THE RISING OF ROTO= MAHANA.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 750, 24 February 1910, Page 4

THE RISING OF ROTO= MAHANA.

'" A CURIOUS POSITION. V /With respect to the". telegrapliio message froni-Kotorua in Monday afco'u);. the possibility of; restoring the famous pink, and. .white .terraces of Lako.Kotjomakqna, overwhelmed in the Tarawera eruption-of 23 . years ago/.it is,.highly,interesting' fo. recall what look place at "the: time'.'of the ~big which devastated ; the country for miles round, lake Tarawera lies wrier.the mountain' that. Hew 'itseif out", nearly a quarter /'of a . century, a'go, and ...Hake, Botomahaiio,' stret<ihe6 , away from, it.'.longitudinaliy.;; .The\ eruption,, • raised,' Liko., Tarawera &>!i. , wd/.;l£ks liotomahaiia 342 ft.,' and atthesame time J increased -tho" 5120 '/of the latter thirty' times.. "Where at; one ' time ' were 'miles' of . mud-flats . at 'the end nearest.'; Mount Tarawera; is now a - beautiful stretch' of .water, of the colour,of weU-itatered milk; At tho same time the .eruption threw" over' 100 ft. of mud and ashes on the narrow, neck of laud/dividing, the .'two lakes, which in Nidifying;.formed the; cemented barrier that pens up the'' Wafer's 'of; take Rotoittahana, and /which at present makes the.'.'surfaco.of Lake Eotomahana'about lMft. .higher.' than that of Tm\Vera,' less, than half 'an' hohr's' walkaway.'''■ 1 '.' Guide' Warb'rick informed" a' 'DoMikioK .representative' .last week- that lake-Koto-' mahs-na,''hid risen , Dfti in the--lastv nine, months,. a.-; faster: rate, of., progress ; ;than had . ever /: been , noted previously. ■. One result, of. 1 this.: big rise -was" pointed out' in: the submerged . wharf;; at ; the, "point, where rouhdrtrippers ..from'•;Lake,'Tarawera. . joiji the launch '. in V Ldke, Rotomahana., '-The' flooring' of. this wharf: can .be seen submer^d''about'; 15 .inches in the milky wiiter. \A : : ye'ar'.'ago 1 the launch • could just 'get,';, its-nOss: up to the end of it- to' embark: and disembark- passengers—now it .cam', almost: float over .it when Jight-lade'n. '.- The : captain of' th> launch states 'that: the ..'rise, has ..been phenomenal during the' last nine months, and , he, feels inclined, to attribute it to tho increased output of the springs under and .around\the, lake, ..rather than .the rainfall, .for, if. it..,were the'latter only, the riso (in normal weather), would be less aiad less as the lake, spread out. If, the water ".continues to'rise'at the rate' it has "risen :dtjring;the last nine months, in two years'iit should overflow into the old channel,-; which formerly connected the: two; lakre..'"Probablythe action of thc;water'<iti-the,gun-baked mud would soon cut the-channel. deeper and' deeper until Hotoinahaiia resumed its old' level.,

Guide : 'W'arbrick,. lirlio. has investigated this, weird country, "expressed the opinion to - our .representativethat' the. Tcrrace's still ' exist deep.'down • udder the waters of ;the lake,', covered.-perhaps with, a' hun-. dred foot■ of nmd, ar.d he';attributes..thi. milky;, colour'/ .'of , the 'of ■ Eoto; : mohana the... springs,, on the terraces'playing :up ;througli tfio mild. Not .far .distant fromthe.site of t ' . ..Jfhlte Terraces;the, water, of!the ;lake is abtually, boiling/, and one ". person ,i. last .week who would, not/, be convinced had' the tip of his finger, scalded. 1 There,. aro : small geysers- in . the rocks close', by ,'which', give .off ~silica-laden water ..and - .steam; ;which in a:wefek .or two-,coats ;any'article ■suspended over them ?inth a hard marble-, .like .deposit. Tile : same; process - fohned the. terraces /ages.' before. •' Xi'i'S'- ■ _L_ I

GOVERNMENT TO INVESTIGATE

; MINISTER THINKS: PINK, TERRACE MAY SURVIVE. , ! Questioned on the .sub) eet, the. Hon. T. 'Mackenzie, 1 ''Minister, in charge';.? JSfV.* the" 'Tourist, Bepartmeiit,'''said -that ;hd}had. : never been eatietic'd' tKafc the pink. and ■white terraces, -whiohVweTi; lost-. as: ? a- -resultof the Tarawera.. eruption, had boon ■destroyed. Ho' went oh to . say-that, the white terrace' might;be.gone,-.but 'there was just a possibility of the pink' teTrace .existing, as, the same' thetmaraction ;was still- ,on above. the spot wherp . that. terface 1 ' When he.- toot ; the■'control.'of the.' Department,' hOIMuM from "Mr.. Birksi" J'at Rotorua,..valuable.,'information'in regard to',:the point",'ltwas• now,' pijoppsea'-' to widen'the'soopii'.of the instigations;'the cost ;of. which. woyld be met, out of • the new system, of revenue-raising which had just .been adopted ;inj the' Rotorua'Vdis-, tricti' • • -*• :

1 IAN 'AUCKLAND VIEW. ' (By\ Teleerapli.-rßpcciai' Oorrespondent.l,

...., : Auckland,, February'.23. ' "An,interesting -speculation, but-with-out'v scientific 6upport," is'.tho • critioism, passedlby Mr!\T. : '.P. Cheesemani curator, of the' AucklandMußoum, on the proposal; to /eicavate for'-the ." Terraces., . .ATr; CheCseman says--.that,investigations' made, at. the '.timp' • proved.'; beyond ' reasonable, doubt >that;, the: Terraces. not:J.'covered up,' but were blown; to pieces.'. ! r In a: report prepared, for the .Government, by Mr. (Peroy . Smith, :'then'; Assistant vnsyor-Generali'.-'it ;was stated-.that. :the' ■floor-; : absolutely blown'out,'. and : of ..the'-locality, of "the: Terraces;;ivas' .reduced .by-.-iOOfti;' Guide Warbrick; argues. that,thelTerraces.' wereVnot.blown.'up' from the fact that he has 'not/.been.; able .to- find;:portions ;,of. theni, but . Mr. Smith states, in .his'. .report, that'fragments of "th'e*'Wh'ite,Terrace' had beon'; : fdundr'.scattered'.;', all : round : :"the, northern; side' of';the.\new,crater; : and Mr. thinks","some ' pieces :-are ..now) ■in'the. Auckland',Museum..., Professor. A!, P. ',W.'- Thomas 'also'.cohtends'.in : his'writ; ingp that'.tli6.Terraces,aud;a Considerable' depth'.under them .we're'.blow'n / .out." v Eyeh were'. .the .Terraces therei.-MrV.Cheeseman. doubts if they, would, not. be'-.discelo'ured' A; good' deal',.V6uld depend: on - what' they .wero' covered'.,.'ivith, -an'd.i to,-what "'extent they were exposed .to steam. .'