392 
DRS. T. ANDERSOX AXD J. S. FLEET OX THE ERUPTIOXS OF THE 
Mr. PiOBERTSox left at 12.30, a few stones had fallen several inches across, and as he 
rowed away he noticed that some were floating on the surface of the water. 
The Climax of the Eruption. The Descent of the Great Black Cloud. 
The climax of the eruption was now at hand. It came with terrible suddenness. 
With laconic brevity, Mr. McDoxald records it as follows :— 
«/ ^ 
“ 1.55. Ruinl)ling. Large black outburst with showers of stones all to windward, and enormously 
increased activity over the whole area. 
“ A terrific huge reddish and purplish curtain advancing up to and over Richmond Estate. 
“ At this stage left Richmond Yale House and hinried into and pushed off boat a few minutes after 
2 P.M. Saw vapour as we rowed hard across Chateaubelair Ray coming down to sea level past Richmond 
Point. Sea peppered all round with stones, one of which—about a cubic inch—fell inside the boat, in 
which were eleven persons. 
“ The huge curtain referred to was advancing after the racing boat, which never seemed likely to get 
out of the range of it, or the falling stones, which latter varied from the size of one’s fist down¬ 
ward .... 
“ The lightning and thunder at this time were terrific, and there were noises inland. 
“ Everything seemed to point to a general break up, both on land and sea.” 
Thi.s was the outburst of the great black cloud, which, charged with immense 
quantities of red-hot dust, poured from the crater and swe])t down the valleys to 
the sea. 
It will he noticed that Mr. McDonald describes it as reddish and purplish. He 
does not- enter into particulars as to its form, except that he states that it was like a 
curtain. All who have seen the side of this cloud use exactly the same term in 
describing it. It resembled a curtain hanging in folds, black, dense, solid, and well- 
defined. The cloud swept out to sea over Eichmond ; its southern margin was over 
the headland on the south .side of the mouth of the Eichmond Eiver. Eichmond Yale 
House stands in the next valley to the south of Eichmond Estate, and it was spared 
and but little damaged, while Eichmond was wiped out and destroyed. Mr. 
McDonald’s boat was perhaps half a mile south of the edge of the black cloud. 
Stones fell about it, but there does not appear to have been great darkness for some 
time after, and he does not speak of suftbcating vapours or dust, or of any very great 
heat. 
It is interesting to compare with Mr. McDonald’s description the statements 
made to us hv some black and coloured men, who were just a little further north 
than Mr. McDonald, and were caught in the edge of the cloud. They had been 
at Eichmond to remove their personal belongings to Chateaubelair, and their boat 
was returning when the black cloud swooped down. 
The sea was perfectly calm and the day clear, though there had been a few drops 
of rain in the forenoon. The boat had just rounded the point south of Eichmond 
Eiver, and was on the north side of Chateaubelair Bay. The cloud struck them like 
