Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-07-21

pail over the flames, which were hidden
but not extinguisbed, and continued to
extend and rise high in the air until IL tow
cred above the mountain peak. 1heh
came continuous explosions and loud re-
ports, which were in turn silenced oy
peaIs OF terrific thunder, accompanied by
! vivid flashes OF lightning. Inc threaten
ing storm continued to extend untlI IL
seemed to cover the entire heavens and
then broke in awful fury on the earth. IL
now seemed as though heaven and earth
were being torn asunder. The darkness
was intense; the atmosphere, filled with
( a sulphurOus stencil, was so cola as 10
| add the danger of freezing TO the otner nor
rOrs of the hour, while gale or Wlnd
ragged over the island, levellng houses
and uprOOtlng trees that had WlthstOod
! the storms ofcenturies. Inc mountain was
! in total darkness, but from the roaring II
| was known that volcano had broken
! forth. The earth rocked and shook vlo-
! lently, and then came shower OF stones,
| mud and lava, filling the air with flying
missiles and telling the horrOr-strlcken
people to the ground and burying them
where they lay. Blazing hreballs shot
! through the roofs of houses and lmmedl-
ately started a conflagretion, while the
helpless inmates were in several instan-
ces pinned to their chairs by falling tim
bers and masses of debris.
DEAD IN IT'S MOTHERS ARMS.
In the village of Wairoa all was confu-
sion and terror; mothers we're separated
from their children by the darkness and
lost their lives amidst the falling of build
ings, in vain attempts at rescue. One wo-
man, the wife of schoolmaster, whose
life was saved by falling timber,
which kept from her the mass of
mud and lava that completely bur-
/ Al .Ak IL. h,Al
her child killed In her arms by the tim
Der which proved her own salvation.
Half naked people whose cries of terror
could be heard above the roaring of the
storm and volcano, fled for their lives
through the mud, already so deep as to
render walking almost impossible,
while bursting geysers on every
hand added to their danger. In one
of the hotels pale and shivering
group of Europeans, headed by young
English tourist named cambridge, whose
lifeless body was afterward found among
the debris, held divine services; but even
while they offered up their prayers for
divine mercy, a portion of the party were
obliged to extinguish the flames ignited
by the rapidly falling balls of fire.
Suddenly the roof of the building sank
beneath the weight OF earth and stones,
/ and with a.crash fell upon the floor be-
| to tell who escaped. Women and men
| struggled through the mass OF falling
mattertO the doors and windows, only to
face equal danger in the storm outside,
! but all fled for their lives, and despite the
! difficulties many escaped with only slight
| injuries. Numbers, however, were caught
in the fallen houses, or struck with flying
missiles and weredug up the next day by
| sOrrOwing friends.
DAY BRINGS NO RELIEF.
| So the night wore on, and at Cookbook
| in the morning day broke and the storm
| abated, but this was only for a short in
| terval, and was almost Immediately sue
hceeded by total darkness and continual
ton of the horrors of the night, which
| ragged for several hours before it finally
| concluded.
In the villages OF Rotora, situated twen-
| ty miles from the mountains, and Tauran-
! ga fifty miles away, the terrors of the
! eruption were experienced almost as
severely as at Wairoa although there
was no loss Of life, while at points sew
eral hundred miles away the shock of
the earthquake was felt with alarming
| dlstinctneSS. When comparative calm
ness had succeeded the outbreak, relief
| parties started in quest of the survivors,
In the daylight it was seen that the raw
ages of the eruption were of a terrifying
nature The fertile plain, which but
| twenty, four hours before had been green
and fruitful, was now but one mass of
white and sulphLrous mud, gradually
hardening under the effect of the sun,
! for Il distance or twenty miles, while of
| the villages there were only Vestiges of
them left. The houses in Wairoa were
| buried to the caves.
SOME MARVELLOUS ESCAPES.
! Then began the work OF rescue, accom-
! panied by the usual phenomenal escapes
which are only found in such instances
of disaster Weak and fragile women
were taken from houses almost unin-
| iured, where strong men had been killed
by the first blow. Mothers, whose chill
dren had died in their arms, were carried
half frantic from their living tombs 10
| places OF refuge, struggling the while
| with their friends to be allowed to remain
with all that they loved. When the dead
were all collected and the living removed
parties started in search of the native
villagers of TIE Arika and Ruawahia, stu
ated near the mountain, but they were both
completely buried. Over 100 natives are
known to have persisted in these viii
lagos. 1t was several days before parties
were able to make their way to Mount
| Tarawera, which even then was steam
ing and smoking in a threatening man.
ner. Here it was found that the terraces
had fallen or had been burned, and the
mountain itself seemed to have
taken on the appearance of desola-
ton which it had spread over
! the adjoining country. Even when all
commissions had ceased the suffering
among the survivors continued, aud
many are dependent on the charity ofthe
nearest towns, while the cattle and other
animals that survive the eruption are
starving to death. All signs of vegetable
! life have been Obliterated. The mountain
is now to all appearances extinct, and / t
is thought there is little danger of another
eruption.
HORSES ON THE PIN