Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1899-11-21

sounds like rolls Of distant thunder
filed the air, but there was 10 very
great alarm. The next day dawned
dull and gloomy. About 7:30 O'Clock
the morning grew darker and light
gray ash, very fine, began 70 fall He
says that. although they sIrmised an
eruption was taking place in the Hot
Lake district, there We're no definite
tidings o'that effect, 50 that ne could
only wait to see what would happen.
BY the aid of a lantern he succeeded
in cropping his way to the telegraph Of
fee, and there he learned that a serious
disturbance was taking pace at Tara
vera and Rotomahana. About Il
o'clock the darkness lifted. All round
the ground was covered with 4 thin.
6lmy pail of fine ash To the depth OF
half an inch. and il vas afterward
found that the intense darkness was
caused by a thick cloud of dust blown
out by the volcano to q height SO ire
mendous that it passed above Tau
ranga and dispersed over the country
some miles away.
The manifestation was accompanied
by intense cold. the thermometer reg
isteriTg five degrees of frost. This IS
{
Of steam as they came Kissing out Of
the craters expanded as they ascended
and absorbed their own heat which
became latent. so that the heat IVES alb
stracted from everything near. : day
or two later the government geolosist
arrived at Tauranga, and preparations
to inspect the seat of the disaster were
pushed rapidly forward. On the fourth
tho aY.rrr+fo-7 r1or-rNr
rived at Wafroa. the Maori village.
There was scarcely a vestige OF the
settlement to be seen, the whole vii
lage had been crushed beneath vol
canic lava, and the charred and bat
tered remains of the little village
church and other buildings protruded
above the surface of the deposit. which
at first measured four feet in thickness.
but afterward settled down to half
that depth. One young Englishman
was killed, as well as the Maoris who
lived in the district and eXacted tolls
from visitors to the Hot Lakes. The
scene was the widest imaginable. The
air rushed over the land with eyclonic
fury, uprooting, tearing and breaking
trees that had survived the hail of
rocks, leaving here and there a gnaried
and stripped of its bark
The next dav the party set off for
Rotomahana. AS they approached the
hot lakes huge cracks, extending hun
dreds of yards in length and about \
foot in width. were seen in all direc-
lions. The. scene was one OF the
strange grandeur Of absolute desola-
ton The upheaval OF nature had
blown the wonderful terraces to atoms:
steam was rising in dense clouds from
one end of the area to the other, dis
lance of about nine miles. Rotoma-
hama lake was yawning caldron from
which rose 4 majestic column of s-eaIn-
The ground was completely stripped
Of vegetation and covered with lava
from the mountain. The lava was re-
duced to the consistency of flour. -
that the explorers sank in it nearly 10
their knees. Thus in the space of time
was North Island suddenly shorn Of its
most peculiar natural features. In six
hours the whole aspect Of the country
was changed. and what was one of the
most beautiful spots in the world was
transformed into 2 barren country car
peted in lava and covered with debris.
The geysers. however, still abound in
profusion. and it is possible in time
other terraces may BE fo-Eed.-"ind-
scr Magazine.