THE LAKE ON PIGEON ISLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3396, 16 April 1919, Page 65

THE LAKE ON PIGEON ISLAND.

TO Till'. EDITOB. Siß, —I have had an unusually busy time lately, assisting with the harvest, and there* fore I did not see Mr J. S. Watson's letter in the Witness till the other day. itegardi-//.- the stumps Air Watson speaks of as growing in the lakelet on Pigeon Island, after thinking over it for a goodl while I can only remember one, and it is a good sizo. I am satisfied that originally, it grow on the bank, and, outgrowing its environment, it died, and in time, the roots being decayed and losing their hold, the whole slipped bodily into the -water —a miniature landslip, in fact. I can distinctly remember several trees lying over into, tha water. Doubtless these trees died as described, and, leaning towards the water, they .would fall into it, leaving the roots partly on the bank. There is a lakelet near - Hospital Flat at Glendhu, and there are several big logs lying on the bottom of tha. water which were growing oh the edge at one time. And there is a lakelet on that hillsido opposite the Cattle Flat Homestead, and when I visited it 15 years ago a totara tree had just fallen into the water in the manner I described, and the leaves were still on it. I do not attach any special significance to the statement that the Pigeon Island lakelet is very difficult to keep afloat in. The same applies to all the lakes'and rivers. Alany a tirqe'l havo tested this in Lake Wanaka and the Clutha River by inflating my lungs to fullest extent—and my lung expansion is slightly, above the average —and then cease swimming, and would sink like a stone; and many a time I have gone down 10ft or 12'it, and it is a very beautiful sight then to look up to the surface of the water, and also to watch.the bubbles of breath rising to the surface. The water being absolutely •■ clear as crystal enables this to be done quite 'easily. It always required vigorous strokes to reach the surface. Years after, in bathing in salt water, the . buoyancy of the latter was then very apparent. I can.not attach any value to the subterranean: fissure theory." Air Watson's belief that tha water comes from Lake Hawea is not fea»i ible, even though Hawea is so much higher; than Pigeon Island. It would be a very, accommodating fissure to travel perhaps 10 miles under mountains, and then under East Wanaka arm of the lake, then under Burke's Peninsula, then under the. lakei which is aver 1000 ft deep, and then.'coma°. up exactly at the right place. When w« bring the logic of facts to bear on thai drainage theory,, the source of theV:;water supply is apparent. Thero is a cliff 50ifc or more high beside the lakelet, and',' tha catchment, area is on. the level with tha top of it. The area of the lakelet is' about . an acre, and the catchment area is perhaps four to six acres. The annual rainfall is perhaps 40in— say 3ft for easy reckonings That is, 3ft of water on the lakelet, and 12ft accumulated on four acres of .thai catchment area, to be. stored up underground and allowed to trickle into the lake. I have often heard it said that the lakelet rises and falls in unison, with the big lake/ Certainly, the same rains that would put the big lake up would put the small one up. When Mr W Allanton and I sounded it wo . could -.see the rocky bottom- quito, easily, although the water, being stagnanfc,it was the lightest shade of brown.. Whila the bows of the canoe were touching tha bank the stern was in 36ft of water-. The shallowness entirely dispels the idea of aa extinct volcano. The west side of Pigeon Island is very dry; on the east side there are a number of small swamps, and soma very fertile soil. Near Oamaru there are wme perpetual small lagoons 3ft to 4ft deep, fed by rain water off very small catchment areas. One lagoon is circular,. 20 yards across, and its catchment area ia about six chains of metalled road. Air Watson somewhat sadly remarks that I question some of Air G. M. Hassing's statements. We have been in regular monthlv communication for some years past, and each has the other's best wishes and sanction for so doing if necessary. % presume Air Watson refers to my account of the burning of Frank White's billiard saloon, and the tragic death of the lata M$ John Hetherington at Oardrona at the be> ginning of '63. I spent the winter of 6% in Cardrona a few yards away from this saloon, which enabled me to give the facts, as I explained, to Mr Hassing. One thing I look back upon with much complacency. Since I started writing to the press when I left school in '75, there has been absolutely no rivalry between me and the other amateur, newspaper writers, but sometimes mutual congratulations. Air Watson questions my right to cnti* - cise the drink traffic, but in the meantime I will say that, from an economic point of view, we can't afford to spend -five millions, on such an expensive luxury when we have a 60-million war bill on hand. When the drink is abolished the money saved will easily pay the revenue we used to get from the drink. —I am, etc., P.ICHAF.D NORJIAN. Alersey street, Oamaru, March 22. : f

DUNEDBN HOSPITAL GUILD. The annual and first working meeting of the vear of the Dunedin Hospital Guild was hold on the 10th inst. in First Church Hall. There was a fair attendance. In moving the adoption of the report and balance Esheet. the President (Mrs Ramsay) congratulated, the members on another, year's good work 'successfully accomplished* and welcomed heartily all new members. The following office-bearers were elected; President, Mrs Ramsay j vice-presidents, Mesdames Oarr and Barnett; treasurer. Miss Hutchison j hon. secretary, Mrs Holmes; committee—Mesdames Vanes, H\ Guthrie, Duke, Romison, R. W. Glendiru, ning, Halloy, Spedding, and Miss GlendirU ning.