500 Rev, M. Frater— Volcanic Eruption, Ambry m Island. 



About two hours after the outbreak at the Mission Station, the 

 eruption, still following the same line of weakness, made a further 

 leap and reached its last stage. Out to sea, at a distance of about 

 a mile from where the hospital stood, where there was a depth of 

 25 fathoms of water, a submarine volcano burst out and formed 

 a crater cone 330 feet high, which was afterwards named " Sealark 

 Hill " after the survey ship which was sent by the British Admiralty 

 to make a survey of the island. The enormous quantities of "ejecta" 

 which poured out of this volcano soon formed a connexion with 

 Ambrym Island and added a considerable area to its extent. On the 

 abatement of the volcano which swallowed the Mission Station, it 

 was found that a lagoon, connected with the sea by a narrow channel, 

 had formed in the crater, covering the entire mission compound. 

 Over the place where the hospital stood there is a depth of 8 fathoms 

 of water, and from the soundings made by H.M.S. Sealark it was 

 ascertained that the lagoon forms a safe, land-locked hurricane 

 harbour for ships of shallow draught, provided, of course, no other 

 volcano bursts out. To most mariners, however, the shelter provided 

 by the crater of a volcano from the violence of a hurricane will look 

 like a choice between Scylla and Charybdis and, very probably, they 

 will prefer to take the risk of the element they know best. The 

 hrst time an attempt was made to enter the lagoon the mud around 

 the edge was still boiling and steam was rising from all over the 

 surface of the water. The sounding line was kept going and at 

 20 fathoms it dropped into the burning lava where the lead attach- 

 ment was melted. While the sailors rested on their oars at the 

 entrance of the lagoon a submarine explosion startled the occupants 

 of the boat and quenched the desire for further exploration. It was 

 no place for either men or angels to linger. 



The configuration of the surrounding country has entirely changed. 

 Only by the aid of instruments is it possible to locate the position of 

 any particular place. Across the extensive valley which lay behind 

 the hospital a range of hills 500 feet high had been raised. So complete 

 was the destruction of the hospital and mission buildings that not 

 even a match was left. Thousands of acres of fertile lands had been 

 changed to barren wastes, forests were blasted, and large numbers 

 of lives lost. All the old familiar landmarks on the shore had 

 disappeared, and the hills in the background were covered with 

 a thick layer of volcanic dust. 



During the night when the hospital staff was watching the 

 progress of the fire a lava-flow reached the sea about a quarter of 

 a mile north-east of the hospital. Quite oblivious of their danger they 

 crossed over to have a look at it. They saw the stream of molten 

 metal, 1 like an incandescent avalanche, sweeping everything before 

 it. Masses of rock and vegetation were borne along on its surface; 

 it crashed through the big banyan-trees and teakwood giants ; the 

 trees were tossed into the air and rebounded like indiarubber balls. 

 On the level ground near the coast the stream was travelling at the 

 rate of four miles per hour, was 200 yards broad, and, on being traced 

 after the surface of the lava had solidified, was found to have its 

 1 This use of the term is consistent with that by miners and civil engineers. 



