Huge Volcanic Eruption at White Island.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 29, 21 September 1914, Page 2

Huge Volcanic Eruption at White Island.

TEN MEN BELIEVED TO BE BURIED IN THE DEBRIS. HALF THE HILLSIDE COLLAPSES. (Press Extraordinary.) Wellington, Sep. 19. A volcanic eruption occurred at White Island, in the Bay of Plenty, half the hillside falling into the crater. It is believed that ten or eleven men were buried in the debris. (White Island is a conical island in the Bay of Plenty formed by the summit of an extinct volamc mountain rising out of deep water. The crater is occupied by a lake of strong mineral water, which is fed by intermittent geysers and boiling springs surrounding it. All these waters are intensely acrid, and deposit sulphate of lime, while the accompanying vapors form irregular deposits of pure sulphur. The sulphur deposits are worked for commercial purposes. It lies 27 miles from the shore, and is four miles in circumference, and 1075 ft high. The color of the island is really yellow, not white. No doubt, it is the men engaged in working the sulphur deposit* who are thought to be buried.

THE MANAGER’S STATEMENT.

{Peb Press Association.]

Auckland, September 20,

Particulars so far received arc very meagre. The island was visited on Thursday by a pilot, A. Makamoko, who reached there from Opotiki at about 6.30 p.m. He did not effect a landing, but waited off shore foxfive hours. During that time ho made frequent signals, to which ho got no replies. On returning to Opotiki, the pilot wired to Mr W. H. Willoughby, managing director of the Sulphur Company, in Auckland on /Friday for instructions. Mr Willoughby wired back, instructing him to return to the island to make father . investigations. On Saturday evening ho again wired Mr Willoughby, stating that ho had returned to the island, where he found that an explosion had blown up a lai'ge poxtion of the cliff, about 1000ft,-; and that the camp was buried in the debris. The boats usually kept near the wharf were missing, and he supposed they had been washed out to sea.

Interview to-day, Mr Willough.xy stated that ho had no further details. Ho was inclined to think, however, from the fact that Whakatane residents saw the explosion in the daytime, that the men got away in boats. The latter were four in number, three surf boats, and a dinghy. These would hold many more than the eleven men, and Mr Willoughby considered that the fact that no news of the men had yet been received might merely indicate that they were making slow progress in. the surf boats, if the weather was rough. The fact that the pilot failed to get replies to signals on Thursday was not unusual. • .

Tho camp on the island was near the wharf. Just beyond was a high cliff, which from that point. almost encircles in the form of a huge crater a lake now dry. Tho other end of the partial circle is a cliff, 1000 ft. high, and half a mile from tho camp buildings, at tho base of this cliff, and on one side of the lake, is a blowhole, which Mr Willoughby states has been showing rather more than normal activity recently, but not such to create alarm. Ho thinks it probable that activity from this blowhole penetrated beneath the' interior of the cliff, and culminated in an eruption, throwing debris over the lake, camp, and the vicinity. The party on tho island comprised ton men, under the manager, Mr A. J. C. McKim. Some of the men are married. The staff was lately reduced, and the eleven men had only been on tho island five or six days. Ail supplies were taken from Opotiki, 26 miles away.