The Arizona sentinel., 1886-09-04
TARAWERA,S HORROR.
Vivid Pen-Picture of the Recent Convu
 sion of Nature in New Zealand.

Mount Tarawera, in New Zealand
 which has lately been recorded, has, ac
 cording to the latest advices, caused
 terrible destruction of property an'
 loss of life. Mount Tarawera and tn
 region surrounding the Lake Rotoru
 has been the scene of many awful con
 vulsions, and from its beauty and man,
 vicissitudes it is called ''the Wonder
 land" It is the home of the Maori
 and by them regarded with sort o
 reverence and horror
 A tourist at Brent's Hotel, Rotorua
 at the time of the convulsion, gives tho
 following vivid description of it: Look ing through the windows of his room he saw vivid light arising from the direction of Tarawera. Every one dressed and went to the front of the flashing light A little before a. m., from flickering flames the light con- densed into a vast and massive pillar of
 fire, rearing itself high up in the heav- ems. This gradually extended laterally along the range until it presented an apparent diameter of about half mile. The pillar of fire, which was accom- panied by continued terrific roaring, seemed gradually to be ceclipsed by a dense black cloud, which settled on it, hanging like a pail over the flames, . which were hidden but noteXtinguished.
 The black cloud pillar rose straght in the air, and then came continuous eX- plosions and roars which seemed to give way before the terrific. thunder, accom- panied by vivid flashes of lightning. At first, starting from the pillar, the storm seemed to extend and settle down over the whole face of the heavens. The lightning was both forked and sheet. and flashed necessarily. The thunder roared from every point, the whole atmosphere being filled with air pervaded with suf- locating sulphur stench. All along the road springs had broken out in every direction, bubbling and boiling During the whole of this time a gale Of wind was blowing across Rotorua and toward the sea Of the eruption, which probably proved the means of saving the town ship. At about four o'clock a. m. how ever, the wind suddenly dropped, the smoke all over Rotorua became denser, and then a thick and heavy shower of ashes began to fall continuously.
 The darkness became thicker, no one knew which way to turn, and dawn was earnestly prayed for. At about six o'clock a. m. day began slowly to break. Below the jetty canopy thin blue line was seen on the Northern horizon, and gradually the surrounding objects be- came dimly visible, and it was seen that all the surrounding hills and the whole face of the country were covered with white ashes. Still the black pillar rose from Tarawera, but the sulphur gases were less oppressive and people began to breathe more freely. When day began to break the thunder storm abated, and soon the sky became comparatively clear, except in the vicin- ity of Tarawera, whence the inky pillar still elevated itself. But at nine o o'clock the pail again spread over the heavens and darkness began to set in. Daylight had now the peculiarity seen in total eclipse of the sun.
 The scene from hill few miles south of Mount Tarawera and the lake, Ss it appeared two days after the erup- ton, is thus described: ''It looked like an active Arctic scene. There were ap- parently hummocks of ice and noun tains covered with snow. All these were from fine white deposit which had is sued on that fatal night from the new crater. There had been a green hill which had burst out into fearful vol cano. A large part of the hill had fallen in, and there was a crater much larger than Mount Eden. A constant column of steam was rising from the mighty caldron, and at intervals there issued great showers of cinders and huge rocks driven far into the air There was a continual roar, varied at intervals with aloud boom. It was a magnificent sight and one never to be forgotten"
 A New Zealand book thus describes Tarawera:
 There is a strange fascination about this curious truncated mountain It looks bare and scared, its steep walls rising up black and terrible as if blasted with lightning, the very sublimity of desolatiOn. No wonder that, the Maori imagination invests this spot w tn a sacred horror. It is to them city of the dead and may not lightly be ap- preached, and when clouds gather round its summit and roll in heavy masses along the sides, driven by the fierce winds that play about tine crest, it requires no active imagination to people it with weird and spir .tual ter TOTS.
 The lake lying to the North and West of the mountain and partly encircling its base is described by the same writer as splendid sheet of water, changeable in expression as the human face. ''When all is clear overhead the lake shimmers and glistens in the sunlight or reflects from the motionless depths the cloud tieck blue of the skies. Every breath of wind sets the surface dimp- ling into thousand ripples, and the tiny wavelets break upon the shore or on the outstanding boulders with gen. tie tapping cadence very pleasant to the ear. If clouds float in the sky, they play upon the surface of the like. as cloud chases cloud; it is like the play of the wind on barley field. In close and sultry weather, when the clouds hang low, the water, still responding to the influence of the sky and air, takes on a leaden color and becomes dull. placid and heavy. Large tracts. smooth and unctuous, like surface of oil, are curi- ously broken by ruffied patches, which for no percept ble reason culver and shiver as if with some agitation beneath. In this smooth state the water gives back very perfect reflections of objects on its banks or floating on its surface. About year ago the water of Tarawera