THE MYSTERY OF WHITE ISLAND

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 130, 1 March 1940, Page 5

THE MYSTERY OF WHITE ISLAND

GIANT FORCES OF NATURE UNTAMED BRILLIANT COLOURING OF HELL CRATER STANDING MONUMENT TO PAST TRAGEDY Framed ii: its green setting of the boundless Pacific Ocean, its "White plume of steam-cloud drifting skywards at varying heights ■of two and three thousand feet, the familiar sight of White Island from the main land presents nothing other than a picturesque and rather attractive ocean islet, which it would be a pleasure to visit when a novelty as a base for a jcruise in the beautiful waters of the Bay of Plenty. But to those wjho have already visited this sinis-f ter spot the pleasant impressions of distance are speedily dispers* ed in the grim realities of tragedy plus the tremendous forces) which torture the face of the vast crater. There,-within the space of a little less than one squa,re mile, are "to., be seen the concentrated sights of Rotorua, Tikatere and the -ponders of the Taupo trip. All this set in an impressive dertend, bounded by five hundred foot cliffs which reflect in the bright sun's rays every hue of the rainbow—vivid green, amazing •saffron, dazzling scarlet and above all the pervading tone of the brightest egg-yolk sulphur. The roar of the giant escape vents; the hiss of the steam fumeroles; the shudder of the ground un-| derfoot; all these combine to issue a warning to the new-comer >and a hint to the explorer that here indeed he is tramping upon: •dangerous country.

A Rugged Approach Sombre. under the perpetual shadow of its steam cloud, sinister in the frown of its rugged coastline the approach to White Island presents something to the visitor of its own mystery and isolation. Past the islets of Gannet rookeries, gleam ing white against the blue of the sea, the vessel taking the visitor must make an opening in the narrow vent which is the only harbouiage the Island affords. At the northern end the buttress -of the one-time wooden wharf makes for a comparatively snCe land ing slage when the wind is from the Nor'-West. but should the weather be from tiie East or South the 'harbour is unapproachable by small craft. Behind the landing-stage n wreckage of boats, superstruciuic, planking and implements Itself, making a barrier through which the visitor must pick nis way carefully to reach the tall, silent building erected in 1919 to exploit the volcanic properties of the Island. Ferro-concrete and asbestos roofing alone have withstood the ravages of the sulphur-laden atmosphere. Metals of every kind "have succumbed to the corrosion of the steam-clouds from the crater 'which pour clown perpetually from the upper plateau. Behind the works rages the volcano proper, a dozen vents vomitting forth the steam which goes to make the cloucl formation with which Whakatanians are so familiar. But it is not the gently rising vapour which one would suppose; forced up by terrific internal pressure from the very bowels of the earth, the escaping steam belches forth with a force that makes the •ground shudder. In fact the whole floor is fairly trembling with the vibration of what have been commonly called the actions of the 'safety-valve' of New Zealand. The landing itself is precarious for the very tide is boiling in a score of places, setting traps for the unwary and giving a singular appearance to the steaming wavelets as they break upon the stony foreshore.

Grandu.re of Setting The road to adventure lies alortfg the track laid by the workmen of nearly twenty years ago whereby they gained access to the yellow w faces where the crude sulphur Avas worked, stacked and railed to the refinery plant. The way, though fairly substantial, lies through a treacherous morass of hissing mudpools and frail-crusted silica formations. But it is the grandure of the setting which has the greatest appeal. On all sides tower the multi-coloured cliffs; in places, even •over-hanging the cauldron below. In looking up, one experiences an uncanny sense of seeing the whole of the rugged clilf-line swaying in the haze against the distant blue •sky. White Island's main craters are perpetually shifting, leaving huge smoking holes as reminders of their former fury and breaking out afresh in some unexpected quarter. This probably explains the fate of the thirteen men who were killed 1922 and of whom no trace has ever been discovered. The first introduction to the wilder volcanic display is obtained by •climbing a solidified lava promon-

