EARTHQUAKE SHOCKS.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2394, 5 December 1881, Page 3

EARTHQUAKE SHOCKS.

This morning, precisely at twenty-two minutes to eight o’clock, city and suburb was alike startled out of its usual quiet by a verf severe and long-continued shook of earthquake, the like of which has not been felt here since the well-remembered shook in 1868, which, by its action in altering the perpendicular of nearly every chimney in the path it travelled, caused the bricklayers to reap a temporary harvest. The shock experienced this morning lasted for about the time that it would take one with moderate haste to count fifty. It* direction was from east to west, as is evidenced by the fact that clocks and watches facing the east and west were stopped, whilst others that faced north and south went on ticking with unchecked motion. Although the extent of the damage is not so serious as might have been reasonably anticipated, it was sufficiently great to have resulted in several very narrow escapes. Naturally the thoughts of almost every one, after ascertaining that no serious damage had resulted to themselves, reverted to the Cathedral, where, we regret to say, the shock was severely felt —that is so far as the spire is concerned—a considerable mass of 1 1 me falling from that part of it where the tapering stone work is crowned by the cap that, in its turn, supports the finial stone. A careful survey of the whole building has been made by the resident architect, Mr B. W. Mountfort ; the builder, Mr W. Stocks ; and Mr Forgan, clerk of the works, and we learn that the damage to the Cathedral has been confined to the top courses of the spire. The injury is but slight, consisting in the chipping out of the necking of the finial and the fracturing of two stones of two of the ribs. The precautions taken to make the top solid and to tie the narrow part down on to a broader base has no doubt prevented the injury from being much more serious than it has been. At the Normal School the shook was also severely feit. The caretaker, who at the time was creasing the playground or quadrangle, describes the appearance of the huge building as it caught his eye as “ swaying to and fro like a vessel.’' The rooms on the ground floor do not appear to have sustained any injury, but the damage done to the upper storey was considerable, that is, the ceilings were generally affected ; and in the music room huge lumps of plaster were knocked off, the most serious damage sueta-ned being the dialodgement of a stone from the Kindergarten chimney, which, measuring 18in by 12in, rolled down the root with considerable velocity, breaking away the spouting, and finally landing in the western gateway, around which it is fortunate to record no children were congregated. The Girls’ High School was not at all damaged, which may be attributed to its open timber roof. The Christ's College buildings were also uninjured, and those pertaining to Canterbury College are likewise apparently unhurt, except the Museum, in which the damage sustained was confined to cracks in the plaster. In the antiquity room several narrow escapes are recorded of specimens of exceeding value and impossible to be replaced, which rocked to and fro on their shelves of glass and were brought to the very edges, and another second’s duration of the shook would have caused a different result to bo recorded. A rumor was current to the effect that the Convent had been shaken to it’s detriment, but no injury has resulted. The brick buildings in Manchester street, known as Widdowson’s, the corner block of which is leased by Messrs Hudson, Ridley and Co., are all more or lees cracked on the outside, but the interior is reported as free from damage. Some chimnies are spoken of as having been slightly damaged, but fortunately the result in that’respeot bears favorable comparison with the big shock of 1868, to which reference has already been made. The appearance of the trees and hedges in the gardens were, for a brief time, comparable only to that noticeable in a strong nor’wester, save that they acted in the most heterodox manner by “ bowing to the west.” In private homes, too, tales are told of bottles cast down and broken, and sundry articles of orookeryware having gone to grief. But it is a cause for thankfulness to the Great Architect of the Universe that no lives have been lost, or really serious damage resulted from this display of a most potent factor of destruction. The time at which the first shook occurred, is corroborated by tho Museum and Normal School clocks stopping punctually at the time we have stated. A slighter ebook was also experienced about 9.30, from which no damage has resulted. lake the former, its direction was from cast to west.

LYTTELTON.

At Port, the shock, or rather shocks, were first observed at about twenty-two minutes to eight o’clock this morning. The direction was from south to north. Probably the shakes were felt the strongest on the eastern and western breakwaters, the two arms which encircle the inner harbor. Upon one of these, the Gladstone pier, an eye witness describes the movement of the pier as 11 twisting like a snake,” the twist, no doubt, being upward rather than sideways. The ships lying alongside were certainly moved a little —jnst sufficient to startle for the instont the crews on board, and to bring them out of their cabins to see what was the matter. The steamer Wakatipu, lying alongside one of the jetties, and immediately opposite to the entrance to the inner harbor, which lies directly to tho southward of her position, felt the shook so forcibly that it brought her against tho wharf with a pretty strong bump, and brought her crew on deck agog with astonishment. On shore, beyond the peculiarity of the town clock bell striking spasmodically several times at 7.38 e.m., and the circumstance of several private clocks stopping at that time, nothing out of the common experience of a slight shiver of terra firtna was noticed. Even that much movement, however, is such a phenomenon in this pact of the colony as to rather startle tho ic-

habitant*. A a sind (light quivar ws« felt at about half-pad nine o’clock.

[PBKSS ASSOCIATION TILEGRAMS.] WELLINGTON, December 5. A message from Westport states that a sharp shock of earthquake was felt there at 7.30 this morning. Pictures on walls swung and window weights rattled in their oases. The shook was also felt at Hokitika at 7.37; duration, half a minute ; direction, south to norl h. GREY MOUTH, December 5, Two very sharp and distinct shocks of earthquake, the heaviest ever experienced here, were felt at 7 33. The first shock and vibration came from the seaward, west to east, and the second north to south. Both lasted between twenty and thirty seconds. The honses wore visibly shaken, but no damage was done. Shocks were also felt at Ahanra. A telegram described it as “ fearful.” LYELL, December 3. A slight shook of earthquake was felt here at 7.35 this morning. Duration five seconds, and the vibration was east and west. TIM ARC, December 5 A distinct shook of earthquake, lasting some seconds, was felt hero at 7.45 this morning. [feom oub cobbebpondbntJ AKAROA, December 5. A very smart shook of earthquake was felt here at 7.30 this morning, direction from east to west. The ground was seen to wave in some places. No damage was done.