VOLCANIC ERUPTION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13491, 21 September 1914, Page 2

VOLCANIC ERUPTION.

OUTBREAK AT WHITE ISLANO.

COLLAPSE OF HILLSIDE. * TEN -MEN BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN KILLED. SATE OF CAMP CJOVEiRED WITH 20F1 1 . OF DEBRftS. (Per Press" Association.) WELLINGTON, Saturday night, A volcanic eruption has occurred at Whit© Island, Bay of Plenty. Half the hillside has fallen into the crater, and it is believed ten or eleA'^iii men have been buried m the debris. AUCKLAND,, last night. Fears are entertained for tho saiety )f eleven men employed on White Island by the New Zealand Sulphur Company, m consequence of a. thermal explosion./ ' Particulars. 'so"; far "'received are very meagre. .The island was visited on Thursday liy Pilot A- Makomaka, AVho reached there from. Opotiki about 6.30 p.m., having been delayed,- it. is thought, by bad weather. At any rate, he did not effect a landing, .but Availed off shore for fiA r e .hours. During the time he made frequent signals, to which he got no replies. On. returning to Opotiki 'the pilot, wired to Mr W. H. Willoughby, managing director of the Sulphur' Company, m Auckland, on Friday for instructions. Mr Willoughby wired back instructing him to return" 'to the island and make further investigations. This the pilot did on .Saturday, and that evening he again wired Mr Willoughby, stating tnat: he had returned to ''the island, where he found that an explosion had blown up a large portion of a cliff 1000 feet high, and that the camp was buried m debris. The boats usually kept near the Avharf were missing, and -he supposed that they had. been washed : out to sea.

IntervieAv.ed to-day, Mr, WillougQiby stated that he had no further details. He was inclined 'to think, however, from the fact that- Whakatane residents saw an explosion-. in the day time, that the rnon had got away m the boats. The latter were four' m number— three surf boats and a dinghy. These wbuld hold many more than eleven. '

Mr Willotighby considered that the fact that no news' of the men had been received yet may merely indicate slow progress m th'e^ surf boats, which would be seriously hampered if th© Aveather Avas rough. '; The- fact that ; the pilot failed to get replies to his signals on T|hur4day Avas ;not unusual. -The men ashore' might, have, been 6n the other side of the . island -or at a /meal..

Mr Willoughby on Saturday evening Avired to T -Opotiki; to organise a -search party and : proceed to the ieland fbrthAvith, and . advices state that a party was to leave" : AvitH"the police-'iat 2 a.m. to-day. Meantime the Northern Company's steamer Tasman, due to leave here at 11 p.m. on Saturday for Whakatane, ordered to proceed to White Island first. This will be done. Four policemen went by the Tasman, whioh should reach the 'island at' 5 p.m; -today. . y ; . ... , t< •'■'■.;•■ Shiprtiastefshave been asked to keep a lookout for castaways.'

Th© camp-on the. island was near the wharf. Just 'beyond -was, a high cliff Avhich, from. that point, almost encircles m. the form of a huge crater, a lake now dry. The other end of. th© partial circle is a cliff 1000 ft high and half-a--mile froni^the camp buildings.; • At the base of .this cliff and on the side of the lake is a blowhole, Which, Mr Willoughbv states, has been showing rather more than normal .activity reoehtly, but not such as to create, alarm. -He thinks it probable that activity' from: this blowholo pen-^B^,d beneath, the interior of the cliff KStiulminated m an explosion throwing wiititus over the .'lake, camp, and r vicihityJ" : \ : ! - : :r The, party on the island comprised ten meni imder manager A. J.r.C .'MeKin. The only names; so far ' available are Walker, Steve Young, and Burn, and also >' six from Auckland. •. Some were married. > The staff . was la-tely ' reduced^ -anoV ; the inert had only been, oh the r island -fiye or six ; dja-ys. = All-sup-plies were-i taken from Opotiki, 26' miles away. - The company has. sbughVbettfer means of communication . without - success, and lately has put m moorings to enable them to secure a regular steamer service.

In rough Aveather it is very difficult to land on the island. ] A wireless plant has been suggested, 1 but not entertained • by the Government at present. . *'

The Union Company's Rosamond calls there on her way to Tolaga ; Bay ■ and Gisborne, and the only other means ot communication is -by-boat from Opotiki and Whakatarte, 36 unites away, or Tauranga, r 's6 miles a\vay. . Mr Willoughby is hoping to , receive further news to-night.

THE PILOTS STATEMENT. - -.'■.. , . . WHAKATANE, ; jast ; night.." • Apparently the ' greatest _eruptiQn - since Tarawera, on June. 10th, 1886, occurred at White Island, presumably, last Thurs"day! r week, 'when' a dense*, volume. rof black i smoke was seen rising from the island. The -island is worked by the White. Island/ Sulphur Company, which haclan extensive plant there and quarters for the manager and about ten men. Supplies for the island, are *ent from Opotiki about "once a fortnight, and Makomako, a launch - proprietor: of , Opotikr|: went on his regnlar trip on Thiirsday last, but. having dinghy, was unable to land j and could hot attract any; attention. :'* He oonclude,d that^ the m^h I were absent on another 1 Ipart-df-'the island, and did. not notice any change m its aspect. '• He * returned, to' Opotiki , and /proceeded, to, th© island again, on Saturday morning. H©: landed,:? and found a' scene of desolation on the site previously occupied' by til© Avorks and camp. The- effect of the. eruption seems to'.haye been to throw the whole hillside overlooking a large lake and the v camp into, the Take, completely $ burying, the works, dAve^lings, ' boatsj ahd the small j w.harif' and all the inhabitants.

Makomako reports that' there was. no sign, of life at all on that, part of. the island, and 20f;t of debris; covers. where the camp stood. ,, • Makomako < returned to Opotiki and reported the .disaster. At 2 o'clock this morning a y search party m charge of the police, and consisting of about 40 men, left Opotiki- for the Island, and have not, returned at the time of wiring. It is understood that another party has gone from Te Kaha, • the nearest point m the Bayf to the' island, which is distant about ,40 miles' from Opotiki and Whakatane respectively, . ,-. As - far as .'can. be v ascertained, there were ten men ' oh' the island/ but the only- names obtainable-tb-day are McKin, Walker, Steve Young, and Burn, and six' others .-'.from Auckland, whose names are unknoAvn " her©; , ■"

It .\v.as, a^' v f)rst_ '.TOported that Mr Rhodes/ tke manager . aria* ' Kia Avifje; 4 were on the island, but it is uoav practically certain that 'they left by the' Rosamond, which frequently, cafts at t^e island, some 'weeks* ago.' - . '•" '..-■*♦•■,' ;•- Lately., fumes' , aiid sulphur have been particularly : noticeable along;; the. coast from- Matata^to Opotiki, and'the .island has nev/er before' been seen so active as on/the* day bn;-Avhich the disaster is supposed to have oeciirrcov .:, It is Avorthy, of note that a fresh coldwater spring. on a farm foulf miles below Te Tek-cii which lies in>a A-alley m a directyUihe.. between 'Jf'araw.era and White Island, 'Avas : transformed into a boiling spring Avithin the past .week. '■>.