Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1888-11-24
MuRlATlC ACID LAKE.

The seethiuc, rubblinG Mineral
Mass Found on White Island.
White Island is nearly circular and
about three miles in circumference
writes an Auckland correspondent of
the San Francisco Chronicle. Il con-
sists of tall ellis on three sides formed
of rock and loose rubb sh thrown up
from the crater. GA the fourth side is
large flat many acres in extent.
broken in two places bv tall and fan
tastic rocky eminenccs which appear
to have once formed part of the cliffs
in which the flats would seem 10 be
fault. These cliffs are eight hundred
feet in height perpendicular within
and gently sloping TO the sea. Before
you is vast amphilheater of eXtraor-
binary tint The walls of this basin,
towering mp 10 the sky, appear serrat-
ed at The edges and intersected along
the face by an ineXricabe net work of
assures and crevices. Landed in the
ships dingv on the bOwlder-strewn
beach, we Gad ourselves within the
uwe-inspirjng inclosuro OF this wonder
full plain. A largo plain of mineral
deposit is before one. ami on the right
is seen n tramway leading up to VIII at
is known as the Adamant reef In the
center of this plain is the wonderful
boiling lake. as we approach it along
we'll beaten track the ground be-
comes chocolate color. and all at once
the visitor is conscious OF the most
pungeut orders rs the fumes from the
surface of the boiling lake and the base
of the surrounding walls Of rock reach
him. A few steps more aud a magnili-
cent scene bursts upon the view. Be
low you lies the most extraordinary
tinted picture that poet, artist, eAplor
err novelist, tourist or special ever
gazed upon. The general tone of the
ground line is Of 4 deep chocolate, the
walls Of rock around of that warm
color known to artists rs madden
brown, relieved with rose nader, the
edge of the lake deep orange Nnl
the lake itself blending of the p2cuI-
lar green of verdigris and lemon vel
low At the base OF the rocks issue jets
and clouds of vapor.
The tint OF this lake is probably due
TO the fact that as the value of water
has lessened the chemical properties
in the water have become Of greater
strength, and some predominating
over others give the present eXtraOr-
binary hue. The lake is simply a
seething bubbiing mass of muriat
acid, and IS the LIQUID boiis up the
bubbles have their sides in shadow, re-
fleeing q green tinge, the whole sur
face emitting Il vapor that verY soon
finds out your lungs and tickles tine
mucous mem brane of your nose and
throat. 10 say nothing of bring ~ to
the eye involuntary tears.
TO the right, following the natural
basis of the island, is chaos Itself
-:'-----77----zgg5uCS, cha5ms. streams, pools.
THEltc5 in frantic confus Oh, these
latter apparently all alive and each one
bent on outshming if not outnoisng
one another This was Il sort of
school-room for the apparent eIuca-
ton Of small volcanoes. And the
kissing, suffering, choking things
could be seen here and there what
looked like huge. mammoth golden
caui flowers. These were sulphur
formation.
No animal or insect breathes upon
the island. Two hundred falhoms will
hardly reach the bottom within half q
mile of its shores. This island is the
eastern I m Of the extensive belt of
volcanic agitation which extends from
Mount Egmont through Tongariro, the
Taupo Rotomahana lakes 10 Whale Is
land ami the adjacent rocks, north
of which liuo earthquakes are rarely
felt.
An analysis OF sulphur de.
posts on this island made in
the New Zealand Geological Sur,
vey Laboraotry shows that one
of yellow sulphur contained 80 {
per cent. of sulphur, that another Of
green sulphur contained GO. per cent
sulphur and that Il third OF impure
sulphur contained 62.0j per cent, sui
phur. The chief impurity was gSp,
sum, VIII ch does not Interfere with its
distillation.
Robert BrOwning's Venetian
Palace.
Mr. Rnhnrt Rrnrrninr l. nj . rot re-