DISASTER ON WHITE ISLAND.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2260, 21 September 1914, Page 7

DISASTER ON WHITE ISLAND.

* CAMP AND WORKS OBLITERATED. BY GREAT VOLCANIC OUTBURST. WHOLE HILLSIDE FALLS. ELEVEN WORKMENMISSING. SCENE OF DESOLATION. fßy Telesrrar,h.—Press . Asfoofittion.^ Auckland, September 20. Fears are entertained for. the safety of oleven men employed on White Island' by the New Zealand Sulphur Company in consequence of a. thermal explosion. The particulars so far received are very meagre. The island was visited on Thursday by Pilot A. Mokomoko, who reached there from Opotiki at about 6.30 p.m., having been delayed, it is thought, by bad weather. At any rate, he .did not effect a landing, but waited- : off shore for five hours. During that time he mado frequent signals, to which ho got no reply. On returning to'Opotiki the pilot telegraphed to Mr. W. E. Willoughby, managing director of the' Sulphur Company in Auckland, on Friday for instructions. Mr. Willoughby telegraphed back instructing him to return to the island and make further investigations. This-the pilot did on Saturday. That evening ho again telegraphed Mr. Willoughby stating that ho had returned to the island, where he found that an explosion had blown up a .large portion of the cliff 1000 ft. high, And that the camp was buried in the debris. The boats,, usually kept near tho wharf, were missing, and he supposed "had been washed out to sea. NO SICN OF LIFE. ,i A SCENE OF DESOLATION. Whakatane, September 20. Apparently the greatest eruption sinco the Tarawera eruption on Juno' 10, 1886, occurred on White Island, presumably last Thursday week, when a dense volume of black smoke was seen rising from the island. The island is worked by the White Island Sulphur Company, which had an extensive plant there, and | quarters for a .manager and about ten men. Supplies for the island are sent from Opotiki about once a fortnight, and Mokomoko, a launch proprietor, of Opotiki, went oh the regular trip on Tuosday last,. but- having no dinghy was unable to land, and could not attract any attention. He concluded that tho men were absent on another part of the island, and did not notice any change in the aspect. Ho returned to Opotiki and proceeded to the island again on Saturday morning. He landed aaid found a scene of _ desolation on the site previously occupied by the works-and the camp. The effect of the eruption seems to have been to throw the whole hillside overlooking the large lake'-and camp' into the lake and over the whole of tho surrounding area, completely burying the works, dwellings, boats, and ,■ the small wharf, and all the inhabitants. Mokomoko reports no, sign of life at all on'that part of the island, and 20ft.' of -debris covers -where the -camp- stood. ■Mokomoko returned to Opotiki and reported the disaster, and at two o'clock this morning a'search party in charge of the police, consisting of about forty, left Opotiki for the island, and have not returned at time of telegraphing. It is understood that another party has gone from Tekaha,'the nearest point in the bay to the island, which is distant about' forty miles from Opotiki and Whakatane. As far- as can be ascertain-, ed, there were ten men on the, island. The only, names obtainable to-day are M'Kim, Walker, Steve Young, and Burn, and six others from Auckland, whose names are unknown'here., It was at first reported that Mr. Rhodes, manager, and his wife were on the island, but now it is practically certain,that they left, by the Rosamond (which frequently calls at the island) some weeks ago.. _ Lately the fumes of sulphur were particularly noticeable along the coast from Matata to Opotiki, and the island had never before been seen so active as on the day tho disaster is supposed to have occurred. It is worthy of note that a fresh coldwater spring on a farm four miles helow Teteko, which lies in the valley in a direct line between Tarawera and White Island, has been transformed into a boiling ispring within tho past week.

