TERRIBLE ERUPTION OF RANGITOTO.

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 56, 8 October 1881, Page 56

TERRIBLE ERUPTION OF RANGITOTO.

The Slumbering Volcano

Awakes.

PANIC AT THE NORTH SHORE

The Stampede at the North Shore. — Streams of Molten Lava.- — Showers of Hed-hot Stones. — ■ Destructive Volcanic Bombs. — A Boiling Sea. — Full Particulars of the Volcanic Eruption.

Early wayfarers, milkmen, newspaper runners, and others whose occupation brought them into Queen-street at daylight this morning, were astonished and sorely puzzled at the extraordinary indications of some unusual occurrence. The streets, the roofs, and the verandahs of •houses about the wharf and on the reclaimed land were covered with a thin coat of fine red dust ; the water in the harbour was muddy and discoloured ; there was a strong smell of sulphur, and the morning air was unusually warm and dry for this period of the year. Fine particles of red. dust pervaded the atmosphere and tickled the nostrils of the early risers. The same phenomenon was discussed by a group of old topers waiting outside the Waitemata Hotel for their matutinal " pick-me-ups." Mr James Grimstone, an invalid, and other strollers on the wharf found that it was overspread with a thick layer of this peculiar dust, corresponding very closely to the colour of the harbour. Many different theories •were offered to account for this singular circumstance. . Mr Santon surmised that there had been a fearful hurricane during the night, which had deposited this layer of dust ; others that an enor- . mous tidal wave had inundated the city and cast up mud from the bottom of the sea. Further on, towards the end of the wharf was a great hole in the' planking, and near it Captain McGregor, of the Waitemata Hotel (who had gone down to ascertain whether the Argyle had left), picked up some fragments of rough, angular, cindery -looking material like meteorolites. In the harbour were also observed floating masses of soine white substance, and a piece picked up at the foot of the watermans' stairs by Mr Wilson was pronounced to be pumice-stone. Shortly afterwards William Brown, of Chapel-street, uttered an exclamation of surprise, and drew the attention of Alick Dollinger to the peculiar cloud of dark vapour resting over Rangitoto ; but Mr E. R. Cardno, of Fort-street, pronounced it to be fog. THE " OBSERVER " EXTRA. It was not till about eight o'clock that the conjectures excited by these unusual signs were set at rest by the publication of the Observer Extra, containing particulars of the " Terrible Eruption at Rangitoto " during the previous night. Despite the boasted enterprise of our daily contemporaries, we were enabled by the vigilance and activity of our special reporter, who resides at the North Shore and was an eyewitness of the awful scene, to anticipate them by an hour and fifteen minutes. Thousands of our extras had been distributed throughout the city before the Star's extraordinary made its appearance, and our runners had reached the suburbs long before the Herald's account came out. Whilst on this subject we may observe that it would have redounded more to the credit of our contemporaries had they published original accounts of their own, instead of pirating and dishing-up the particulars from our extra. Never do we remember to have witnessed so intensely exciting a scene as that which occurred this morning. Our office was literally besieged. A dense crowd of people struggled frantically in their anxiety to obtain copies of the extras, and before nine o'clock we had issued within a few of ten thousand — the largest number, we believe, ever circulated in the Colony. Before half -past nine the crowd had dispersed. Necessarily in the hurry and excitement there were some omissions and not a few typographical errors. An apology is due to Mr J. B. Russell for having printed his name as " Bustle." We are glad to hear that Mr T. L. White, supposed to have been lost in a lava stream, has turned up, having suffered no greater injury than the loss of a suit of clothes. The Masonic Hotel is not so seriously damaged as was at first reported, and the injuries sustained by Mr R. Duder were much exaggerated. The following is a full report of this terrible eruption : — THE FIRST INDICATIONS. The passengers by the last North Shore steamer observed a white cloud over Rangitoto, and a singular stillness of the atmosphere, but no suspicions were entertained of the impending catastrophe. About one a.m., John Knightman, the "well-known watchman, thought he saw a cloud of vapour ascending from the top of the island, and communicated the fact to Constable P. Murphy, stationed at the end of Queen-street wharf, but the officer, who is a little short-sighted, merely remarked, " It's only fog," and resumed his beat. Shortly before two o'clock, however, the cloud had increased in volume and blackness, hanging like a huge canopy over the mountain, and spreading out in fantastic convolutions towards Tiri and Brown's Island. A few minutes later, a low, deep sound like THE TREMBLING OF THE EARTH •was heard. Mr C. Sainty says he was awoke by the noise, and on looking out of his window was amazed at beholding a cloud of black smoke ascending from Rangitoto, and a minute afterwards there was another shock louder than the first, but apparently nearer, sounding like a deep and mighty organ-pipe, but again dying away. Almost simultaneously, Mr T. L. White was awakened by his wife, and distinctly felt the tremor. He says the direction was from north to south. Groing outside, he saw an immense volley of fiery matter shoot up suddenly from Rangitoto, mingling with the white masses of cloud, and turning them to a- copper colour. Then the subterranean thunder rolled louder and longer, and flashes of fire illumined the sky. "Gtood heavens!" he shouted to Mrs White, " Rangitoto is in eruption !" By this time, Mr Edson, Mr Milne, Captain Burgess, and several otherß had been aroused from their beds. A few

