Waimangu Geyser.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 184, 8 August 1904, Page 4

Waimangu Geyser.

ITS PRESENT INACTIVITY. A correspondent writes to the M-w Zealand Herald as follows:—" Although Waimangu geyser has not l>een active for the past three weeks it is not played out,, and certainly is not cool, the temperature of the water on Wednesday last being 120 degrees and on Thursday 130 degrees clearly indicating that some of the pent-up steam ia escaping through its funnel-shaped mouth. Mr c. Shepherd, who has bean absent from Waimangu for about two months returned on Wednesday, and to this gentleman I am indebted for the temperatures given above. Mr Shepherd made a careful examination of the whole surroundings, and observed nothing unusual-no change beyond the fact that greater activity prevailed in Fryingpan Flat and Gibraltar Kock. The echo crater, or inferno, alongside Waimangu, is still "booming," and there, is no reason to presume that the great geyser will not aga n become- active. Mr Shepherd slates that two very l a i w boulders, that at one time were lying on the bank between the Echo crater, or inferno, and the geyser have slipped into the 'geyser, one about twelve months ago and the other some six months back. One of these boulders, Mr Shepherd considers, would weigh about twelve tons, and, in his opinion, these have gradually worked themselves down into the funnekshaptd mouth of the geyser, and, together with, an accumulation of material that has been washed into the basin, are choking it up. The compressed steam has forced its way through to other chambers, so relieving, for the time King, the pressure directly under the funnelshaped mouth. This theory is upheld by the fact that the temperature of the water increases and diminishes, as shown by those taken by Mr Shepherd the other week. If such proves to be correct, then the accumulated force must create an exit I for itself, and the supposition is that this exit will be made In close proximity to the present mouth, or by blowing tho obstructions it'nn out of the basin.