The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-01-05
A STRANGE LAKE.
The Muriatic Acid Pond of
White Island, New Zealand.
A Mammoth Cauldron of Boiling
Liquid and NoxiouS Vapor.

White Island, says an Auckland let
ter to the San Francisco Chronicle, is
nearly circular and about three miles
in circumference 1t consists Of tall
cliffs on three sides formed of rock and
loose rubbish thrown up from the
crater. On the fourth side is large
fiat, many acres in extent, broken in
two places by tall and fantastic rocky
eminences, which appear to have once
formed part of tho cliffs in which tho
flats would seem to be fault These
cliffs are $50 feet in height. perpendicu-
lar within and gently sloping to the
sea- B.fore you is vast amphithea-
ire of extraordinary tint The
walls OF this basin. towering up to the
sky, appear serrated at the edges and in
tersected along the face by an inextrica-
BILE network OF assures and crevices.
Landed in the ships dingy on the bowl
der-strewn beach, we find ourselves
within the awe-inspiring inclosure Of
this wonderful place. A large plain Of
mineral deposit is before one, and on
the right is seen tramway leading up
to what is known as the Adamant reef.
In the centre of this plain is the Won
derful boiling lake. As We approach it
along a well-beaten track the ground
becomes of chocolate color, and all at
once the visitor is conscious Of the most
pungent odors as the fumes from the
surface of the boiling lake and tn, base
of the surrounding walls of
rock reach him. A few steps
more, and a magnificent scene bursts
upon the view. Below you lies the
most extraordinary tinted picture that
poet, artist, explorer, novelist. tourist
or special ever gazed upon. The gen.
eral tone of the ground line is of deep
chocolate, the walls of rock around OF
that warm color known to artists as
madden brown relieved with rose mad
der, the edge of the lake deep orange
and the lake itself a blending of the
peculiar green of verdigris and lemon
yellow. At the base of the rocks issue
jets and clouds of vapor, pure white
where most dense, and shading off into
the most delicate tints of the prism.
The tint of this lake is probably duo
to tho fact that az tn, volume of water
has lessened, the chemical properties
in the water have become of greater
strength, and some pred ominating over
others give the present extraordin airy
hue. The lake is simply seething,
bubbling mass of muriatic acid, and as
the liquid boils up the bubbles have
their sides in shadow rejecting a green
tinge, the whole surface emitting {
vapor that very soon finds out you
lungs and tickles the mucus membrane
of your nose aad throat, to say nothing
Of bringing to tn, eyes involuntary
tears.
To the right, following the natura
basin of the island, is chaos ITSELF
rocks, stones, chasms, streams, pools
lakelets, in frantic confusion, these lat
ter apparently all alive and each on
bent on outshining if not outnoising on
another. This was sort of schoo
room for the apparent education o
small volcanoes. Amid the Kissing
spluttering, choking things, could b
seen here and there what looked Xix
huge, mammoth golden caulifower
boiling. These were sulphur forma
tions.
No animal or insect breathes upo'
the island. Two hundred fathoms vii
hardly reach the bottom within half
mile OF its shores. This island is tn
eastern limit of that extern sive belt {
volcanic agitation which extends frol
Mount Egmont through Tongariro. tn
Taupo Rotomahana lakes to Whal
/ island and the ad jacent rocks, north
which line earthquakes are rarely fell