Tory overlooking the giant escape hole. So over-powering is the force of the steam and so terrifying the noise of the escaping jet that even to approach within forty yards seems to invite the bursting of the ear-drums.. , A 'heavy stone tossed into the mouth of tlie gap is Hung aside like a cork. The full blast makes the lower column of steam seem almost transparent but as it mounts higher the atmospheric condensation changes it into silvery clouds of vapour which roll away to change the main display issuing from the top-most peak. A Yellow Blanket Shortly to the westward an are; -1 of approximately an acre is covercd entirely with newly-formed sulphur fume-roles. These present a sight resembling a well-kept apiary, though from each of the summits of the cone formations a viseious jet of sleam issues and spits. The sight is singular enough, the vivid yellow contrasting sharply Avith the drabness of the- rocky wilderness surrounding it. Each of the cones presents a mustard-yellow tip toning down to a light green yellow as it reaches the blanket ted ground below. Climbing to the next level the first sight that arrests the eyes is the spread of a green lakelet boiling at its northern end but placidly clear and cool at its southern reach. The waters therein are green in every sense of the word, not merely an imaginary green dictated by the mood of the sk}* overhead. A handful lies green in the hand; it is a deep, verdant tone which is unaltered even as the stream which carries its overflow from the crater forces it's way over an escape jet, thus giving a rainbow display one of the marvels of the Island.

Recent Change A comparatively recent overflow of lava has transformed a rocky face into a smooth and easily-climb-ed approach to the topmost geysers and steam-vents. By some freak of volcanic fury a jagged crater some sixty yards across holds in its centre a steam-escape barely four feet across, but from this there issues in a iSort of blue haze a veritable blast which defies even the largest boulders rolled into its silica-en-crusted mouth. The force of this escape carries the uncondcnsed steam fully a hundred feet into the air, the only indication that it is 'alive' being the faint blue tinge as it shoots skywards, and the deafen ing roar which accompanied its action . Miniature geysers play in a dozen places at the highest points, pouring steaming water-falls to the tinted lakes below. High overhead the steaming cliffs frown down in their pastel shades while beyond at the crater's mouth ihe blue ribbon of the sea presents a stark and cooling contrast to this cauldron of blistering heat. Naked roek scarps show the way to the lower levels at the foot of the crater where once again the visitor must pick his way carefully to avoid the treacherous nature of the surface. All sense of height and distance is lost in this wilderness of rock, sulphur and vapour and it is difTicuit to form a correct

impression of the exact measurements of the cumbersome outlines frowning through the mists. Island's Secret On a sun-filled bay to the east of the Island the last working place of the men who were killed in the disaster of a decade back is marked by a deep cutting into the crater lip. Signs of a rapidly-constiucted railway line reach into the pit; the corrosion has left but a faint trail of rust to show the position of the metal. How these men met their end or what was the disaster which overtook them on that fatal day will never be known. It is a secret held by the Island itself which, following the outbreak, left only the spectacle of a new tortured terrain of lava to show that it. had been suddenly and dreadfully active. Bareljr a hundred yards separate this working point from the refinery buildings where, scattered around in various stages of decay, lie the vehicles with which the product was handled. A complete power-tractor, slowly rotting away, lies at the main entrance, a fragile line of rusty frames show the last position taken up by a row of metal trucks. A mere push of the hand is sufficient to send them crumbling to earth. Two motor trucks, metal scoops, wheel-barrows and implements of all descriptions lie about the deserted works. In practically all instances they arc merely outlines of rust.

The building itself remains a monument to its builders and the careful planning and study of the conditions which were employed. Substantial and strong, its asbestos roof has withstood the devastating fumes poured down upon it by the crater. But the machinery it houses tells the same sorry talc of the equipment scattered around outside. The entire refinery plant is a mass of rust. Powerful metal devices inches thick in the lirst instance, have been almost entirely eaten away. An axe-head could be crumbled between thumb and forefinger, an experimental pes la! and mortar presented but. a line frame AAhicli shattered at the first impact. All through the building the same silent story is told in Ihe decay of the metal furnishings. A sense of tragedy lurks in the packing-room, where some hundreds of ready filled sacks of refined sulphur lie where they had been left by the men who died twenty years ago. They had been untouched by the luckless company which financed the venture and there they remain awaiting :>pproprintjon though the sack material is fast los ing its nature and can be torn i|i; many places like paper. Thousands or cement sacks lie neatly stored just as they had been deposited. In the general workroom a pair of workman's boots lie upon the bench, a grim reminder of the sudden fate which overtook the lonely operators. An old felt hat dangled from a rusty peg in the wall; a well-worn coat lay carelessly in a corner, where it had been tossed by its owner. It was hard to believe that upon rounding some corner of the works one would not come upon an industrious group of workmen going about their rightful tasks and carrying on with the experimental industry from which the promoters expected so much and obtained so little. Far to the West, beyond the entrance to the rocky cove, the gannets swarmed and scrcamed, the only inhabitants giving tongue! on this Island of desolation and mystery. With them the voice of Nature alone is heard in the heavy, sustained roar from the dozen or more outlets from the Earth's core.