minutes later, Mr White, who had. seized his large night telescope, discerned a small stream of WHITE SEETniNG LAVA slowly crawling down from tlie top of Eangitoto. By this time the whole of the residents at the North Shore were watching the aweinspiring spectacle, and many of them were hastily dressing and preparing for flight. Mr White was so absorbed in contemplating the phenomenon that he did not observe that his family had gone to Mr Milne's. Mr J. B. Russell snatched up a box of deeds and other valuable securities, and with Mrs Russell and the children took refuge in the Masonic Hotel, where lie found Mr C. Gr. Quick and some others, and they were shortly afterwards joined by Mr Edson, Capt. Burgess, Mr Sainty, and a crowd of panicstricken women and children. That Eangitoto was in eruption was now beyond doubt. The very dogs seemed to know it, as they slunk into their kennels and howled dismally. The air became hot and oppressive. The arched cloud over Rangitoto spread away over the channel and towards the Hauraki G-ulf. From the heart of the vast column of smoke the volcano threw up a rapidly rising and falling FOUNTAIN OF LIVING LAVA TIRE mingled with showers of red-hot stones. The din of the eruption was neither like thunder, nor discharges of artillery. Captain Burgess, who has heard the raging of the sea in the fiercest storm, says the dread reverberations filled all the space between earth and sky with one solid implacable roar. Mr Edson describes the. noise as so great that he could not hear the sound of his own voice, and he thought the end of the world had come. Mr White says the air was thick and sultry, with a bright copper glare in the sky. Through his telescope he observed the crimson lava creeping, twisting, writhing, and lapping mass over mass with something of a live horror in its motion, like a huge reptile in agony, while the ridgy borders of the mountain were channelled by the mingling streams rushing downwards to the sea. The wave of incandescent lava advanced red as molten metal, like A MOVING EMBANKMENT propelled from behind, slow and irresistible. The sky was reddened and the houses and ships were lighted up, even the moon paled under that lurid canopy. As the thick ti-trce and vegetation was caught in the fiery wave, it blazed up, and enveloped the side of the mountain in a great sheet of flame. When the molten lava reached the sea it boiled up and emitted dense clouds of steam, which spread about the base like a net work of lace. By this time CONSTERNATION REIGNED amongst the North Shore residents. The Masonichotel was crowded with affrighted women and children, and in the lurid light weird, half nude figures were seen running hither and thither bearing furniture to places of safety. Some placed their perishable goods in the cellars in the hope that they would be saved from the impending conflagration. Mr Buchanan hastened (o get up steam on board the steamer, and Mr Featherstone was actively engaged in saving such light articles as he could carry. Judge Macdonald, with the calmness of judicial courage, taking in the scene at a glance, summed up the situation, and decided to stand his ground, beingconfident that his home was beyond the reach of danger, though it was known that a large scoiia bomb had completely demolished the roof of the Episcopalian Church, and another had fallen close to a wheelbarrow in which Mr J. B. Russell's gardener was removing a quantity of valuables. Captain Slattery remarked to Mr Mays that " it reminded him of the Siege of Sebastapol." Mr Duder, in carrying a large chest, containing wearing apparel, was struck on the head by a fragment of a falling bomb, but we arc glad to hear that his injuries are not serious. Indeed, considering the panic, it is a miracle that more accidents have not been reported. Men, women, and children were seen running, jumping, and stumbling over broken ground. At this anxious moment another fearful shock was heard. " Did you feel the ground heaving ?" asked Mr Sainty. " Did yon hear that dreadful cracking noise, like the bursting of a thunderbolt ?" said Mr Hooker. In the midst of the universal terror everyone was shocked by the unfeeling levity of Mr Leek who was complaining loudly that a large scoria bomb had completely staved in a cask of the best whiskey he had ever seen in the market. A frightened woman raised a false alarm that MOUNT VICTORIA WAS IN ERUPTION ! and as the fearful report spread from mouth to mouth, women with infants in their arms fell on their knees and wept, while strong men turned pale and clenched their teeth and fists. Some thought their homes were doomed, and many feared that their lives were in danger. Happily, however, this report was contradicted by Mr Quick, who had just returned with a favourite horse which he had brought out of his paddock. But in the painf ul silence that ensued there Avas a solemnity too deep for words. Every face wore the same fixed look and was turned in the same direction. The Flagstaff Hotel was crowded, and the passages were filled with boxes, portmanteaus, and other miscellaneous articles which the panicstricken fugitives had hastily snatched up in their flight, one unfortunate creature in her confusion having brought away a decanter of whisky in her hand. In this solemn and trying hour Mr Edson administered much spiritual consolation to the unfortunate people by reading prayers and singing a hymn. Mr P. Duder wanted to follow Avith a comic song, but was very properly ruled out of order, and retired to the bar to conceal his anonyance. Just at this moment an enormous bomb projected from Rangitoto to an incredible height, came crashing through the roof, falling into the bar, and causing frightful destruction amongst the bottles. The hot air, and the showers of falling lava dust, were half suffocating, and excited terrible thirst. Your reporter was obliged to drink as many as eight whiskies and sodas in the course of an hour to sustain his flagging energy, Mr Milne having monopolised all the coffee for the ladies and children in a small coffee psflace, which he contrived to improvise in the dining-room. The lurid glare of the mountain lighted up the heavens, and was visible far out at sea and in remote places on land. Many people on the

