Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-10-23
FREAKS OF ELECTRICITY.
Remarkable Phenomena Attending the
Eruption of Mount Tarawera.


Among the many extraordinary natural
phenomena attending the eruption of
Mount Tarawera, one which appears to me
not the least singular has been passed over
in comparative silence and without excit-
ing comment, as far as | am aware, among
the scientific or unscientific public. / al
lude to the fact of their being unable to
make water boil on that terrible night,
when earth itself appeared to be in state
of ebullition. | give here the narrative
from Mr.. McRae's own lips:
al made George Baker, the cook, put
some water on the fire to make cocoa for
the women, who were cold and shivering,
poor souls, though holding up grandly.
About three-quarters of an hour afterward
he met me in the passage and said to me:
a. Come here, sir
"a What is it p said /.
go can't get the water to boil he said.
/" Tut said L : poke up the fire.
"' It's good fire he replied, and so ii
was, glowing fire of blazing rata logs-a
splendid fire. Put your hand in there
and feel it, said he, taking the lid off the
boiler.
a did SO very gingerly, | can assure you
and found the water as cold as when we
put it on. There were so many eXtraordi-
nary things happening around me that this
particular one did not excite my wonder
very much. l thought it was owing to the
| electricity in the air. George Baker can
vouch, as well as myself for the fact of the
water having been on the fire for full three
quarters of an hour and at the end of that
time being as cold as when it was put on
We spoke of the circumstance to the Others
at the time as being curious, but soon had
matters more serious to distract our atten
| ton"
Now, surely here is natural phenome
non worthy the investigation of all our sci
entific men, not only in New Zealand, but
throughout the civilized world. We, o
course, all know that the greater the atmo
spheric pressure the greater the number o
units of heat required TO make the watel
| boil, but some other deterrent cause mus
have been at work in this instance, as aftel
| having been placed for three-quarters of al
| hour on q good fire the water remained alb
solutely cold. What other cause was there
| is the problem | suggest to our scientific
men as one well worthy of our research.
On the night of the Tarawera eruption
the Haszard family had in their cash-box
among other moneys, half sovereign ly
| ing on the top of four half crowns. During
| the storm which burst over their devoted
residence the building was struck by light
ming. On digging out the effects the work
ing party handed over the cash-box to the
| friends of the Haszard family John 2
Morpeth, of Ponsonby, at whose house Mrs
Haszard has been staying, has now in his
possession the half sovereign and four hall
crowns, which form q perfect curiosity
The lightning appears to have fused the
coins together, and in some mysterious way
though the face of the half sovereign is not
defaced, the gold appears to have been
driven through the center of each of the
half crowns, as each in the center is col
ored the size of shilling as if with gold
As a souvenir of the Tarawera eruption il
is one of the most remarkable that has yet
| been exhibited.-NeW Zealand Herald.