Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1900-12-05
TERRIBLE UPHEAVAL
Volcano in New Zealand Which Is
Equal to Vesuvius.
disruption In tSSGIcft Some Strange
and Beuutiful Enects-ChnDEed
the Whole Country In the
short Time OF siN Hours.

The white terrace OF Roiomahaua
rose up in a series e. ~ platforms in
he form of q g.gauil stairway. Each
terrace Wa, p.rleclly horizontal and e
dazzling whi,laOss. The top s'rp was
vertically 50 fee: abJy- the Ja.yahG sat
39li,e, back. From e., ~ platform lGo-
b,-s c5P.uus clouds Of steam. \ s;rlam
# boiling water continually flowed
from the Z y-,rs, an. a. il fG!l slowly
.rym ti-r TO tier tGr si,icatvs with
which the water Wa heavily charged
became deposited, Oh yNqD>Ure So The
sir. and w.HG-riul la work G,sigaso Of
iaiuiIt uIi,,y and 60 ~aaall.ug white
res, and purity were formed. Not far
from the white terrace Was another
termed the Pink Terrace where, ow-
ing to some coiyrirg ,uhstance in The
,ilicious waters falliI from the gcy-
sgrs, the deposits were Of a delicate
Inc hue, from whicl Was derived the
name pink Terrace"
Unfortunately New Zealand no long
lr possesses his unique spectacle. for
the terraces are no more. The various
agencies Of nature which originally
built up such curious forms served in
turn to destroy then. Mr.. Falclner
gives a graphic DESERT lion ofthe event.
lie was r,sidiGg al that time about 80
macs distant from Tarawera. In 1sS6.
on June 10, the night was clear and
calm. Heavy rumbliUg sounds like
rolls of dis;au; thunder filed the air,
bat there Wa no very great alarm.
The nuyt day ,.awEcd tul and gloomy.
about 7:35 y'u.gck tie morning grew
darker and light gray ash, very fine,
gan 10 fan. lie says that, although
they surmiscd an eruption was taking
Lace in the Hot Las. district, there
we're no definite tidir-s to that effect,
20 that he could only wait 20 see what
would happen. BY IT,. aid of u !aateru
he succeeded in gropiag his way to the
telegraph Office, and here he learned
that a serious disturb aacc was taking
Lace AZ Tarawcra anil Rotomahaua.
Abogt II o'clock the darkness lifted.
MI round the ground VAS covered with
Ithiu, ti.my pail O fiu" ash 10 the depth
pI half an inch, and 2 vas aftcrward
!ouud That the iuier.u darkness was
cmscd lay a lAick clio al OF dust blown
Gut by the volcano to a height SO ire
moui'us that il passed above TauraLga
and dispersed over the country some
miles way.
The manifesta' on was accompanied
10y intense cold, tie Thermometer regis
itr.ng five degree of frost. This Is
planned 10y the fact that the columns
If steam as .hey came Kissing out Ct the
craters expanded Us they ascended and
absorbed their own heat. which became
laeut, 50 that the heat was abstrac'cd
from everything near. \ day or TWO
Later the government geolagist arrived
at T~auraHga. and preparations 10 in-
meet the seat Ct the disaster were
pu,bod yanidly Forward. On The fourth
aay after the eruption, the party ar
riy,d NJ Wairya. The Maori village.
There was scarcely a vcstige OF the set
ia u. SON, the whole village
.qi b,ru crushed Lpngath volcanic lava,
,hc cgJrrrI and battered remains
.gf The l't;le village church and other
tuildinr- Uro,rudld above the surface
.gf ,ba da,'sit. which al FIRST measured
four feet In thickness, but atterward
.ri,rfd down 10 half that depth. One
,,pur Erql,shman was Killed, as well
-, tho Na.ris who lived in the district
and exac.rd Tolls from visitors TO the
Hot lakes The scene was the widest
f~m,qinable. The air rushed over the
land with cyclonic fury. upruutiug,
tearing and breaking trees that had
,rrviyed the hail of rocks. leaving here
and there a gnarled and Jagged trunk,
Japuded of branches and stripped Of
H. bark.
Tho next day the marty set Off for
po,omobona As they approached the
hot lakes huge cracks, extending hun
dreds NJ wards in length and about a
foot In width. were seen in all direc-