EARTHQUAKES OF THE FAST.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1934, 3 September 1888, Page 2

EARTHQUAKES OF THE FAST.

One q{ the wovqt (hooka of earthquake , whleh eve*} befell the lot of Canterbury, writes a correspondent m tbo " Press " waa In January 93rd, 1855, which did a great extent of damage In Lyttelton and Ohrlstohureb, althnofth It was more seriously felt m Wellington and Nelson, whero the effoot of Its desttnotlve power wan more disastrous The next great earthquake wan on August 18, 1868, whloh happened about the time that the tqwus In Bouth Ametloa of Obala, Ptoiy*, Arlea, Taona, Ateqalpa, Plssqua, and/Me jlllosei m Heru, and Iqnfq^ae aadTaloahuaoa In Ohm were deut*oysd. In Arloa the vlolenoe of the shook lasted twenty-four mlnuteq. Abont 25,000 lives were lost, I and 30,000 rendered homeless aud the lobb of property estimated at JE60.000 000 'About £11,000 w^^aUed In liondon for tho saflFerera, %hh eartbqnake waa exiperleno^d In New Zealand about 10 a.m. and «e«i with an nndnlating alow nuatlofl of the groond. In OhriatchuroU * b*lofc wall at Walton Warner * bMded store waa crocked and ■owq Oajnagt was done to the Town Hall. Taa ahores of the Bast Ooaifc were op the 18th of the aime month ▼lilted by a tidal wave, whloh catered the batbot of St Thornsa A m the

West lodler, 50? tin height, oq the 15 k this wave came against the Chatham Islands 15ft In height and flooded the islands with salt water and sand deposit* for a considerable dlatanoe Inland. The wave oame up Lyttelton Harbor with terrific force, stranding one or two coastIng vessels and the barque John Koox. This wave flowed up the Kalspol river to a height of five feet at the bridge. It also visited the other pores and openings along the const named ; The next shock was on June sth, 1869, when the damage was fortunately, as m the present instance. confined to a few plaoes whloh suffered Icjary.