The Rise and Fall of an Island

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1070, 18 August 1904, Page 2

The Rise and Fall of an Island

. —- —» A RKMAiiKAiiiiK phonomonoii has ro<!onl!y occurred in Walfish Bay on tho west coast of South- Africa, Tho hay is a commodious and spacious islet, giving access to tho cliiof rivers of that part of Africa. It owes its nniiio to the numerous school ofwhalos lhat formerly aboundod thoro. Tho bay is largely cm off from the ocean by a ponim mla oxtending northward. The end of the poninsula is caHoc 1 Polioan Point, and it was in the witers near this point that tho people living on tho shoros of tho hay saw a very strange sight whon they arose ouo morning. They saw lifted above tho waters noar Polican Point a new island, It was_ about lfiO foot long and 50 feet wide, and roso to ut hoight of 16 feet abovo tho sea. It's sides were steep, Somo boats filloil with men from the shore approachod this now bit oflaii.lii!idlj'.mil that it was com* posed entirely of mud so stiff in texture that tho men could walk easily on tho surface It was mud, puro and simple, but the surface was, rapidly hardening, The people gavo it the name of Mud Island, The island was destined to a vory short ssiitenoo, The day aflor it was diseovorcd it be»an to sink, and sovon days later it had enlirely disappeared. The appearance of Mud Island has just been printod by tho South Alrican Philosophical Society of Capetown. F. W. Waldron, tho author, says thoro is no doubt that tho appoaranco of tho island was duo to a submarino mud volcu.io in tho ncighbouihood of Pelican Point. The phenomenon was accompanied by unusual exhalations of sulphurous gases, which havo often hen observed in that neighbourhood. He believes lhat tho largo mortality of fish in Walfish Bay, obscrvod from iinio to time, is due lo these exhalations. Tho island was due to enormous quantities of mud issuing through oriliccs on tho sea floor. The mud was spread around aud piled up uiml it |), m ||y appeared abovo the water as an isinn.i, With nothing but a mud foundation to suppott tho great weight the lower patt of oruplive matter gradually spread out and tho large mud bank tank aguinjbolow tlmutfaoe.