EARTHQUAKE IN HAWKES BAY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 37, 13 February 1930, Page 10

EARTHQUAKE IN HAWKES BAY

FELT OVEE WIDE AREA CHIMNEYS BROUGHT DOWN An earthquake caused sonic damage to chimneys in parts of Hawkes Bay last evening. Porangahau township (on the coast east of Waipukurau) seems from the reports received to have suffered the most heavily. Hardly a chimney is left erect there, and those still standing are cracked. Tho shock was accompanied by a rumbling roar. Trees were uprooted in several places, and cracks opened in the roads. Smaller 'quakes were felt later in the night. Waipukurau also felt the shakes heavily. No damago was done in Napier, though lights and wires su-ayed. Buildings swayed and windows rattled in Dannevirke. The rumbling noise was heard at Woodville, where minor tremors had been felt for days, and where the, 'quake was sharp. It was felt as far afield as Gisborne and Opotiki, and iv Palmerstou North, Wanganui, and Masterton. The earthquake was felt in Wellington, three distinct shocks covering a period of eight minutes, from 6.23 o'clock. The first shake, which had a rolling motion, lasted forty seconds. The other two close on each other's heels, from 6.30 p.m., were more jolty and did not last long. CENTRE AT PORANGHAU. A Press Association .telegram received from Waipukurau to-day states that the East Coast of Hawkes Bay. was badly shaken by a series of earthquakes, the centre apparently being Porangahau, where, following several minor shakes during the previous few days, there was an exceptionally heavy one at 6.23 last night. Further minor ones followed, the last being at 1.45 this morning. The residents of the township and district were terrified. Many did not undress or sleep all night. No personal injuries were sustained. The damago at Porangahau township was severe. Scarcely a chimney is standing. The water pipe' at the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel burst and furniture and crockery were smashed. The occupants were terrified. Some climbed out through windows. The shop, stock, and fittings of the Porangahau Trading Company premises suffered much damage. A fissure appeared in the wall of the reservoir, but the water supply was unharmed. The Porangahau School has been closed indefinitely. A chimney fell, breaking the roof, and the other chimneys are twisted aud unsafe, and the water tanks have burst. A telegram from Dannevirko snys that Wimbledon and Hcrbertville suffered considerably. At the former place most of the chimneys are down, while in the hotel bottles, crockery, etc., were thrown to the floor, the hot water service was put out of action, and cooking had to be done outside. Mr.' Prebble's store at the same place was thrown into confusion, the stocks of groceries and crockery being thrown from the shelves. ' At Herbertville chimneys were damaged, also at Woodbank. Tho chief loss apparently occurred at Herrick Bros.' station, at Tautane, where a big modern house is reported to be extensively damaged. The damago is estimated between £2000 and £3000. Cracks are reported on the road between Herbertville and Wimbledon. The settlers of. the Mangaorapa district and along Cook's Tooth road had a terrifying time. There was heavy damage from falling chimneys smashing the roofs of the houses. The Porangahau Eiver was violently agitated and thrasbe-d from side to 'side for some time. At Oakburne Station homestead, six miles from Porangahau, fifteen chimneys were wrecked and the roof was damaged. It was a terrifying experience for tho settlers of the district. They likened the first shake to being at sea. The ground rocked and swayed. All the buildings were badly shaken. At Waipukurau tho shock was felt sevorely. No damage was reported other than broken crockery. Three distinct shocks were felt. At 6.22 one of tho severest was experienced. The Post Office clock and others stopped. At Porangahau the telephone party lines were dislocated. Shocks were felt severely at Waipawa, but excepting for broken crockery the damage was very slight. The people throughout central Hawkes Bay were thoroughly frightened. Very little damage was done in Hastings. One shop window was smashed. Articles in various shops were displaced. The Post Office clock stopped. A few chimneys are reported to have been cracked. Another sudden shock was felt at 2 o 'clock 'this morning. MINISTER'S REPORT. Tho following report was issued by the Minister of Scientific and Industrial Research (Hon. A. Atmore): "Good records have been obtained from all the seismographs at the Dominion Observatory. The P wave arrived at 6 hours 22 minutes 00 seconds, New Zealand summer time. After shocks of decreasing intensity were recorded at 6.29 p.m., 6.40 p.m., and 6.56 p.m., on 12th February, and at 1.52 a.m. on 13th February. After the arrival of the P wave, the motion of the seismograph was so -violent that the arrival of the S wave was completely obliterated, and consequently the exact distance of the origin cannot be determined. The records, however, indicate that the origin was probably on or near the coast in the locality of Porongahau. The official reports have not yet come to hand, but newspaper reports indicate that the disturbance- reached a Rossi-Forel intensity of 8 on the coast at Porongahau, and was felt strongly in the Southern Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa districts. In Wellington the shock did not exceed R.F. 4."