MORRINSVILLE’S EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCES

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 43, 15 November 1926, Page 10

MORRINSVILLE’S EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCES

PEOPLE BECOME HYSTERICAL HEAVY DAMAGE TO PROPERTY '4 ' - - - - - OVER TWENTY SHOCKS . Although .latest.reports are to the effect that Morrinsville is normal again, the people have gone through; expeiiences which they will not soon forget. An almost continuous series of earthquakes has made them terrified ,to the point of hysteria,’ while’ a number have left the.town. Heavy damage has been caused to buildings and other property, and women are afraid to remain in their homes, but rush out into the streets on. the least provocation. . Au expert expresses the opinion that there is no undue cause for alarm.

' Dominion Special. ;-

Auckland, November 14 Telegraphing from Morrinsville yesterday morning, a correspondent' said that ‘Mrirrinsville spent an uneasy time last night' when tremors kept up all night and up to 8.40 this morning. Many people are planning to desert the town if the shocks continue. Residents have fairly “got the "wind up," and many did not go to bed 1 at all last night. - Many more slept, or tried to sleep,- fully clothed. No tremors were felt from 2.30 p.m. till 6.45 p.m. yesterday,, and people had, just finished their’evening meal and were congratulating theniselves that the quakes had ceased when another sharp shock shook the town, followed by an almost imperceptible one at 7.10 p.m. When the 6.45 p.m. shake occurred people rushed out of their houses, manv trembling with fright. ALMOST; NERVOUS WRECKS The 'series of earthquakes yesterday has already caused riiatiy residents to become almost nervous wrecks. Some women fainted and. others went into an hysterical condition. Many housewives were frightened to enter their houses at all during the day, with the result that quite a number of lunches were partaken of on lawns. When the people did pluck up sufficient courage to go inside to investigate the • damage many found deplorable wrecks.. Bottles of jam, pickles, and preserves, lay in messy heaps on the floors. Ornaments, clocks, and pictures lav shattered and hardly a home, escaped without some kind of damage, either, to structure or to contents. In some bouses plaster has come from the ceilings and walls, in large lumps. Several adults and children had narrow escapes from being caught by flying bottles and ornaments. One farmer who was driving cattle saw his animals jump and career madly round in terror when the biggest shake was felt. BUILDINGS DAMAGED Numerous chimneys are down, while other, bricks have been dislodged from the tops. Several brick buildings show distinct, cracks. One wall of the Morrinsville Joinerv Company’s store was in danger of collapse and a support had to be erected. One wall of A. M. Humphrey’s building is badly cracked. The scene in many shops is one of ruin. Practically everything on the shelves was thrown down and mixed up on the floor in indiscribable disorder. Mr. B. J. Sarich, grocer, is one of the heaviest of the losers, and conservatively estimates the damage to his stock at £lOO, as well as having four plate-glass windows cracked Mr. H. Sanders, grocer, suffered nearly as badly. A remarkable feature is . that the quakes were only slightly felt' in the surrounding districts with the exception Of Piako and Tatuanui, which are to the north east aqd which apparently felt the shakes as badly as did the town.' ■ SCHOOL CHILDREN ; .... TERRIFIED ; At Morrinsville when the most severe shock: was’felt' the school children were terrified, and, many gathered round the teachers and some went almost hysterical. The children were then sent home. People are still uneasy this morning; and at every rumbling-sound they start nervously. Some have already-left the town, while others contemplate catching the midday train if the shocks con-

tinue. Already twenty • shocks have been experienced since 9 a.ni. yesterAGAIN •NORMAL Advices by telephone from Morrinsville this afternoon stated that everything was normal again and no more shocks had been experienced to-day. NO UNDUE CAUSE FOR ALARM ' The small boy who described an earthquake as “the thing- that knocked dur chimney down’’ expressed himself in an elementarv manner, but it is sur prising how little, the layman cares about seismographic matters except when the obvious occurs; a shake that makes doors and windows, fattie, and, as happened at Morrinsville, of sufficient intensity to alarm people to the extent of making- them leave then houses. One who is competent to express an opinion on the subject is Mt J. A. Bartram, Lecturer in Geology at University College and in his brief his opinion is that the Waikato people have no undue cause for .alarm. In an interview Mr. Bartram said that through the Auckland province there were a number of fracture lines roughly in-a north-east to south south-west direction There was a well defined fracture zone in the: vicinity of Taupo, where a few years ago a number of rifts.and uplifts occurred. The recent shakes appeared to have travelled alomr- the northesat- ' south south-west line which was: bounded bv the Hauraki Plains and the move ment felt at .- Morrinsyille was merely the . recrudescence of a kind that might be expected on a fracture line. The: hot springs at Matamata. and Okoroire were an indication of geological fault below, and indicated an open line of weakness that had not been sealed. Proceeding, Mr. Bartrum said that the city of Auckland was outside the boundary of any serious fault line, although ' comparatively close at Papakura there was a fault extending in a north-east to southeasterly direction, and the depression in Papakura Valley was due to ail earth movement manv vears ago. Furtner afield there was a fault line somewhere out at sea to the east of Gisborne, and it was believed that a vnihber of fni’lt lines converged on. Cook. Strait. Mr. Bartrum said that it swas. a matter of regret that there was no seismograph m Auckland to record enrthonakes, and he was hopeful that as ouicklv as possible such an instrument wovld.be installed, although, as lie pointed out, irr order to net the best results it would have to be used in collaboration- 'Vith -similar instruments elsewhere The modern seismograph, a thoroughly up-tq-dnj* machine necessary ..to get the results desired, was extremely; sensitive, and would record earthonnkes at places far distant from New Zealand as well. If Auckland had had the. necessarv instruments on harid the Waikato shocks would have been recorded, but more important still the instrument would be of great value in recording, tremors, and possiblv if they were oyer any- extender! period give people a warning m advance. ContinU.inir,-,Mr. nartrum referred to the fact that the Government intended' to anndirit'U'a' yiilcanologist whose observations, would, be :of "rest value, narticnlarlv if corelnted with observations from other pa.rtsl'of New Zealand.. There was a ven'”-wide' for observation, and- the results;.' achieved would be of great value.from a scientific point, of view. ; i <