THE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1528, 6 July 1886, Page 3

THE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS.

Boscawen returned to Auckland from the lake country on Friday night, and leaves for Wellington on Tuesday. He obtained complete sketches of the Rotumuliann critters, also specimens of stones, dust, etc. Captain Hatton wont on to Paesreu to inapect the thermal system there, and return* to Auckland to meet Professor Brown and Professor Thomas. Boscawen has suffered severely from exposure, and has got an attack of rheumatism.

The water at the south end of Kotoiti was for five hours last Thursday night in violent commotion. This wai succeeded by occasional violent shakes. There was a constant vibration. It is anticipated that the women and children will leave now. [Later advices state that these report! were exaggerated.] All is quiet again at Rotorua, the clouds of smoke over Tarawera having disappeared. Tahotu, the old Maeri who was rescued after having been over four days entombed at Wairoa, died in the Rotorua hospital on Thursday afternoon. Auckland, July 4.

Mr Hugh Boscawen, the artist attached to the Surveyor-General’s department, has brought down with him a case, about a foot square, of mud procured for him by Lundin, from Wairoa. It weighs something like 401bs. He has also some volcanic bombs or “fire balls,” from the top of Mcßae’s Hotel. He went back from Rctorna on June 89th, when the weather cleared, and explored the earthquake flat, finding a crater. Captain Hutton joined him, and they went oyer the ground again. On closely examining the crater they found traces of ash on the landslips of layers—caused by earthquakes in former times —of a similar character to that now ejected from the Botomahana craters, showing that the present eruption is not the first. Professor Hutton and Mr Boscawen explored together the whole of the Botomahana craters. They went up the hill at the back of the pink terrace, but were some distance from its supposed site. The whole country behind the pink terrace for some distance is falling in and dangerous. The earthquakes in the vicinity of the craters are becoming milder and less frequent. Such was the force of the wind on the ridge that they had to crawl on their hands and knees to make any progress. They found by digging that the layer of ash was 5 feet deep, and the stones at the bottom were quite hot, though thrown out on the 10th June. They warmed their hands on them as a relief in the bitter cold. As the steam clouds were being blown away from them by the force of the gale they got a splendid view of the Rotomahaus crater, and of Tarawera proper. The geysers were still playing up, throwing mud all over Lake Rotomahana, but have ceased throwing up stones. There appears to be about three acres of boiling mud on the lakes. If the Terraces exist at all, says Mr Boscawen, then they are buried in mud, for there is no outside sign of them so far as be could judge. The Tarawera mountain has one vast fissure from end to end. Waihanga is also cleft clean in two, likewise Ruswahia. The principal stones thrown from the craters are rhylotes, and from Tarasvera cinders, which may be the crust of the lava. If there is any lava at Tarawera it is at the bottom of the fissure, not discernible. They did not leave the field till dark, and failed to see any fire in the crater. Mr Boscawen knows nothing about the late reported eruption and rumbling, etc., at Tarawera, No such eruption was noticed by him, and be is inclined to regard the report as baseless. The record of the rise and fall of Lake Rotorua has been kept since the eruption, also a self-registering barometer and a diagram showing the various earthquakes and earth tremors. The heaviest recorded was between 4 and 5 a.m. ou the morniag of the eruption. A register has been kept showing the remarkable rise in tbe temperature of Madame Rachel’s bath at Rotorua, from the day of the eruption, and the increase of temperature yesterday was the highest yet recorded.