RUAPEHU.

Hot Lakes Chronicle, Volume 2, Issue 124, 1 May 1895, Page 3

RUAPEHU.

A good deal of interest being taken in the recent outbreak of volcanic activity at Euapohu, has led MrH. Sargeant, residing near the Wangaehu river which has it source near the base of the Mountain, to write to the Yeoman an account of what he saw in IS6O, on tb t river. He says :—I was one day siting my brother, who lived on tfle right bank of the Wangaehu, and at tbe time of which I am about to speak I was standing on the bank of the river, and looking up a long reach of the same about 30 chains when I suddenly saw coming round the corner in the distance.a hugo wave of water and tumbling logs which ' filled the whole trough of the stream. I called out to my brother who was cl iso by and together we witnessed its rapid approach. As it passed us it appeared to be covered with what we at first thought to be pumice, but the

intense cold which soon made us shiver and turn blue, caused us to discover that what we had supposed to be pumice was no loss than frozen snow; mixed with this was a commons mass of logs and general forest debris. Vory soon the'Wangaehu bridge passed us stuck on tho roots of a giant trco, and a few miimtcs afterwards about a dozen canoes came down, some ~c fhnm ooilo/l o.lnnfr mnrfl nv lose i/x mvu* sauea aaong or straightly down tho centre while others kept running into the banks and rebounding continuously. 1 caught the rope of one of these from the bank and instantly I was nearly pulled under, so rapid was tho rush of tho icy and sulphurous torrent. Previous to this outburst, as must be remembered by many old settlors, the water of the Wangaehu was perfectly pure. Evor since tho flood in question the river has been more or less impregnated with diluted sulphurous acid and hot alum, as is said by some, and it does not contain a hying fish.

Teacher: "Now, children, God made tho world in six days." Littlo Joe (with logical turn of mind): "But ho did not finish it' .Look at 011 do houses buildin' and do boys and girls dat have to grow I"

Young man: "I wish to get this engagement ring ei' r rgod.'' J owellor: "Enlarged? AVhy, you told mo a wlnle ago it was a perfect fit." Young man: "Oh, yes; that was all right for her."

Brown (visibly embarrassed): "Beg pardon, Mrs Starveham, but 1 lost my pillow last night ?" The lan^'ady: "WeU'r" Brown: "If you don'tobject, I should like to go out to the henhouse aud get another feather!" "Now, children," saidthe good man, "I have told you where the good boys go and where tho bad boys go. Which would you choose ?" "Please, sir, I'd rather go to the circus,', answered the . I; ttle fellow in the back scat.

"Wi" you be a sister to me?" "No I won't." "Qood. Name the day."

" Wnat is there besides luck that amounts to anytr'ng in curds?" "A good deal."

The louy of .Mrs Ilenuikerwas cremated on the sea shore near ISandringhain, by permission of the authorities, in the presence of a large gathering of friends and onlookers. The deceased, who was a spiritualist, was cremated at her own express desire. A large open fire of logs, saturated with kerosene, was used for tlie purpose.

A singular result arising from a pheasant ilyiug agaist the wii cs of a telephone was recorded in the Culoitict of Vancouver's Island. On Dee. a pheasant Hying across the Esquimalt Koad in contact with a telephone wire. ■L. u taru uiopped dead, the broken wire made connection with the tramway trolley Wire, and the result was that seveial coils at the central station, and some eiglit or nme telephones were bunied out.

There are a round dozen th'nga that you can never get a lady to plead guilty of, be she old or young:—That her shoes are too small. That she is tored at a ba!\. That she uses any. tiling but powder. That it takes her long to dress. That she has kept you waiting. That she blushed when you mentioned a pabular name. That she says what sho doesn't mean, That she is of scandal, ihat she ever flirted. That sho cannot keep a secret. That she is—in love. A giant is on exhibition in London. He comes from Egypt, Ids name being Hassan Ali. Though only 17 years of age, ho is already Bft in height. J ~i,^ M f ag . 0 cler fe/ me n have formed a "UD to istruct prospective missionaries m foreign languages by means 01 iiie phonograph. A caravan of gold from the Ural mines recently arrived in St. Poters- ■>!£*■ It was valued at two and a aalf millions.