THE SULPHUR WORKS, AT WHITE ISLAND, BAY OF PLENTY.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1184, 29 January 1880, Page 3

THE SULPHUR WORKS, AT WHITE ISLAND, BAY OF PLENTY.

The following interesting particulars relating to White Island and the operations conducted there are furnished by an esteemed correspondent, who has latelyvisited the place— Ho says :— " The anchorage is in a sheltered bay, right opposite the crater. The Captain said the holding ground was good, and the anchorage sheltered from all winds between south-west by west, and north to north east and by east. An excellent landing place has been construoed at Crater Bay. ihe off -lying rocks and boulders have been removed, and our boat passed easily through next to no surf, into a cradle or slip in which she was run up,load and all, above the water by a suitable appliance. In the same way the loading is performed at a dry wharf, and the boat is allowed to run down into the sea. By this contrivance Mr. C. Hawker Wilson, the able nanagerof the sulphur works, at the islaud, and at Tauranga, informed us, he had reduced the expense of shipping to half the former cost* The sulphur is carried down to the landing from the various parts of the crater, where it is collected by tramways, which have a singular appearance threading their way through the crater of a burning volcano; these extend some 900 yards, and run to the foot of the steam jets, where the sulphur is made. The navigation of the acid lake is accomplished by means of boats built for the purpose, by Mr. Clare of Auckland. The boats are tree-nailed throughout, nor is there a metal nail in one of them. There are two houses in the orater. Eight men are working upon the island. The S.S. StafEa calls once a fortnight, sea going boats, built for the purpose, are kepo at the landing and the Tamaki Packet runs from Tauranga to supplement the StafEa when required. In fact the communications to send from the island, the landing facilities the plant and appliances on shore, with the system generally manifest appeared to us to be efficient and complete. Mr. Wilson is confining his sulphur operations at present to the removal of that Mhich is pure. There is an immense quantity of sulphur of various per centages of purity, but none of this is being shipped away now, although 100 tons are lying ready collected, at the landing. This impure stuff is found in tens of thousands of tons reund the rocky walls of the crater and beneath its floor. It is of all qualities from 50 up to 85 per cent. The pure is obtained across the lake. It is taken away as the volcano forms it, one jet deposits daily, 1 cwt. of pure sulphur. It is also found accumulated and buried up. It is here in what is called the Par Crater that the steam rises throgh orifices in the surface in immense volumes, sending up clouds visible at 80 miles distance. We crossed the lake by boat and entered the pandemonium, where we wittnessed a sight we shall always remember. The volcano was in full blast, working with enormous energy and deafening roar. Clouds of steam, and what appeared sometimes to be smoke ascended, shielding us from the rays of a powerful sun. We stood surrounded by the precipitous walls of the crater, 1000 feet high. Yet, these were but very partially visible, by reason of the ascending clouds. The walls are of all colors, green, red, blue, yellow, grey, &c, and produced with the evanescent forms of light and ahade, and vapour prismatically coloured, that encircled them, an effect unique and indescribable, and to add to the whole, looking back from under our canopy we perceived ourselves severed from the outer world by the lake which we had come across, as it lay sparkling in the sunlight with its waters of brilliant turquoise blue. In this extraordinary place, strange as it may seem, the workmen labour daily eight hours, without inconvenience. There is another centre of volcanic action on the north side of the lake, called the Near Crater. The fumes here at this season are too strong to permit regular operations notwithstanding the sulphur is quite pure, and seeems to be abundant. Mr. Wilson said that frosty weather was the proper time to work this place, and that only 600 boxes had been removed from here during the last two months. The lake is about 500 yards across, each way, and is generally about 3or 4 fathoms deep. In one part, however, it is very deep, has in fact never been fathomed, here there is a large whirlpool, formed by the escape of volumes of gas from below. We pulled through this whirlpool. Our boat was impeded, but nothing more, as in the absence of suction there could be no dangei. This lake is a singular phenomenon. Of the size and depth named, its waters contain free hydrochloric acid, equivalent on analysis to 26 per cent, of the whola, by the commercial standard. Its surface if usually about 25 feet above the level of the" sea, and it is distant from the caater landing about 300 yasds. I should not omit to say, that the steam which esoapes trom both craters, in quantities, is such that it is visible daily at Tauranga, 60 miles away. This element, absolutely unlimited in quantity, has been successfuly caught by Mr. Hawker Wison, *t one of the orifices it escapes from, afl} condensed into a fluid, brownbhjn color, and surpassing the acid of fcKe lake water in strength, this acid will be analysed shortly. In addition to the sulphur business, we had the pleasure of seoing several hundrei saoita of guaiio Btackedou Ctenet point

awaiting shipment The guaao has been tried and is said to be a very good manure. We did not visit the guano beds tor want •! time, but we however observed a strong vapour rising from them like smoke, and were iuformed that there was always apparent when the sun was hot and esecially after rain. At the landing plaoe we observed a heap collected of fine gypsum, in the crystalline form. Mr. Wilson remarked that although detached blocks had been found about the crater, this sample of the article had only lately baen discovered in quantity He said he had yet to learn whether working it would prove remunerative. A residence at White Island cureß rheumatism, one dip in the lake removes an acute attack. The air of the crater relieves asthma. And the lake water has rapidly healed cuts, sores, scalds, &c. Among the new residents upon the island, the English sparrow must be included, also the blight bird. The Pohutukawa growing thickly, like very close ti-tree, flax and 'grass seem to complete the flora of the island. The only living things in the crater are rats, but the sea birds frequently resort to the lake, to inhale the fumes perhaps. They stand on its shores but never venture to swim upon it. We never had a pleasanter or more interesting day than that which we spent at White Island, and hope at some future time to have an opportunity to renew our visit.