WAIMANGU ERUPTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 April 1917, Page 3

WAIMANGU ERUPTION.

FRYING PAN FLAT BLOWS UP.

GOVERNMENT ACCOMMODATION HOUSE WRECKED.

OCCUPANTS BADLY INJURED. Rotorua, April 1. Information was received this morning, about S..'!o o'clock, of a most terrific and disastrous eruption that had taken place at Waimangu resulting in the- wreck of the Government Accommodation House and serious injury to the inmates (Mr. and Mrs McConiiick and their child). The news was brought in by Mr. William Wood, who has a selection in close proximity to the great geyser. The resident officer, on learning that Mr and Mrs McCormick bad been injured, procured a motor car and made arrangements to proceed to the scene, accompanied by Dr. Osborne. On the way out, .when about half way, a car was met with the three injured people, and the doctor accompanied them in to Rotorua, where they were taken to Nurse Glasson's private hospital, and are progressing as well as can be expected. Mr. McCormick is much scalded about the body and face, and also his liands. The child is scalded about the face, while Mrs McCormick is severely scalded all over, having evidently received the full brunt of the awful blast that wrecked the house.

The eruption took place at G. 20 a.m., at which time- the clock in the house stopped. From what can be surmised the whole of the Frying Pan must have erupted, and a blast of steam, mud and wind swept up. the valley, which, in its onward march, unroofed the house, parts of the house having been driven a distance of 800 yards across the valley and on to the ridge beyond. Everything in the house seems to have been wrecked, the carpet having been blown up and all articles overturned. Recovering from the first shock of the outburst, the inmates appear to have taken refuge under the bed, but, realising that the mud was being driven into the. house, and fearing that exits would be jammed by an accumulation of the mud, McCormick and family, after much trouble, got clear of the building by the back door, it being impossible to face the fury of the steam, mud and wind that was raging in the front of the building, Notwithstanding her injuries, Mrs MeCormick started for the residence of Mr Wood to give the alarm, telephonic communication being impossible, as the telephone was wrecked. Mr Wood, seeing that more than an ordinary eruption had taken place, was proceeding in the directon of the geyser, and picked Mrs McCormiek up, removing her to his home, where she was eared for by Mrs Wood. In the meantime Mr Wood returned for Mr McCormiek and the child The surroundings at the Accommodation House indicated that the force of the eruption must have, been terrific, the roof of the verandah having blown off and lifted on to another knoll. The roof of the main building was scattered all over the valley and rdges adjacent. Thtescape of the inmates is nothing short of a miracle.

The scene of the eruption—Frying Pan Flat—resembled Hell let loose, mud, water and steam being shot to heights varying from COO to 800 feet. Black mud, red mud, stones and steam of all colors were to be seen, and a remarkable sight was the. immense blocks of stone being hurled immense distances, and silhouetted in white steam in the i background. Another peculiar sight was the falling of what was no doubt stones; but they appeared to lesemble comets or shooting stars, having the brilliance of comets.

_ Mr A. Wnrbrick, who, at the instigation of the resident officer proceeded'to the scene of the eruption from Wairoa, across Lakes Tarawera and Rotomahana, is of opinion that the whole of the flat —some forty acres in. extent—lias blown out, and, so far as he can see, he considers that Gibraltar Hock has also erupted. The country to the south of Waimangu, for a distance of about three miles, is covered with a dirty whitish sand or mud, all vegetation being smothered. The force of the steam and wind can be gauged from the manner in which the fern has been swept down a«a levelled to the ground. The configuration of the Flat will be altered entirely, and. it is not likely that there will bo any round trips for some time, the tracks through the Flat forming a portion of the land embraced by the eruption, which commenced evidently at G. 20 a.m. At the. time of leaving 'everything was still very active, the roaring of the escaping steam being heard at some distance. It is estimated that the damage to the Government Accommodation House is much greater than that to MeCrae's Hotel at Wairoa during the eruption of Tarawera 31 years ago. After seven hours there appeared to bo as much power behind the mud as at the start.

Mr. McCormick will be a heavy loser, as the furniture, and effects at the house were his property. Much sympathy is felt for him and his family. It was only on Thursday last he returned from a holiday. Yesterday many visitors took the round trip, and passed over the ground that erupted this morning. Several were out and viewed the scene of desolation, and expressed their gratefulness that the eruption did not take place while they were on their journey across the. fiat. '