SEVERE VOLCANIC ERUPTION.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 706, 23 September 1914, Page 5

SEVERE VOLCANIC ERUPTION.

WHITE ISLAND DISASTER. TEN LIVES LOST. A disastrous thermal eruption has occurred at White Island in the Bay of Plenty, and there is grave reason for supposing that ten lives have been lost. It is practically certain that damage amounting to about £20,000 has been done to the works and plant of the New Zealand Sulphur Company on the island. There is some uncertainty as to the actual date of the disaster, but it wuuld seem to have occurred either on Thursday, September 10, or Friday, September 11. The names of the men whom it is feared have been killed are as follows: —A. J. C. McEim, manager; R. Walker, Stephen H. Young, J. Byrna, W. J. Donovan, R. Lamb, H. Williams, A. Anderson, R. Waring, Kelly. The whole of the first seven_ men were from Auckland, and it is believed that all but Byrne were unmarried. With regard to Anderson, Waring, and Kelly, there is soma doubt whethar they were on the island, but it is thought probable that they were. An eleventh man, who had been engaged by th 9 manager in the capacity of cook, is known to have kept his engagement All the employees, other than the manager, were quarrymen or labourers. The first news of the catastrophe reached Opotiki, which is 28 miles from the island, on Saturday afternoon, through Albert Mokomoko, the Northern Steamship Company's pilot at that place.

From appearances it would ssem tbat a large cliff on the northerly side of the island slipped forwards towards the sulphur lake, probably, it is thought as the outome of an earth tremor that was felt at Opotiki on Friday week last. Tie debris covered the large sulphur blowhole vent which formerly existed at the base of the cliff. This evidently caused a terrific eruption. Another blowhole, about 40yds across, has appeared four c jains nearer to the lake, which ia emitting fierce sulphurous flame. The lake no longer exists. Appearances suggest that the eruption took place in tb.3 evening. It seems not improbable that the eruption blew the employees and their quarters over Troup Head, 150 ft high, and into the sea, on the south-eastern side of the island, a3 the side of that cliff is whitened by eruDted material, Portions of the manager's house and the employees' whare, aslo part of the manager's wire stretcher, were found by the search party floating in the sea. The eruption must have been extremely violent. A pair of heavy truck wheels, and a large boulder ! several tons in weight, were found four chains away from where they originally were. It is estimated that quite 40 acr9s have been affected by the upheaval.