WHITE ISLAND.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 22 September 1914, Page 4

WHITE ISLAND.

PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE DISASTER.

EXPERSENGES ON THE (SLAN3.

BY TELEGRAPH PRBSS ASSOCIATION. TAURANGA, Sept. 21. A reporter of the Bay of Plenty Times interviewed Colonel G. Arnold Ward, a civil engineer, who has always taken the keenest interest in seismic volcanic phenomena. In reply to a question as to the possible cause of the disaster, Colonel Ward said that in the absence of details it was only possible to give a conjecture. White Island, he said, was the most consistently active of New Zealand volcanoes, though it was quite away on an island summit. The volcano was submerged for more than half its height, and may be compared with the hollow of the tooth, being merely a swell of cliffs, from 200 to 800 feet, surrounding an oblong crater. The floor of the crater stands a fair height above sea level and was generally accessible through two breaks in the crater Avail. The south-east end of the crater was roughly half a mile long by a quarter of a mile wide, with a small lake and several fumaroles. The water %f the lake was very strongly impregnated with hydrochloric acid, of a very high temperature. It had been I considerably drained away by the company working the sulphur deposits. Many places from top to bottom of the crater were dotted with steam jets strongly impregnated with acid gases. It therefore follows that the rocks and debris composing the walls would be in an unstable condition, owing to the decomposition by acid and vapour, and falls or landslides ai-3 liable to occur from time to time. The actual time of any such fall would probably often be determined by the occurrence of one of the minor tremors to which the island Mas frequently subjected. From evidence available, Colonel Ward attributed the present tiisaster to a fall of cliff debris due to the natural causes enumerated above. The so-called black smcks record 3:1 as having been seen from ike mainland was simply an immense volume of fine dust which naturally follows a big fall, carried to ia great height by steam and hot air always rising from the Crater. Certainly there had been no eniptioh of magnitude or the earth -tremors would have been felt -hroighout the Bay of Plenty. Whether the sulphir mi ung operations or the partial draining of the lake had .anything to do with the disaster it was impossible' to say without further information, but as all hands appear to have been buried, it seems likely the disaster occurred without any premonitory signs. At the time the men would probably be at a meal or gathered together in their quarters for some similar purpose, and the eruption' would not have occurred in working hours. In regard to the reported outbreak of a hot spring on the mainland., while not impossible, he was inclined at present to i egard it as simply a coincidence if true. They must remember that all sorts of wild rumours always crop up about a disaster such as the present. AUCKLAND, Sept. 21. A fortunate escape is that which has been experienced by Dr. Milson, of Auckland, Mr. W. H. Willoughby (managing director of the Sulphur Company) and Mr. J. L. Strevins (the company's chemist). These gentlemen were due to have left Auckland for White Island on September Bth, and presumably would have been on the island when the eruption took place had their original plans been carried ant. The indisposition of a member of the party was the sole reason for the fortunate postponement of the trip. An-interesting story was told this morning in the course of an interview by Mr. Strevins. "There has certainly been a great deal of volcanic activity on the island lately/ said Mr. Strevins. "Even so, it was not considered an unsafe place on which to reside. Maori tradition has credited the place with a similar degree of activity for a thousand years, and it was presumed to be safe for another thousand geologically. However, years may be counted in moments, and apparently the unexpected has happened. Thermal activity at White Island has for a long time past been quite six times as great as that at Whakarewarewa, and those residing on the island have received frequent shocks and other evidences of volcanic activity. For instance, two months agb; Mr. Strevins, in company with the manager (Mr. MoKim) had an expert (Mr. Mieyel) sent out by English and Canadian investors, had a sensational experience. The area, of White Island is only about 1000 acres, but its crater rises to a height of 1000 ft.. and it took the exploring party eight hours to negotiate its circumference. Starting at eight o'clock in the morning they noticed that there was a continual haze over one part of the country. They intended traversing this, which, they thought they could pierce, but when well into it they found that the air, was thick with dust and ash. So dense did it become, in fact, that at times they could: scarcely see each other, and the country they were negotiating was of the roughest possible description. For ! hours they were in a fairly perilous position, and seriously considered the j expediency of trying to retrace their steps. Fortunate for them that they did npt attempt to do so, for shortly after discussing this suggested change of plan thers were three loud explosions like the firing of cannon, and the country immediately behind them was the scene of considerable upheaval. Ultimately the party returned to camp smother in dust .and ash, which was an inch thick about parts of their clothing. At times, .Mr. Strevins stated, great volumes of smoke, dust and a-sh belched forth from the crater to a height of about 6000 ft. or 7000 ft. The crater itself is 1000 ft. above sea level, and the smoke is often blown up five times as high as the crater. Occasionally dust and ash descend thickly upon the area known as "the flat," where the quarrymen had their quarters, and it was not an infrequent thing for it to come down four inches thick. Despite these little. experiences, Mr. Strevins says White Island was not at all an unhealthy place to live upon. Men always felt well and possessed good appetites, and the place where their huts were located was considered to be the safest on the island