TRAMWAY SERVICE AFFECTED

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 261, 3 August 1942, Page 6

TRAMWAY SERVICE AFFECTED

Manners St. West Cut Out CARS RE-ROUTED; NEW ROSTER COMPILED Earthquake damage to large brick buildings in Manners Street west rendered that thoroughfare unsafe, for both wheeled traffic and pedestrians, and it has been roped off as a closed area at both the Cuba Street and Willis Street ends. This took effect as from noon yesterday, and will continue today, when a more detailed examination of the damaged buildings will be made. This decision has seriously affected the tramway services as cars are not permitted to traverse Manners Street west, till further notice. Other arrangements have had to be made at short notice. Fortunately, Sunday, when traffic is light, intervened. Cars outbound from Lambton to Wellington south, Island Bay, Lyall Bay, Seatoun, Miramar, Kilblrnie, and Hataitai, proceed along the Quay, and thence southward by way of Hunter Street, Jervois Quay, lower Cuba Street, and Courtenay Place; inward-bound cars use the Jervois Quay and Customhouse Quay routes to Lambton, because the Hunter Street line is a single track and can only be used for one-way traffic. The Brooklyn-city service cars willtravel to' Lambton via 'Willis Street and Lambton Quay, as the Customhouse Street tracks. in front of the General Post Office have been roped off as being in one of the dangerous areas.

Karorl and Northland cars will reach the city by way of Bowen Street, but outward-bound cars to those suburbs will use the Jervois Quay-Aitken Street-Molesworth StreetTinakori Road route till further notice.

This disturbance of the service has meant the compilation of a uew roster, and some curtailment of the services, which under the circumstances cannot be avoided. Guards have been placed on duty at the barricades in Manners Street, and pedestrians can only use that street on presentation of passes, which are being issued to those having urgent business there.

BED SMASHED FLAT Nurse’s Narrow Escape 1 Only the fact that she was on night duty saved the life of a nurse at the Willis Street Obstetric Hospital. A large brick chimney crashed through the roof and fell squarely on Ito her bed, smashing it flat to the floor. The nurse confessed that, though she was unperturbed by the earthquake itself, she felt more than a little faint when she saw what, on another night of the week, would have meant certain death for her. But all she said, according to another nurse, was, “Good gracious, where am I going to sleep now?” At the Wellington Public Hospital no material damage was done, and patients remained calm. (No casualties from the earthquake have yet been reported there'.

MANAWATU ROCKS No Major Damage Reported Dominion Special Service. PALMERSTON NORTH, Aug. 2. Palmerston North was rocked by earthquake at 4.48 p.m. on Saturday and 12.35 a.m. on Sunday, the severity of the latter causing chimneys to crash and shop window displays to collapse, but no major damage in the city. Saturday’s shake was noisy and consisted of a series of jerks lasting 10 seconds and subsiding into a swaying motion. No material damage was done, though lights and other hanging objects were left swaying for a considerable period. The second shake was worse, closely approaching the severity of the Masterton quake of June. It was preceded by a loud noise and the jerking motion was heavy from the start. Chimneys damaged by previous quakes crashed on to housetops and household crockery was thrown to the floors. 'While in the city no major damage is reported, window stands were wrecked, retailers handling glassware and glass-packed goods suffering most. The severity of the shake appeared to vary in different portions of the city. In some cases the brick walls of business premises showed what appeared to be fractures, and a survey will probably reveal damage much heavier than is at present appareut. , At Woodville Saturday’s shake broke a baker’s shop window, but did no other damage. Sunday’s jolt did considerable chimney damage and is considered more severe than the Masterton quake. On one farm four chimneys collapsed. At Levin the shock was severe, but no damage was done in either the residential or the business area, and it is considered that the tremors were much less than those of June 24. Saturday’s jerk finished with a circular swaying motion, while that on Sunday quietly faded out without a spasm and this possibly reduced the damage. No damage is reported at Bulls where both shocks were severe. Otaki experienced both shocks, which were heavy, but there appears to be little damage, and no reports of the collapse of chimneys have been received. Feilding escaped lightly, the shocks doing no damage apart from the collapse of portion of the veranda of the Feilding Hotel. Dannevirke rocked to the quakes, which wore definitely less thnu ou June 24, the waves of the movement being longer and less jerky, making buildings rock and sway, but doing little l damage and finally fading in easy tremors. In Pahiatua the damage was slight, only a few chimneys being damaged and one or two shop windows cracked. In Palmerston North it is generally conceded that the shake at its height was far more severe for a short period than that of June 24 and had the intensity been maintained the results would'have been disastrous. Telegraph officials on duty at the time of the quake state that the experience was terrifying. The whole building was swaying and jerking in an alarming manner, and at times it appeared as if it would be rent asunder. A daylight inspection revealed no visible signs of damage. Immediately after the shock many business managers inspected their premises. but on the whole the damage was miraculously slight considering tlie severity of the quake. Water, gas and electric services were not disrupted, though the trip mechanism acted, throwing the latter out of operation during the height of the disturbance. Both earthquakes were felt in Hawke’s Bay, the second’ being the more severe, but no damage is reported.

WAIPUKURAU REPORT WAIPUKURAU, August 2. A short, sharp earthquake at 4,50 p.m. yesterday was followed by a long, rolling shock at, 12.34 a.m. today., Considerable alarm was caused, but no damage was done.