A NIGHT OF TERROR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 185, 4 February 1914, Page 7

A NIGHT OF TERROR.

j TilK AMiiUY.U KltL'i'TlOX. J STATION BLOWN IN AIU. j . A(!1{ API 11 C NAnUATIVK. Particulars of the Ainbrvm disaster, when the mission -station l was blotted "lit by a volcanic eruption, have already been published, hi!, the following Idler sent by the Rev. R ('. Howie ibrother of the mcdiea! missionary ,'it Aii'iiryin) to his children in Scotland not only throws new light on the cataclysm, but provides the most graphic account yet received of Hie evenl, A copy of the letter was., says the Morning Herald, sent lo the licv. C. I'j. James of Svilnew "Dccemhi r -ill, I ill 3. "Three week i ago yistenlay (Sunday) the whole station on Ambr, m was ' blown right up into the air by a volcano. Tile valley behind hail always sounded hollow, but no one dreamed that the .mission houses and the. hospital were •standing on what was to be an active crater. The hospital was cquip-jeil ill every particular, ami cannot, be replaced for much less than .iMO.OIIb. The extensions begun two years or so ago were just about completed. WARXIXC StCNALS.

. "Loud rumblings and roarings were j heard all day on Saturday, but on | Anibryin they are Used to these noises, land paid little heed to them. Late, at night, when Dr. Howie finished up in the hospital, it was recognised that .something unusual was oceiirring. {'limbing tlie hill behind, he became satisfied that somewhere inland a new volcano •had :broken out. After watching for ■hours, a stream of lava was seen en•tering the. sea, about- a mile or so lo the east, and those who had seen nuin- | hers of such thought that this must be ptlie worst, anil that all was safe, -Xa■tives had 'been coming in all night, every '■one. bringing a. child, but abandoning the l.old and sick, and reporting that destruction was hard behind them.

"Dr. Howie had by this time made up •Jiis mind that they must move, for lie ..could see a big hole opened up behind ill-. Carmithael's house and the angry .lire in it. Jle set about making prepai•ations for the removal of the patients, .and this had to be done ipiietly and •calmly, for some of the patients could -bear no excitement. Mr. Cariniehacl and his family had lleil by this time, ami '.Mr. Stephens, another trader, also. The big hospital launch was tilled up and set ■off, under Mr. Itobertsoii's care, to -Male•kitla. The other patients, and the local natives were shepherded away along the j higher land to the west, where Dr. Howie thought they would be safer. .Mrs. liowie and and Mrs. ISailey went with I .them. Dr. liowie took a boat round for them that they might e.-cape. iiy this time the lava, had come down the -vallfy behind the station, and wiped out Mr. Carmic'liael'si cstablisnicnt, a very heavy loss to him—perhaps as much as .ClitN)!) or ,£ 1000. Leaving the boat with the patients, Dr. liowie iinil Mr. ■Bailey went back by land to see how •things looked before they should leave d'or good. When they reached the stsi•tion, they could see another hole only 4(11) yards behind it. They had to make •for tlie sea, where there was a boat. Dr. ■liowie renlenibered that he had in his .safe over £2fio for the payment at Christmas of teachers and others, ami •thought he might make a try for it. The bent was almost, siifl'iieating. He rushed in and got the money, but would not venture for bis own in the bedroom. Mr. Ilailey had rushed over to his own .verandah for a bag. and (hey :iict at the beach. If there had been no empty •cases around they would not have nian•aged to board the boat, for the water -was 'boiling' hoi. Hundreds of dead' lish .were lloating about. Pushing oil', they •made outside the reef to watch. Tito poor station horse was galloping wildly around, and made, a. rush for Jlie sea, anil so was killed, probably ifWnediatoly.

AX AWKUr, KXI'I.OSJOX. "After about fifteen minutes they ■heard a tcrriliu roar, and saw the whole .station thrown right up into the air, and saw what they took to be tie.' ■sheets of iron spreading oil' in all ilii'vc-, tion with the heat. The lava was so hot that it was as white as possible. 1 Had there been any wind very likely they would have been overwhelmed, but as it was the whole mass was projected •upward and fell back into the hole. Mr. •Kilmer, of the. Church of Christ Mission on Pentecost, met them outside the reef, jI In had come to see whether he could help. He took thot-e in the boat on ■board his launch, and towed the. boat around to where. Mrs. liowie ami Mrs. liaile, and the natives had been left. Satisiied that they had left for Malekula. the launch and the boat proceeded along the coast, and were lilted with natives till the water was lapping' orer 'hotli gunwales. Fortunately the Sea was perfectly smooth. "They had" to prevent, others coming on board, and promised to return as speedily as possible, One poor woman with a child swam out into the sea and was drowned. Another woman wanted to take a load of food with her, and when they refused on account of room she refused to go, and soon after she was engulfed. ''There was no panic among the school ■natives, but among the heathen they say some blamed others for having 'brought about the eruption, and they ■ fought anil killed each other. Those that Air. Kilmer's launch and the boat ■took oil' were proceeding from the shore •at a vervt slow rate, on account of dust getting into the engine, when they saw ■ a great, dust cloud coming on them. ■They expected it would be hot. and that it would burn them to death. However, l.liey bargained together to wait till it ciime, and if it was hot they were to jump overboard. When it came it was cool! They were safe, but recognised ■that- unless it passed over ipiickly they would be suffocated. They steered across it, judging the direction by -lie wind, ami soon were clear.

TEUUOU-STUICKKX NATIVKS. . "They were met outside by the. lios.pital launch, which had delivered Ms lirst load, and they returned for move. Mr. bang and Mr. Paton also came, over, and each got a load in their launche*. Ki;tlrt or ten native boats were also plying all 'the time, and rescued many. .It' had been a day of terror, but all danger to the natives from the eruption ended with that day. Hundreds had congregated at Craig s Cove, a place about four and a half miles west, of where the hospital was situated. '.l hey .were in no immediate danger; still they had to be taken off sooner or later, and in the. morning of Monday Mr. Long, Mr. Vaton, Mr. Robertson. Mr. Tlailcv and Dr. liowie went over to their help. There were at this stage ten small craters playing where the station nad -been, and all island was being formed •outside it. Since that time the island I has been joined on to the mainland, and tiiere U a passage through to a little shell"V"d harbor. The craters had I -unit. I 'il. ii'.io one. and it seems that, the ' sea has filled it. The;.' is a crater slil!

nctire up behind, am! altogether that part lII' ill.' isliiml lias K <> changed that no line woiiM rctoLiiii~.c it.

"Kvciylhing was iost at Anibrv.-n ■■*• <•<')>' I I'tv clot Ill's ill which 1 hey stood, -tl! tin: hospital mid its equipment, and all till) household thing- ;/:i 1 lu-i i9 r ; ever since Dr. liowie v.cut I<> Aniiimn. ilis {fivn I est loss lie counts not i veil his medical and surgical hunks, id which he hail a largo uunih"r of Ihe l/esl . bit', the records of all the ca-e- he has had. and (lie numerous valuable spc.'imeiis that lie has colh'clcd duiine ;i!l De-.-e ■year#!. "Wc expect them to build another hospital. 'hut it cannot, lie mi Aiiihvriu. •If the \"ictori:ui Church consents, very likely it will lie erected on Malckul.'i. Failing this. it may lie estahlisheil a', no great distance from us here al Santo."