The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1881-10-07
~ Boiling Lake.

Professor Henry A. Ward, formerly
OF the University of Rochester, N. Y,
IS writing letters touching his travels in
New Zealand, some Of which detail
singular experiences. In his last he
says; came from Auckland by
steamer south for 1876 miles along the
east coast to the town of Tamanga.
hired a twenty-ton cutter and started
to visit the sea volcano. We sailed all
night and at daybreak we had before us
q great mountain of black scoria, $50
feet high, from the top of which, with
much force, went whito clouds of vapor
to height Of fully 1000 feet. Reach
ing tho shore il was not easy travelling.
for in places the black pebbles of the
beach were all sstir with water boiling
up through them-water 80 hot that
misstep might scald the foot seriously.
at this point the crater wall has been
broken down almost to the sea level and
we could look into the great hollow ISL
and. The crater is circular, q full milo
In diameter, and hemmed in by walls
many hundred feet high and very pre-
cipitous. Tho crater floor vas an un-
even plain of volcanic ash and scoria.
with many littfe fumaroles or blow
holes, through which hot sulphur va
pors came wheezing ont, while every few
minutes there was beneath our feet
smart trembling and low, dull rolling
roar The smoke Of vapor began TO
thlcken rs we went along and we soon
found the cause. We were stopped
short by great lake of steam
ing water, quite filling this end
OF the crater, and being, as We could
see when the clouds lifted, nearly half
a mile from either side. The water was
too hot to comfortably bear the hand in
it, and was further insupportable to
either touch or taste by strong infu-
sion OF alum and sulphuric acid which bit
painfully at any scratch or sore upon
our skin. On the further border of the
lake and half around its shore was a
row Of the most violent solfataras
have ever seen. They had built for
themselves little pillar-like cones from
ten to thirty feet high and yard or
two in diameter at its base. and through
these open chimneys they were trumpet
ing steam and roaring sulphuric gases
with violence that was frightful to con-
template, and such demoniacal soreech-
ing and din as afflicted our ears, even az
the long distance where we stood. We
dragged the, rowboat along the vol.
cano's floor and launched it upon the
boiling lake. The water of the lake
was of a milky Opaque cast, but we
could feel with our cars that it was in
most places not over ten feet deep.
Lines upon the shore showed that it
daily rose and fell slightly with the tide
OF the sea outside. IN many spots the
water was boiling furiousiy with SO
much froth and foam, while still its heat
was much below the boiling point of
212 Fahrenheit. These were dangerous
places, the abundant air in the water
materially its buoyancy, and
our boat sank alarmingly low in cross
ng them. We landed across the lake
1t one Of the solfataras nearest to the
beach and proceeded to demolish it
With our oars. 1t was chimney about
,wo feet in diameter, clay.without, and.
within it was lined with crystals of sui
ohur of beautiful straw-yellow,
'Ploohod with verInilion spots. Pushing
n the top OF this chimney the frag-
nents would first fell down its throat
md then come flying ont into the air,
With explosions that were amusingly
ike prolonged stentorian cough.