AN EARTHQUAKE

Hokitika Guardian, 11 March 1929, Page 6

AN EARTHQUAKE

At 10.50 o’clock on Saturday night the heaviest earthquake shock experiencer for forty years locally took place. The shock which lasted fully half a minute was of a terrifying natme. Buildings rocked and creaked, crockery rattled and chandeliers swung. There was much alarm, and a general exodus took place from houses to the streets. A few minutes later there was another short sharp.shock, and at intervals throughout the night there were further shocks and tremors. On Sunday the shocks continued and there were, noticeable ones at S.oO and 11.5 a.in. and 1.50 p.m., while there was another shock this morning at 7.-18. In the Kokatahi district the shocks appeared to have been heavy and more continuous, one resident reporting twenty for the night. In the Uppei Kokatahi the noise-of rolling boulders down the hillsides was stated to be very noticeable. Clocks were stopped and some crockery displaced, but the damage is practically nil. One brick chimney in Upper Wckl Street is reported to be damaged. News came in the afternoon of special damage at Arthur’s Pass, and there was a large crowd gathered around the office reading the notice board. ; IN OTHER PLACES " At Grey mouth the earthquake caused much alarm and some damage. A number of chimneys came down and other damage was done. The experience was general throughout the Coast and from all centres come reports of severe shocks and the following alarm lelt. The centre of the damage, however, appears to be in the vicinity'■of Arthur’s Pass. Luckily the Otira Tunnel does not appear to have suffered any serious damage. AT ARTHUR’S PASS. EVERY CHIMNEY FALLS. SHOCKS FOR EIGHT' HOURS. CHRISTCHURCH, March 10. Frnv 10.15 o’clock on Saturday ngiht there has been a succession of earthquakes, which created something in the nature of panic at Arthur’s Pass. The residents hurriedly vacated their houses, which were considered unsafe to live in. Shock thereafter occurred at the rate of one every quarter of an hour over a period of nearly eight hours. The shocks were diminishing in intensity and in frequency towards this morning. Quantities of rock kept crashing down the mountain sides, and the tremors were accompanied by loud! rumblings. The railway bridge leading into Arthur's Pass, on examination this morn-] ing, was found to be one loot higher j than the rail track at one end. It was found also that gaping cracks; bad opened alongside the railway line. One of the fissures is nearly a mile, long, and it runs parallel with the railway line leading into the pass. The disturbance seems to have been localised at Arthur’s Pass. Not one piece of crockery has been left intact in the bouses at the Pass. Water services have been interrupted, and the pipes have burst in many of the bouses. 3.1 any of the dwellings have consequently been flooded out. The concrete subway under the railway line at Arthur’s Pass has been cracked in many places. .Many of the ] railway switches have been shattered. MUCII RAIL WAY 1) A,\ IA GE. The railway lines over the bridge at Maori Creek have l>een left, considerably higher than the permanent way. as the result of subsidence of the earth at this point. ,In the railway yard at Arthur’s Pass, the rails and the sidings have been twisted, and the sleepers are appearing 'above the -ground. Most of the people with families have left the Pass for Christchurch They travelled by a relic! train, which was despatched from Springfield at 8.15 a.m. today. The relief train proceeding cautiously, was able to approach within thrcequnrters ol a mile of Arthur’s Pass, and those families which were vacating their houses walked from the township to the train. The residents who were leaving their homes included three invalids, who were, trolleyed over the damaged track. A considerbale amount of luggage'was also taken. The relief train arrived in Christchurch at 2.40 p.m to-day. The railway authorities have made enbanktneiit on both sides om the refugees for their accomodation. The embankment on both sides of the fttira Tunnel tire showing gaping cracks, hut. ydchoiigh no trains are going through, the tunnel itself has not been seriously atK-ited. Not ono cbiiliney in Arthur’s Pa-s has been longstanding. The railway station ehinrney.c came down through the root jjf the station '-•'•andali. but no damaj®,ffas done to the dUngs damaged.