Auckland side of tlie Waitcmata were aroused from their sleep, and watched the grand spectacle with feelings of mingled awe and astonishment. The majority, however, slumbered in blissful ignorance of the eruption. A few residents at the base of Mount Eden, fearing that a GENERAL ERUPTION OP THE WHOLE PENINSULA of Auckland was about to take place, left their homes, and hastened to seek refuge with distant friends. At very remote places where the glare in the sky was seen, it was was feared that the whole city of Auckland was in flames, and this morning the telegraph wires were blocked with anxious messages from all parts of the country. Towards dawn the eruption had sensibly diminished in violence. The ascending volleys of red-hot stones ceased. The streams of lava shrunk to small trickling threads. Flashes of glowing fire occasionally shot up, sometimes vivid and prolonged, and anon faint and glimmering. With the increasing light of day these signs became less and less apparent, and when the sun rose in full splendour, and dissipated the masses of steamy clouds resting above Eangitoto, the outburst had completely exhausted itself, and the glare over the mountain was no longer visible. THE OPINIONS OP AI T CKLAXD SAVANTS. At an early hour Mr Cheescman, the 'learned Curator of the Auckland Museum, Dr Purchas, and some of the members of the Institute, chartered the Rose Casey, and proceeded round the North Head. They found the Eangitoto Channel partly blocked up by enormous masses of eindery and slag materials, the surface still hot and glowing, and in a semi-molten condition, while clouds of steam hung over the water. The sides of the mountain Avere traversed by fissures, from some of which little jets of vapour still issued, and were gradually lost in the atmosphere. Mr Chccseman, who lias devoted much tit tent ion to the study of vulcanology, is of opinion that THE DAGGER IS OVER, the force of the volcano having entirely exhausted itself in tliis final and terrible effort. Consequently the North Shore residents are now returning to their homes. The destruction has been found to be comparatively light. The roof and fioor of the Episcopalian Church lias been smashed in by a large scoria bomb, which was found imbedded in the ground beneath to a depth of sft Gi-in. The district school, and the hotel have also suffered severely. Mr White's garden is a complete wreck, but his house has escaped by a miracle. Many fine trees in the neighbourhood are much damaged. Singular to relate A HOT SPRING lias forced itself out on the beach below Mr White's house, and we understand that he intends to fit it up as a sanitorium. It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good. Auckland invalids will now have a thermal spring within half-an-hour's reach of the city. Mr Cheescman promises to furnish an analysis of the water at an early date. A small bomb which fell through the roof above Mr Edson's study seriously damaged a fine mahogany library table, but a copy of the Revised New Testament, and one of "Harvey's Meditations in the Tombs," which that gentleman had been reading last night, were uninjured. Mr Checsenian says that THE LAWS OP VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS, as laid down by Professor Judd, are as follows :■ — (1) "A long period of quiescence is generally followed by an eruption, which is cither of long duration, or of great violence." The latter case applies to Rangitoto. (2) " A long continued or very violent eruption is usually followed by a prolonged period of repose." Rangitoto has been quiescent for probably many hundreds of years, according to Dr Hoehstette'r, which accounts for the violence of this last eruption. (3) " Feeble and short eruptions usually succeed one another •at brief intervals." This rule has no application to the present case. (•!■) "As a general rule the violence of a great eruption is inversely proportional to its duration," which clearly accounts for the short duration of the last outburst. Mr Cheeseman also says that in the case of volcanic cones composed of loose fragmentary material, like Rangitoto, the cracks, as soon as they originate, will be filled up and choked by the falling in of the materials from above and at their sides, and that in this way the eruptive action will be continually repressed, till at last the imprisoned vapours acquire such a high state of tension that the outburst, when it occurrs, is of the most terrific character, and the whole central mass of the volcano is blown into the air. This view is also supported by Professor Judd, and though we are by no means disposed to yield implicit authority to the views of these two eminent vulcanologists, yet they are of considerable weight. Dr Hochstetter observed that the central cone of Rangitoto was rapidly diminishing, and the cracks fast filling up, which doubtless caused such a confinement of the vapours and gasses beneath the mountain as to lead to the eruption which occurred last night. Dr Purchas also finds by actual survey that THE HEIGIIT OP RA3CGITOTO HAS DIMINISHED from 920 feet to 521, and that the angle of the slope which was between 4< and 5 degrees has been greatly increased by the immense quantity of cinders, scoria, and lava cast up from the crater, and deposited on the outer slope. Dr Hochtetter wrote : " How long the volcanic action may have lasted, and whether there is any probability of its return, of course cannot be answered." The events of last night, however, set this last question at a rest. The doctor goes on to say : "I think, taking the example of Monte Nouvo, near Naples, which in the month of September, 1538, grew in two days and two nights to the size of a cone 400 feet high, that I may venture to say that cones such as Mount Eden and Mount Wellington are likely to have sprung up in the course of a few days." Speaking of volcanic bombs, he says : " Numerous lava drops, or volcanic bombs, are fonnd at the North Shore on the surface. The bombs are of a regular pear or lemon shape, with sharp points, which must have been formed by the rotation of the glowing masses thrown out in a fluid state. The interior structure of the lava drops is dense and brittle, like cold cast-iron." This description exactly tallies with the bombs removed from the North Shore to the Museum this morning ' by Mr Cheeseman.

