EARTH TREMORS CONTINUE

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24914, 29 June 1946, Page 6

EARTH TREMORS CONTINUE

SHAKES RECORDED LAST EVENING

“AFTER SHOCKS” OF MAIN DISTURBANCE

After-shocks of the earthquake felt in Christchurch early on Thursday morning—the most severe since 1929 occurred last evening, the first and sharpest being at 7.14 p.m. Another shock was reported just before 9 o’clock. The tremors were widespread, but reports from all centres, with the exception of Hokitika, indicate that the shakes were not serious. The Hokitika correspondent of “The Press”' stated that a jolt there at 7.15 p.m. was more severe than the shock on Thursday morning, and that plaster was shaken from the walls, of the Public Library. The first shock in Christchurch last evening was distinct enough to cause suspended objects to sway in a northwesterly to south-easterly direction. The shake lasted for only a few seconds; but lights in “The Press” office swung for more than a minute. The Post Office clock in Cathedral square stopped again, but the fault was corrected soon afterwards. There were no reports of damage in Christchurch. Reports from the Timaru, Ashburton, h-angiora, and Cheviot disticts stated that earth tremors were felt, but that they were much less noticeable than the worst shake on Thursday morning. At Grey mouth and Murchison the tremors were said to be distinct, but not severe enough to damage. The shocks at Hokitika were recorded at 7.15 p.m., 8 p.m., 8.55 p.m., and 9.5 p.m.

Expert’s Reassurance “This is the natural after-shock of a shallow-seated earthquake, and although the shake would be rather disturbing to people who have become ‘earthquake conscious,’ there was no great cause for alarm,” said Mr H. F. Baird, the director of the Magnetic Observatory at Christchurch, last evening. “It is quite possible that we will feel more tremors before the earth at the origin of the disturbance has become settled,” he added. “It is a good thing for the shock to be dissipated in this manner.”

After the disastrous earthquake in the x Murchison area in 1929, shocks were felt for more than a year, Mr Baird continued. The more recent shake at Hanmer Springs was followed by intermittent tremors for several weeks. None of the after-shocks approached the severity of the main shakes.

Tremors Since First Shock The estimated origin of Thursday’s earthquake was in the general region of Lake Heron, about 70 miles west of Christchurch, and reports from that area and the Lake Coleridge district last night stated that many tremors had been fait since the first shock. Slips have occurred in the Rakaia Gorge and at least one road was impassable yesterday. The mail truck operated by MidCanterbury Transport, Ltd., had difficulty in making the trip from Methven to Glenrock, in the Rakaia Gorge, yesterday. It left Methven at 8 o’clock in the morning, and arrived back five hours later than its scheduled time. The driver stated on his return that at the Black Hill cutting a bad slip had occurred,. and that thousands of tons of earth and rock covered the road. It was necessary for him to take the truck into the Rakaia river bed and drive for more than a mile along the bed before he could return to the road. Chimneys Brought Down At the three homesteads the driver visited at Glenrock nearly every chimney had been brought down by the first shake on Thursday morning. Many articles of crockery had been thrown from their shelves and broken. Tremors had been felt intermittently ever since.

A reporter of “The Press” made a telephone call to Mr James McDonald, manager of the Lake Heron station, further up the gorge, and was told that although the shock there had been severe on Thursday morning, little damage had resulted. Mr McDonald said that after the main shock about 12.30 o’clock, tremors were felt regularly every half hour until 6 o’clock the same morning. Few persons in the area had any sleep that night, he added. Many more tremors had occurred since then.

A resident of the Lake Coleridge district stated that damage there was considerable. Many chimneys fell to the ground, and dishes and other crockery standing on shelves or in racks were brought down. In one home an upright piano toppled over, it was stated When the motor-vessel Gael berthed at Hokitika yesterday, it was reported that during the time of the earthquake on Thursday morning, a severe electrical storm was experienced , between Cape Farewell and Karamea.