THE EARTHQUAKE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1789, 13 September 1888, Page 1

THE EARTHQUAKE.

Mr Ealkett-Dawsou contributed to the Otago Daily Times an article on the Hanmer Plains, the concluding part of which is as follows:—The presence of hot springs has an important bearing on the question, What is the meaning of the curious phenomena ? Von flaast enumerates nine springs (see Hist., vol. xiv. 1884): but a careful examination of the district which will now be made will probably disclose several others. The caretaker at the springs says that the water became muddy, and that near the chief

springs on what was dry ground previously «o much water with gaseous emanation* exuded as to form a sheet of water ankle deep. Palmieri has spoken of Vesuvius as sweating fire. The Hanmer Plains near the springs sweated water with sulphurous acid and sulphuretted hydrogen. The distinctive odour was easily perceptible at some distance off. One informant says it was noticeable as far away as Waikari, but this probably was a hallucination. What is an earthquake ? To say as a general rule that it is an uncompleted effort to establish a volcano would be a rash statement, but on this occasion I hazard such an opinion. The phenomena I have mentioned are simply efforts of repressed subterranean forces to find a vent by the production of fissure? in overlying ruck massei It is a matter of notoriety that frequent and continuous earth tremors are the precursors of volcanic eruptions. The extraordinary absorption of gaflses by liquids and solids is now well known. The absorbed gases, under certain conditions not easily understood, are often giren off or occluded. This process may vary to every shade of intensity. It is sufficient to account for the subterranean noises or muffled blasts of dynamite, for such they seem to me. But this process cannot go on "for ever. The pent-up gases must force themselves to the surface. Contrary to the common impression, the process is a gradual one—at first feeble, then increasing to a maximum, and eventually dying away. Prom a novelist's and a sensational standpoint, the premonitions of volcanic energy are well put by Lytton in his " Last Days of Pompeii," in the account of the visit to the witch of Vesuvius before the illstarred erruption in 79 a.d. that overwhelmed Herculaneum and Pompeii. From a scientific standpoint Professor Judd puts it thus: " The first step is a small fissure or crack, then large apertures. From the fissures there is first exuding cold wrter and mud." Prom many of the fissures near the Percival river, one of the two small that flow through the plains into the "Waiau, water and mud come oozing out. This water was cold, and this is just what usually happens. The next step is the issuing of steam, carbonic acid, sulphurous acid, sulphuretted hydrogen and other gaiei, such as boracic and hydrochloric acidn. Along with these, and carried up by their force, are the various solid products of volcanic energy well-known to my readers.

The manifest conclusions I have arched at it that these phenomena are so many uncompleted effort* to establish a volcano. I may be asked, Is there any immediate danger P I reply, " Certainly not." There is evidence to show that when Monte Nuova was thrown up there were pretty continuous earth tremors for upwards of two years. It is quite certain that an aruption in a new area would be preceded for some considerable time by extraordinary and terrible disturbances; and by considerable time might be meant many hundreds of years or more. Moreover, the fact that so far as I can gather the phenomena now are on all fours with what occurred in 1855 shows that long intervals may lapse between disturbances.

A word or two on the plains, 15 nailes long by about three broad. They were once a lake basin, into which the Waiau and the Hamner emptied themselves. Gradually it got silted up with debris, and at last its pent, up waters cut through the gorge of the Surrounded by 4000 ft to 6000 ft high pal&ogic or older misogic rocks, the spot is picturesque in the extreme. All this, along with the wonderful cures effected by the springs in cases of rheumatism, skin diseases, &c, ought to make the Hanmer springs a favourite resort for the curious, the sick, and the philosophic. A most interesting future is before the place. Later.

Last night at Jollie's Pass Hotel I was aroused out of sleep seren times by as many short, sharp oscillations accompanied by sounds like a blast of dynamite. There were only four during Wednesday night, so thus there is no cessation or dying away of the disturbances. The one seismograph in the colony should be sent up without delay to the bathkeeper at the hot springs, with some nimple instructions as to recording observations.