VOLCANIC BURST OCCURS ON WHITE ISLAND

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 240, 11 May 1933, Page 5

VOLCANIC BURST OCCURS ON WHITE ISLAND

FRESH THERMAL ACTIVITY IN HITHERTO QUIET AREA NEW CRATER APPEARS AFTER ERUPTION Press Association.—Copyright. AUCKLAND, Today. NEWS of an extensive blow-out which occurred on White Island last month has just been received in Tauranga, a party of ten men, who were engaged in exploration work on the island having just returned.

The men were awakened at 5.15 o'clock on the morning of Sunday, April 2, by loud rumbling, which was accompanied by a slight earthquake. The men .jumped from their bunks and were soon outside the building. On looking toward the crater they saw a huge cloud of steam and dust gradually billowing out over the top of the hill. This cloud reached a very great height, and was then blown by the wind in the direction of Tauranga. An indication of the height of the column is given by the fact that pebbles as large as peas fell on the camp buildings. The blow-out continued for about an hour, after which the volume of steam diminished. Mr. George West, accompanied by Mr. O. C. Kleston, made an inspection of the active area later in the morning, and found that practically the whole of Crater Flat, roughly about 800 acres, was covered with a fine blue-grey dust ranging in depth from about 3in to 3ft. The two men were able to proceed as far as Big Donald, the main blow-hole on the island, but could not venture beyond

that point owing to the heavy, sulphurous fumes and hot dust under foot. However, they could see that there was fresh thermal activity in an area that had hitherto been quiescent. Big Donald itself was blowing up thick dust in place of the usual gas or steam, and a new crater had been formed about 300 yards away from Big Donald, and almost due north. In addition to the dust, great quantities of boulders, which had been thrown from the new blow-hole, were scattered over the adjacent area. Some of the boulders were found on the plateau 300 feet higher than Crater Flat. Up to the time that Mr. West left White Island there had been no more earthquakes or any violent thermal action, but there was a very noticeable increase in the volume of fumes, which reminded him of the chlorine gas attacks made by the Germans on the Flanders and French fronts. Mr. West was with the Scaforth Highlanders in the Western theatre of the war.