THE SAMOA VOLCANO.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 206, 29 August 1905, Page 4

THE SAMOA VOLCANO.

! STP-EAMS OF MOLTEN LAVA PLANTATIONS DESTROYED. ! A resident of Apia, Samoa, who Tisit'ed the Savaii. the scene of the recent, volcanic outbreak in Samoa on August 11, supplies the "Samoa Zeitung" wti the following account of the '"When I arrived here from Apia I found tbe whole district in an exdtd state owing to frequent shocks of earthquake, which was a surprise to mc as no earthquakes were felt io Apia. "On Friday night, 4th inst., we saw a I big blaze hardly six miles inland, and ! the whole place was astir, as it TO proved that a new volcano has sprang up much nearer to town than the fornr :er one. The present crater is abont eight miles to the east of the one of three years ago. Lava streams ire j flowing freely, and three days ago it : was reported that the lava had reaeßied the Safotu taro plantations, wfciea j was a fact. To-day's reports are thai ! about fully half of the Safotu planttj tions have been totally destroyed. "Lava streams are flowing slowly down, but sure, however, I don't think ! there will be much danger. Native are I very excited. They are holding distrienearly every day, and tie j majority of the chiefs want the whole ! district to remove to some other part jof the island, or to Upolu. Of course •we are trying our best to encourage them to stay here, as there will be I just as much danger in another part of the island as there is here. "Earthquakes every day, but nothing in comparison to the former ones of two or three years ago in severity, hat more frequent. As many as 20 shodo in a day at times. Two shocks to-aaj-"The volcano makes a splendid sigM at night, lighting the whole place wita the blaze, and gives the sky a most pi*;. turesque reflection. At daytime whole clouds of smoke are sent flying out of the crater, and stone dust is falling J* torrents at times, just as if it were raining, and if one stands out for five minutes, one gets his hat and clothes full of iL This did not happen on tie last eruption. The old crater started ' again yestprday, as per reports from Aopo. 'It can * now be seen smokiß? from here."