on my leg, and pinned me in a crouching position on my chair. The roar and the din was awful all the time, and I couldn't move. My litle boy, who had been standing by me, said, 'We can't live, can we?' and I replied, 'No, deaT, we will die together.' He then said, 'Jesus will come and take us,' and I never heard ■his voice again. While the debris and mud were ""falling in, one of my little girls gave a last glad cry of 'pupper,' and spoke no more. All through the night, the roar of the volcano, the. sound of"the falling mud, and the heat of the flames continued. I could not move or make anyone hear, and but for the corru- ' gated iron on the building I am sure I should have been burnt." IN THE MORNING. Although the actual eruption was over at midnight, Mrs. Hazard was buried bel neath the iron and mud for about seven hours after that. Mr. Blythe and some rescuers succeeded in locating her then. Try how thev could, the task of releasin<' Mrs. Hazard seemed impossible, until the ladv herself directed them to knock the V<s off the chair and let her down. One o"f the legs was so badly injured. (hat she could not use it for a month ■iflerwards She was carried through 'the Takitapu bush, much of which had fallen overnight, and then taken into Rotorua in a buggy. A week later she was removed to Auckland. Mrs. Hazard was so prostrated at the time that sh; did not gain more than a momentaiv idea of the awful devastation which hal been caused to the whole landscape. S e explained that her daughter Clara sh.l, tored beneath the organ with Mesa's Blvthe and Lundins, while her dauglrer lull and the Maori woman crouched oneaih some corrugated iron in one of (he bedrooms, until they found safty in a hen-house. These were all sand, but Mr. Hazard, the two youngest grls, their brother and cousin all pensied. The house, as well as the native vittge, was partiallv buried, as tourists who have viewed the spot well know.

'!'!!!'• <>T!ll-:i; Knioi'KAX VII TIM. The rcmainin.ir Kurnpeaii vi.-lin was a Mr. Bainbridgc. a young English tourist, who was the sole occupant of Mcßae's Hotel, apart from Mr. Moßae and the servants, Mrs. Meltae and the family being away from home. When the erup- ' tion first started. Messrs Alcßae and Bainbridgc walked to the to;> of the hill to view the sight. Realising the danger which threatened the eo'untry all around, however, they returned to the hotel, and decided that they should take the servants to shelter in' Sophia's whare. As they were leaving the hotel, Mr. Bainbridgc stopped back to allow one of the women to pass, and when they reached the whare he was missing. On returning to the hotel, they found that he had been struck dowii .by a . falling beam on the exact spot where 1 he had stepped back in preference to the servant. On the authority of Mrs. Hazard, it may be stated,that Mr. Bainbridge had made up his mind that night that he was doomed, having told some of his companions that three members of his family had been accidentally killed, and that he felt sure he was about to die. ALT, WHO WERE LEFT. Mrs. Hazard's eldest daughter was afterwards appointed to the charge of the native school at Waotu, near PutaTuru. She married later on, but has since died, and her children have thus: far been cared for by Mrs. Hazard. The' second daughter who survived is now; Mrs. A. E. Hobbs, of Jervois road. In parting, Mrs. Hazard remarked that she had not had more than two days' sick-; ness since the eruption, although she had not been of a constitution which might be termed robust. That she extracts much true happiness 'out of life, despite her sore trials of the past' Is plainly apparent. j j