REMINISCENCES OF THE WEST COAST EARTHQUAKES BY RECENT

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 47, 1 May 1930, Page 2

REMINISCENCES OF THE WEST COAST EARTHQUAKES BY RECENT

VISITORS TO THE HTJTT

'Recent Ivaraniea visitors to.the Hutt bad some fearsomjQ tales to tell of their o-vviij. and others' experiences at the time of the tewible' earthquakes there last year; One lady related that just before the commencement of" the .graat 'ciuakehov mother was going out of tile back, door, to her- small . granddaughter, and ,s>lie was in her wake,: ■when, without-warning, the terrifying earthquake .began,and, to their horror, right in front of them, where, a few becbiids inter they would" have been, ic-uv four-hundred gallon tanks crashed to the ground with such violence, rhat they were flattened. Bricks from the chimney were pelting round, and "he horror of the detonations, banging jfcanks, hurtling bricks, outside, and inside, crashing china, gyrating furniture

bed .waltzed right across the room aiul back!) needed to be seen and heard to be understood. But, as /usual, humour w/alked hand in hand with tragedy, for she heard, amidst the frigtttful din, tho "piping of her small piece ■had' 'evidently been taugli the infallibility of the police),"Grandma, don't you think we ought " t& ring the police, they would know what to do, woxildn't ■they?1' This first quake lasted five solid hours, till they began to think there never would be a cessation, but jvhen tho worst was over they espied a sedan motor car .making its precarious way towards them. Jts intrepid oceu--1 pants proved to be t-ho' daughter of the house and her husband, their mission— the rescue of the family! "Mum" and' i "Dad" were commanded to "pet together what you need and come with "us! " Mum's "needs" wWe stuffed rather indiscriminately into numerous baskets, .which, when she fared forth, looked lil?e.a bevy of panniers! Dad's best suit seemed to meet his "needs." foT he was seen, hurrying down the path, carrying - the nether portion of this garment by one leg, whilst the other leg, in company with the braces, trailed'negligently behind! A. brother tore out of a timber-mill and tried to run across the paddock to his home, ami, in doing so, had to jump a creek. He made a leap, only to find himself on tho same side of the bank," for it had moved -as quieiciy as 'he! Another man' was in an open boat near wharf when he saw a man amongst the sand-hills suddenly take leave of his senses (as \he thought) for he was jumping wildly and indefatigably from one sand-hill to another as- one possessed! However, the man in the boat then noticed the swaying hills and realised there was "met&od in his madness!" Yet another was seen flying home to ,his wife, hurtling from stump to stump in a dry swamp!" He might well have emulated the example of,a member of the steamer sex in Westport, who manifested truly masculine poise in very tiying circumstances. W&en ihe earthqualte commenced he and Ms wife were on the second floor of an hotel. The' lady, as time went on, became somewhat hysterical, but her "iubband exhorted her to "Be calm and collected, my dear, ho calm and collected, and everything will be quite all .light!" This was reiterated several times, but very soon the oscillations were such that- they, in common with the other oeeupantsof the hotel, found themselves hurtling down the stairs three at a time into the street, whore the gentleman turned to his wife with a gratified smile and the remark, "Well my dear, did I not tell you that if you ■would only.be. calm, and collected, all •would be well?'' But his wife's smile was somewhat unconvinced as she replied Tabier uncertainly, "Y-yes, Jack; but where are your trousers." Evident ly the lady had been sufficiently "calm and collected" to collect more garments than her husband! .'