WHITE ISLAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16665, 25 September 1914, Page 9

WHITE ISLAND.

THE RECENT ERUPTION

GALES INTERRUPT SEARCH

WORK

A VISITOR'S DESCRIPTION

SCENES OF DESOLATION. [From Our CojtßSsrosireNT.] AUCKLAND, September 24. Rough weather on the east coast » retarding the search work on White Island. A message from Whakatane states that the steamer Tasman, which took a party of Auckland police to the scene of'the disaster, is bar-bound. With a north-easterly gale blowing, it is practically certain that White Island is cut off from communication, and no further news is likely to come to hand for a day or two.

A copy of a letter from the manager of the New Zealand Sulphur Company, Mr W. H. WUlougbby, asking for vernmont assistance in making a thorough search of White Island, was laid before the Prime Minister during his brief visit to Auckland yesterday..: Mr Massey, however, did not make any statement regarding his intentions. Air Willoughby Ts still of opinion that search parties in launches such as it is proposed to send from Opotiki _on Sunday can do very, little good. He considers that as it is impossible to camp on the island, the authorities should send a steamer which can be moored off-shore and so form the base of operations for a sufficiently large partv of searchers. So far the authorities'have not sought the co-operation, of the company, and no official notice has been given of any further exploration on the island by tho police or others. .... «rk:i.' One of the party which visited White Island on Sunday last was Mr Allan Sutcliffe, of Opotiki. Writing of his experience. Mr Sutcliffe says:— News was brought to us on Saturday by the pilot. Mokomoko, that there had been an eruption on White Island. On Sunday we started off to see the island. Immense clouds of steam could be wen rising a thousandfeetintothe air. When wo arrived we found that the wharf had gone, and we had to land m a dinghy. When we landed, such a sight met our eyes as we never want to see again, a sieht of disorder, desolation and disruption. Where the men's whares had been we found an immense field ot mud like sandstone melted and, spread out to dry. Steam was rising in all directions. In some places mud was still dribbling, and every now and then where vour last footsteps were seen steam would immediately begin to rise, showing that there was still a good deal of acffitv underneath. The crater we found had shifted a little. It was still extremely active, and occasionally shot up great boulders, some of them big enoifgh to crush a whole house side. In innumerable places sulphurous steam ™suing in beautiful colours, yellow, ai/ blue. The> scene was one which easily put at Re tenia in the shade. The lake itself had been destroyed completely, but in othei places I saw small quantities of water bubbling out of the ground. " There were about twenty-five of us in the launch parties which visited the island, and we thought of trying to dig down in search of the whares which no doubt contain the victims of the disaster, but the buildings are now 10ft below the surface, and we had no knowledge of their exact location s.after a few spasmodic attempts we had to admit the futility of our offorta. H«w ttj accident happened must remain R mys terv. but the assumption is that part of the crater fell into the lake ana, bioSg the steam outlet, caused an now is. will work go on' There is no doubt that the.island fa "a great mineral asset. It contains ununited supplies of al-f.™ sulphur. The dangers, of working «, Wever, would appear to be. many.

Narratives of the visit of steamer Tasman, of Auckland, : to WMW Island state that fire was issuuig trotu the crater in the island late on Sunday St. Search parties came across barrels of sulphur almost lamed an the dtbris The barrels had been burst and the sulphur strewn about. Ihere wn* a terrible roaring and of boiling water and steam underneath the surf-ice where previously was the boilng lake with adepthof cigh teenree* The ground appeared to be level an consisted of hard, sun-baked muc w ch cracks in all directions. The Oillj 1 - risible on tho island wae a cat. lho loose debris that had slipped down Uie hillside was extremely hot. ..bulonn- j was issuing through it here and there, and sticking to the surface in lumps I It is absolutely impossible under present circumstances to continue, a systematic search, as the whole crater of tho plateau is one steaming inferno. As showing tho violence of the eruption, stout piles embedded in Cft concrete squares to carry the wharf were snapped clean off at tho base. Th-J police intend to revisit the island - n about a week, when the debris may have cooled somewhat.