AN ALARMING EXPERIENCE HEAVIEST FOR 40 YEARS THE SHOCKS CONTINUE

CRACKS AT OTIRA

TRAINS TO-DAY

AT REEFTOX

AT WESTPORT

LATEST NEWS. POSITION AT ARTHUR’S PASS. By Telegraph—Press Assn., Copyright. CHRTSTOHIitCH, March 11. One hundred and forty distinct earthquake shocks were felt at Arthur’s Pass on Saturday night. The actual damage to buildings seems to have been smaller than the violence of the earthquake threatened, mainly because all the houses of the settlement are built of timber, but even some were badly wrenched and not a brick chimney was left standing. The comparatively slight damage to buildings is more astonishing in view of the fact that bridges have been ! brown out of square and half a mile of railway track has been rendered useless by subsidences, while'even posts carrying automatic signals, have been tlirowli down in the railway yards. The lines in several places were left in a zig-zag course. Fissures extend down one side of the main line for two miles. A relief train yesterday morning brought away a large percentage of the residents. About twenty women stayed at the Pass, ejecting not to leave their husbands. However, the tremors continued, and a particularly sharp shock at about 2.15 o.m. resulted in the men asking the Department for another special train to take the remainder of the women away, rather than have them spend another fearful night at the Pass. A second lot of refugees travelled by train to Springfield and will come on by motor bus to Christchurch. There are no women at Arthur’s Pass now, though the railway staff is still there. A big gang of men are working on the repair of the lines.

CHRISTCHURCH, March 10,

Both ivt Springfield and Otira shocks were felt with considerable violence, but in neither case was the damage co.mparwbe with that done at the Pass.

On the Otira side of tho tunnel many cracks have opened in the railway cnbankments hut apparently, no serious damage has been done to the permanent way at this point, A repair train left Christchurch tliri afternoon for Springfield, whence it will proceed to Arthur’s Pass in the morning.

Temporary repairs, it is expected. will.be effected without any delay, and it is hoped to have a normal service running through, at a reduced speed, early on Monday morning.

SHOCKS CONTINUE AT PASS. i

CHRISTCHURCH. March 10

All day to-day more or less violent i shocks were experienced at the Pass hut their intensity was not so great as that of the initial tremors, which were responsible for the greater part of, the damage.

REEFTOX. March 11. A severe earthquake was experienced i a.’ 10. of) on Saturday night; aecom-i panied by much noise. There were two: lesser shocks later, and two yesterday j morning. No damage is reported,! though clocks stopped and articles; shook off shelves and .several chimneys have fallen.

LONG SUCCESSION OF SHOCKS

WESTPORT, March 10. Last evening, Westport got tho severest rocking from an earthquake that it lias had since the big shake of 1913. when, amongst other damage done, the brick post office was partly moved on its foundations. Last night for fully two minutes, violent oscillations occurred. alarming the inhabitants, many of whom thought that their homes were to he demolished, and therefore rushed outside, not a few of thorn in their niglit attire. No sooner had tlie people got over their alarm .and returned to their homes than further quakes occurred of a less severe, hut of only a slightly less alarming nature, -these driving the people out again. The tremors continued up till two o’clock this morning. The shocks occurred again at 10.80 a.m.., 1.54 p.m.. and 4.38 p.m. to-day, when pronounced quakes were felt. •During the most violent of the .shakos, the big electric lamps down the main street presented the appear;hkc of being tossed about in a severe

Considerin':; the violence of these fjmikes. damage reported is very slight, the form of decapitated chimu, .; ; (1 minor displacements. The coo l- in some of the shops were tossed

off the shelves on to tho floor, but here also the damage appears to be very light.

TJMARU’S EXPERIENCE,

TIMAR.U, March 10

Two distinct earthquake shocks were felt here on Saturday night, shortly after 11 o’clock.

The first shock lasted for about two minutes.

The second shock endured for one minute.

lUtifilings shook, and the movable hangings swayed. So far as is at present known, no damage has been done, though many people have been considerably alarmed.

A BIG DISTURBANCE RECORDED AT WELLINGTON.

WE I JANG TON, March 9

The record of a severe earthquake, evidently a distant one, has been obtained at the Dominion Observatory. It possibly was located in Central or South Mexico, though the distance is also that of Japan. The earthquake began at 1.48 p.m. on March 7th. and it lasted for two and a-half hours.

AT CHRISTCHURCH. ONLY SLIGHT DAMAGE. CHRISTCHURCH, March 10. In Christchurch, the damage reported from the earthquake is very slight. From some of the old chimneys, bricks were dislodged, while crockery was shaken from the shelves, but the instances of such minor damage are very few. The shock in the. city was of only a few seconds’ duration. The biggest sensation was in the Theatre Royal, where the shock occurred will) a crowded house, but fortunately. it was during an interval when the lights were up in the gallery. Several women screamed, but those people who seemed inclined to rush for tho doors were quietened by stern shouts of “sit down.” Consequently here was no panic.

NO NEWS FROM CHEVIOT

CHRISTCHURCH, March 10

So far there is no news from North Canterbury as to the earthquake, ft is thus unknown whether the Cheviot and ..anmer districts escaped.