One of them exactly resembles an immense lemon, and weighs 2341bs Vtozs. TONGAItIEO IS EKUPTION. Telegrams received to-day from Eotorua and Alexandra state that Tongariro is in violent eruption, and that great consternation prevails among the natives, who are removing to places of safety. Mr Cheeseman confidently believes that the seat of eruption has shifted to Tongariro, and that Eangitoto lias now become finally extinct. He quotes further from Professor Judd the following, which, in our opinion is conclusive : "Fissures are found traversing the rocks lying above volcanic foci, and often extending to a distance of many miles, or even hundreds of miles from the centre of activity." Dr Hockstetter expressed with some diffidence the opinion that subterranean communication must have existed at one time between Tongariro and Eangitoto, the latter having been thrown up by a submarine volcano, marking the position of one of the extraordinary long cracks extending from the former, the chief seat of the eruptive force. A WABXIXG-. We hear that several parties intend to proceed this afternoon to Rangitoto with the object of ascending the mountain, in order to obtain a view of the crater, but we earnestly dissuade them from a step which at present is fraught with, so much, danger. The lava lias not yet had time to cool, and the telescope shews that parts of the mountain arc in a semi-molten condition, and, and — what ? " Wake up, man ! what the dickens is all this nonsense you've been talking in your sleep about burning mountains, and bomb shells and stuff." " Eh ? Hullo, dear, what's the matter ?" " What have you been dreaming about ?" " Dreaming ! Oh— ah, yes, I've been dreaming, my love that I was writing a full report of the late outburst of — " "Outburst! outfiddlesticks ! You mean you were on the outburst last night yourself. Ido wish, Charles, you'd abandon those .horrible drinking habits, they only bring nightmares and dreadful dreams. I pretended to snore. She says this morning that I must have mistaken, these nasal sounds for the reverberation of a volcanic eruption. Such bosh as these women talk !