The Portland daily press., 1900-01-24
STRANGE VOLCANIC Eff.
FECTS.
Intense Cold and Furious winds FOi-
lowing ala Eruption in New Zealand.
form the Windsor Magazine. }

(Form the Windsor Magazine
TIE white terraces OF R1tomabana rose
up In a series OF twenty platforms in the
form OF a gigantic stairway. Each ter
race YVES perfectly horizontal and OF
dazzling whiteness. The top step was
vertically SO feet above the base and sat
800 feat back. From every platform bub-
tied copious clouds of steam. a stream
fer boiling watHr continually flowed from
the geyssrs. and rs 1t fell slowly froS
tier to tier the silicates with which she
water was heav lily charged became feposs
tied, on its exposure 10 ths air, ana Won
derful lsce-wOrk designs Of Infinite varSe-
ty and of dazzling whItene6s and purity
were formed. Not far from the whits
terrace was another termed the "Pink
Terrace" where, owing to sope ooloring
substance In the silicious waters falling
iroIn the geysers, the deposits were OF IA
delicate pink hue, from (Which was de-
rive the name "Pink Terrace"
Unfortunately New Zealand no longer
possesses this unique spectacls, fer the
terraces are nn more. The various agen-
cies Of nature which originally built up
such curious forms served in turn 10 de-
stroy them. Mr.. Faioonsr gives In
graphic description of the eysnt. He was
residing at that time about Ierty miles
distant from Tarawers. In 1856, on june
~ tno nignt was CiSdr anu htaNy
rum bling sounds like rolls OF distant
thunder flied the air. but there was no
verysgreat alarm. The next day dawned
dull and gloomy. About 1.JO O'CLOCK tina
morning grew darker and light gray ash,
| very fine, bagan to fall, he says that,
| although they surmissd an eruption was
taking place In the Hot Lake district,
there were no definite tidings to that
effect, so that he could only wait to sc,
wras would happen. BY the aid of Ian
| t IN he succeeded In CROPPING his way to
the telegraph office, and there he learned
that ssrio1s disturbances WAS taking
plac' Et Tarawers and Rctomah
bout IL O'Clock the darkness lifted.
All round the ground was covered with
a thin hlmy pa II of tlne esh to the depth
of half an inch, and It was afterward
found that the intense darkness was
caused thick cloud OF dust blown
ont by tAe volcano t. a height 50 ter
mendOus that 10 passed above Iauranga
and dispersed over the country some miles
away
ty INTENSE cold, tbs thermometer register
ing live degrees of frcst Ills Is ex-
plained by the fact that the columns of
steam as they came Missing out OF the
orEtsIs expanded as they assembled ana
absorbed their own heat, which became
lftsnt so that the heat WAS
Q siractsd from everything near. A
day or two later the Government Reoi-
ogist arrived at IaurArga and prepar-
| ations to- inspect the seat OF
| the disa r we're pushed rapidly fol ward.
| On the fourth day after the eruption the
party arrived 1T Mairas, t1e Maori Will
age There WAS searoiy "a yestige OF the
/ Sc element TO be sqen, the whole village
| had been crushed beneath volcanic lava
and the ohafred and battered REM aims OF
the little village church and other build
ings protruded above the surface OF TIE
/ "A w ar II
In thickness, but a.terward settled down
! to half that dspth. One young hnyllsh-
man WAS killed, as veil AS the Maoris
who lived In the district ana exaotsd tolls
| from visitors to the Bet Lakes. The
scene was the widest Imaginable. The
| air rushed over the land with cyolonic
| fury, uproOting, tearing and breaking
| trees that had survived the hail OF rocks
| leaving here and there gnurisd and jag
| ged trunk, denuded OF branches and
striped OF its bark.
The next day the party set of for Root
mahana. AS they al preached the Hot
| Lakes huge cracks, extending hundreds
| OF yards In length and about foot In
width, were seen in all directions. The
scene WIS one OF the strange grandeur OF
| absolute 6esolation. The upheaval OF
nature had blown wonderful terraces to
| atoms, steam was risiDg In dense clouds
| from one emu of the area to the other,
distances OF about nine miles. hotomah-
Lake was yawning caldron from
hich rose ms jsstio column OF steam
1ns ground was completely stripped or
/ We lstation and covered with lava from
| tins mountain. The lava was reduced To
tn9 consistency of -four, 80 that the ex-
! pl lrers sank in IL nearly to their knees.
| thus in tia -spsoe Of time was North
Island suai shpFn OF It's most pecu-
/ liar natural features. In six hours the
| whole aspect OF the country was changed
and what was one Of the most beantifu
spots In tn, world was transformed into
barren country carpeted In lava and
covered with dc br!s. The eeysera. how
ever, still abound In prcfusion and 10 is
possible In time other terraces may Dc
formed.