Whale Island Eruption.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXV, Issue 10016, 5 December 1908, Page 4

Whale Island Eruption.

■ I'Elt I'llKSs Ae.-01-IATION.) Aiielvlaud. Oeceniber 4. Further pani. dar* in r.-gard to the seismic disturbance- ~u the Ray ot I'eßty coj-l. aa experi..i,e..d to the southward ot Whakataue. ca:n.- to hand ley tiie auxiliarv k.-tcii Aib;,ti.s.-. which put in an appearance today from Ohiwa. 'l'he experience "t ti.*' ciev.- «.ii Suiidav nizbt were graplu-ally ,i.-cubed by one of then number to a press representative: —"The tirst heavy shock ..aiue just as we had got into bunk on Sunday night," he said, "and it startled us to teel tin: boat jumpiu..aliout alongside the wliart on a calm night, r.etweefi Sundae night and Tuesday there must havi been" about a dozen shocks, but nothing further of much account happen-.-.! until 'Liusdav. Just about breakfast time L w.is looking over the side at the time to see if there was. enough water for us to e-u out. Then all of a."sudden the boat lurched lieavilv on tiie water, and lic-gan to rock about violently. The wharf seemed to me, looking up"at it, to be coming right down on the ship. The vessel treaked badlv and eveivthing on. board was badlv je'rkcd abuit/' Itrre-ply to a iiuesticm'as to the app«iran-e ot Whale L-land, as observed* on the homeward voyage, the reporter was informed tint passing between the island and the shore the vessel went through a lot of colored water, such as might come from springs. "We could see it bubbling up vioientiy in one place, just, for all the world like the crude oi. at the Taranaki wells, all thick, and of a dirtv brown. When we w t re going up to Ohiwa. on Saturday White Islam! was veryactive, and was "spouting out clouds o: black smoke. Generally the smoke is all white with a thin streak of black, but this was almost all black. The s.s. Tasman arrived from. WhaKatane this afternoon, and brought particulars of the disturbance* on Whale Island. The clouds which have been observed byall who voyaged round the island on the Taninan vusterday are said to have been due to land slips and nothing else. The residents of Whakatane are stated to be somewhat nervous as to the result should further earthquakes occur. No damage has yet l>ecn done, but the. heavy shock of Tuesdav morning last aroused anxiety to a faii'rly lugh pitch. Another sharp shock was "expe"rieru.ied on Tuesday evening, and throughout the night the residents scarcely had a chance to sleep. On the voyage back to Auckland yesterday afternoon the discoloration of the water was very noticeable, bnt this is put down to slips on Whale Island. At II a.m. yesterday another heavy yellow cloud, supposedly of dust, was "observed hanging over Whale Island. Tuesday morning's shock is state.! to lie the heaviest felt in the district since 1866.