The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-02-09
SIRakGt VOLCANIC EFFECTS.

Ihe white terraces OF Rotomabana
rose up In a series of twenty platforms
IN the form Of a gigantic stairway. Each
terrace was perfectly horizontal and of
dazzling whiteness. The Ton step was
| Neltlcaliy 50 feet above the base ana sa't
SsVo teet back. From every platform
dubbed copiOus clouds OF steam. saws
writer In the Windsor Magazine. A
stream or boiling water continually flow
ca from the geysers, and as Il fell slow
~ from tier TO tier the s.licates with
Whlch the water was heavily charged
became deposited. on it's exposrre to
the arr and wonderful work de-
signs or infinite variety ani of dazzlinfr
Whlteness and purity were formed MOI
iaf from the white terrace was another
termed the Pink Terrace" where. ow
ing TO some colorhng substance i'm the
slliclous waters falling from the gey-
strs. the deposits were OF delicate
PINK hue. from which was derived the
name Pink Terrace"
Unfortunately New Zealand no longer
possesses this unique spectacle. for the
terraces are no more. The various agen
cles OF nature VIII ch originally built
up such curious forms served i'm turn 10
destroy them. Mr. Falconer gives a
graphic description of the event. He
was residing at that time about forty
miles distant from Tarawera In 1855
on June 10. the night was clear and
calm. Heavy rumbling sounds like rolls
or distant thunder flied the air, bur
there was no very great alarm. The
next day dawned dull and gloomy
ABOUT ':3O o'clock the morning grew
darker and Hight gray ash. very fine.
began 60 fall. He saws that. although
they surm sed an eruption was taking
place i'm the Hot Lake district. there
were no definite tidings to that effect.
30 IN h.a,
would happen. BY the all of "a lantern
ne succeeded in groping his way 10 the
telegraph office and there he learned
that serious disturbance was taking
place at Tarawera and Rotomahana.
About IL O'Clock the darkness lifted.
All round the ground was covered
with thin filmy pail OF fine ash 10 the
depth OF half an inch, and IL was after
ward found that the intense darkness
was caused by thick cloud OF dust
blown out by the volcano TO a height
so tremendous thaa IL passed above
Tauianed and dispersed over the coun-
try some miles away.
The manifestation was accompanied
by intense cold, the thermometer regis
tering degrees of frost This is ex-
planned by the fact that the columns OF
steam as they came hissinc out of the
crater expanded as they as
cecied and abJorbel Their
CWn h1at which heCal.p latcHt -
that the heat was abstracted from ev-
erything near. A day or two fareF me
government geologist arrived at Tau
ranga and preparations To- inspect the
seat of the disaster were pushed rapid
ly forward. On Ene fourth day after the
the party arrived at Wairoa,
the Maori village. There was scarcely
n Vestige OF the settlement TO be seen
the whole village had been crushed be-
meath volcanic lava and the charred and
battered remains of the little village
church and other buildings protruded
sh'." The surface OF thu dSposit. Wf ioh |
first measured 4 feet in thiclSnt -. but !
afterward settled down TO half chat |
depth one young Englishman was |
killed. as we'll as he Maoris who lived !
In the district and exacted tolls from
visitors to the Hot Lakes The scene !
was the widest imaginable. The air 1
rushed over the land with -cyclonic fury |
tearing and breaking trees |
that had survived the hail of rocks. /
leaving here and there a gnarled and |
Jagged trunk. denuded OF branches and |
stripped of its bark.