GISBORNE SHOPS HIT BY ’QUAKE
Heaviest Damage Since 1931
(New Zealand Press Association)
GISBORNE, March 6. •’Business as usual in spite of the earthquake.” This sign, outside a shop in Gisborne, was the attitude of shopkeepers to damage caused by the worst earthquake felt ir Gisborne since the 1931 disaster in Napier.
Peel street was the worst affected part of the shopping area, and a number of windows were broken or badly cracked. Today these have been boarded up. The shopkeepers in many cases have completed cleaning up.
The main Post Office was evacuated soon after the ’quake struck at noon on Saturday. Some buildings in the city appeared to have shifted positions slightly, and in several, gaping cracks appeared.
A statue on top of the Gisborne war memorial was turned to about 45 degrees off line.
Several walls collapsed. a number of chimneys were brought down and in at least two instances these crashed through the roof. Inside shops stock was tossed to the floor and presented the major task for the owners in cleaning up the mess. Hotels lost large quantities of glassware. The first major impact was felt at noon. Most other earthquakes in this district have tended towards a rolling motion but yesterday’s hit without warning, and was similar that to a blast after an explosion. When the major shock subsided there were still minor shocks, but one of these, about 20 minutes after the first, was strong enough to send people out in the street again. The pattern of minor shocks was continued until this afternoon. Other Shocks Soon after 8 p.m. yesterday, there was a short sharp shock and at 4 a.m. one of sufficient intensity to wake many sleepers. About 40 men of the special Civil Defence Force, organised by the police, reported within an hour of the earthquake yesterday. They patrolled the streets in pairs for two or three hours as a precautionary measure and were then sent home. Power was restored to the central city area at 3.15 p.m. Other parts of the city were not affected by the failure which occurred when the ’quake struck. Some homes throughout the city reported broken tiles and fallen chimneys, together with damage to crockery.
Telegraphic communication was cut off when the Post Office was evacuated, and all telegraph traffic was handled by toll service. No disruption to industry was reported. In country centres around Gisborne the quake was felt only as a gentle swaying. The Seismological Observatory in Wellington reported the magnitude of the earthquake as force 6.2 on the Richter scale. The Gisborne shake was
centred 30 miles from the city and 260 miles from Wellington. Mr M. G. Muir, a scientist at the observatory said that it was not yet clear in which direction the epicentre lay from Gisborne. About one shock of the ! Gisborne magnitude occurred I in New Zealand each year, he i said. ; The last was in the jKaikoura district on April 11 i last year. But few earthi quakes of this force occur in ! densely populated areas.
Mr Muir said that there was one major shock followed by a few after shocks. Observers in Gisborne said that the earthquake started off with a violent shake which lasted about 20 seconds. Dashed Out This was followed by a gentle rocking movement which lasted for more than 10 minutes. People dashed from their homes and other buildings. The hardest hit section of the city appeared to be the main down town business area, particularly the section radiating from the Peel streetGladstone road intersection. Gladstone road is the city’s main thoroughfare. People poured into the city after the earthquake to inspect damage.
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Press, Volume CV, Issue 31002, 7 March 1966, Page 1
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612GISBORNE SHOPS HIT BY ’QUAKE Press, Volume CV, Issue 31002, 7 March 1966, Page 1
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