A RAY OF HOPE. MEN MAY BE AWAY IN THE BOATS Auckland, September 20. In an interview to-day Mr. AVilloughby stated that he had no further details. Ho.was inclined to think, however, from the.fact that Whakatane residents saw the explosion in the day time, that the men got away in the boats. Tho lat'«r, four in number (three surf-boats and a dinghy) would hold many more than eleven. Mr. Willoughby considered, that tho fact that.there was no news of the mon yet may merely indicate slow progress, in surf-boats,,which would be seriously hampered if tho weather was rough] Tho fact that the pilot failed to get replies to his signals on Thursday was not unusual. The men , aslioro might have been on tho other side of the island or at a meal. Mr. Willoughby on' Saturday evening telegraphed to Opotiki to organise a search party to proceed to the island forthwith, and advices state that a party was to leave with the police at 2 a.m. to-day. Meantime the Northern Company's steamer'Tasman, which was due to leave here at 11. p.m. on Saturday for Whakatane, was ordered to proceed to White Island first. This will be done. Four policemen went by the Tasman, which should reach tho island, at 5 p.m. to-day. . Shipmasters have been asked to keep a look-out for .castaways.' The camp on the island was near tho wharf. Just beyond was a high _ cliff, which', from that point almost encircles in, tho form of a. Hugo crater a Lake, now dry. The other end of tho partial circlo is a cliff 1000 ft. high and half a mile from the camp buildings. At the baso of this cliff, and on tho side of the lake is a blow-hole, which Mr. Willoughby states had been showing rather more than normal activity recently, but not such as to create' alarm. Ho thinks it probablo that the activity from this blow-hole penetrated beneath tho interior of tho cliff, and culminated in an explosion, throwing debris over '.the lake, camp, and vicinity. •. The party on the island comprised ten men and the under-manager, Mr. A. J. C. M'Kim. The only names so far available arc Walker, Steve Young, and Burn, also six from Auckland, some of them married men. Tho staff was latch' reduced, and the eleven mon had only beeii on the island flvo or six days. All the supplies were taken from Opotiki, twenty-six miles away. The company'has sought better means of communication without success. In tho rough 'weather it is very difficult to land on tho island. A wireless plant had

been suggested, but it was not entertained by the Government. At present the Union Company's Rosamond calls there oh tho way to Tolago Bay and Gisbome. ' Tho only other means of communication is by boat from Opotiki. Whakatane is thirty-six miles away, and Tauranga fifty-six. Mr. Willoughby is hoping to receivo further news to-night.

"A WEIRD SPOT." THE ISLAND DESCRIBED. Whito Island is a conical-shaped island in the Bay of Plenty,- estimated 27 miles from tlio shore (from which it is visible in lino weather), and 38 miles south from (Jape llunaway. It is four miles in circumference, and its highest point is about 1075 feet above sea level. /There is a tradition among tho Maoris (who. name it Waikare) -that ascribes tho origin Of lire to the island. In the west end of the crater is a blowhole, from which clouds of sulphurous steam rise to a great height, and this, together with tho sulphur-coloured rocks, induced Captain Cook to cliriston it White Island. Tho crater is occupied by a lake of strong mineral water which is fed by intermittent geysers and boiling springs -round, it. : All the waters are -intensely acid, and deposit sulphate of iimo, whilst tho accompanying emanations form deposits of pure sulphur, which ha\e been worked for seine time by a company, in which Canadian as well as Now Zoalaud capital is employed. Tho island, according to the Minos Statement for 1913, consists of the summit of a volcano projecting above the sea, and thereon thermal activity is unusually pronounced; from one large vent known as the "Blowhole" there is a remarkable display of solfataric and fumarolic action, unrivalled in New Zealand, so-called smoke and steam being ejected to a height of about 300 ft. "Around tho fumaroles there are conical mounds of almost pure sulphur, varying from 4ft. to 6ft. high, and the noor-s and sides of the crater are covered to an unknown depth with alternating layers of siliceous mud ash-beds, flowers of sulphur (averaging 7ft. in thickness) and gypsum. By systematic prospecting a reserve of sulphur has been exposed, and a considerable quantity has been obtained and stacked for treatment. '• Previous attempts to profitably work the sulphur-deposits have been somewhat. hindered by , shortage of water supply, but the present company have const-meted a dam which they believe will he adequate to supply their boilers. "The steaming plant consists of a retort-house,. containing three retorts each of 4 tons capacity, to which steam for fusing the sulphur is supplied by a boiler. , "Conditions of life in this weird island are not salubrious, nor, in the opinion of the Inspector of Mines, are they quite safe, the workmen's'camp and steaming plant being placed in proximity to the 'Blowhole.' " The secretary of the General Post Ollico has received the following message from tho Postmaster at Opotiki:—"Advice just received that a great volcanic outburst occurred at Whito Island, half the side of the hill l falling into tho crater. Ten or eleven men employed by the Sulphur Company are believed to be buried under the debris."