AN EARTHQUAKE

Hokitika Guardian, 17 June 1929, Page 5

AN EARTHQUAKE

At 10.20 o’clock this morning the town suffered the heaviest earthquake shock experienced here. There was a loud roar and the houses rocked and shook. Gaining in intensity the ’quake caused great alarm. Buildings swayed and there was the crash of falling articles. Out into the streets ran the residents and there the heaviest of the shock was felt. Buildings swayed more than ever and chimneys came crashing down in all directions. There were many cries of alarm, men, women and children receiving a great shock, and it was some time before the feeling of fear and alarm subsided. it was then seen that considerable damage was done, mainly by falling chimneys and the shaking of articles off shelves. FURTHER SHAKES. The earth continued in a tremor and there were several (further shocks experienced, though these were of a lighter nature.THE DAMAGE. At the gns works the old holder was thrown out of plumb and is jammed against the guys. An endeavour is being made to straighten it by pumping in more gas. The end of the brick wall of the coal stora'ge collapsed and brought down portion of the roof. At Perry and Co’s store, a brick chimney in the office smashed off at xhe roof and came down on to the street. Inside the shop there was a scene of disorder, bottles, tins, and cases being upset and broken. The damage was not as large as expected. At Keller’s Hotel one brick chimney came down, breaking the adjoining wall and causing other damage. . Another high chimney is cracked and will v probably have to be dismantled. At McKay and Sons a chimney came down and broke through into the machine room at the “Guardian ” office, doing some (further damage. 'At the Red Lion Hotel, nearly every chimney is down, crashing through the roof in places and causing much damage, the building being badl.% wrecked and the range put out of

action. At Renton and Co’s the front of the brick building is cracked and portion is away from the main structure. Inside the stock suffered considerably as the result of being shaken to the floor, with many breakages. The front of the building is to be pulled down today. Portion of a chimney at the Post Office Hotel came down, and also one at McLeod and Smith’s. The damage in some of the shops in Revell Street is not as large as would have been exacted, though it will amount to many pounds. Private houses have all suffered more or less and reports of damage done are coming to hand, ornaments and crockery generally being thrown down and broken. At Tnkutai the ’quake was of a very severe nature and much alarm' was Caused.

Some windows in All Saints’ Church were broken. Up Gibson Quay the shock caused great alarm. At the post ..Office much of tho inner plaster of tho walls and coiling came down. . The attendants in the* Hipbone exchange, though greatly frightened, stuck to their job and continued answering the numerous calls that kept* them unusually busy. A chimney on the outside of a building in Park Street was turned partly round.

A brick chimney at the Harbour Office also came down. At the Dominion Hotel two chimneys crashed. Considerable damage was done at Mr W. E. Williams, chemist, many bottles being broken. Work was proceeding at the elevated tank at the Mental Hospital when the ’quake came. The men engaged were 70 feet in the air. The structure swayed like a bamboo in a gale. One man, C. Goodall, was shaken off the rim off the tank and fell to the bottom of the floor of the tank breaking his right kneecap and receiving other minor injuries. The injured man had to be lifted out and lowered down with a winch. The others were uninjured but had a great shock. The JjYee Public Library building has a crack on the north-west parapet. One result of the quake is that the river bed below the lower transit shed has dropped between 4 or 5 ins., the whole distance towards the sea. The river bank on the sea beach at tlic south wall lias also opened up. When the quake took place the river frothed no for a chain wide along the whole river. The quake'damaged the Cenotaph in Cass Square in a peculiar manner. All four pillars carrying the canopy are chipped considerably at the bottom and too where they evidently sagged under the shake. The stability of the cenotaph does not appear to ho affected but an expert examination will ho made as soon as possible.

——■ — A TERRIFYING SHOCK LASTING FULLY 20 SECONDS —□ — THE TOWN BADLY SHAKEN CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE DONE

AT GREYMOUTH

AT GREYMOUTH

RE EFTON EX PER lENCES

Mr ITowe, of the Harbour staff, reports that at the time of the earthquake this forenoon, the river was affected appreciably. Water and debris spouted up from the centre of the stream over a considerable distance, and later the river fell some inches near the goods’ shed. The disturbance of the water lasted for some time after the-major shake. AT KAXIERI. Knnieri suffered severely. At the hack of Mr Fleming’s house a crack appeared and water is rushing out. Ffnhlort’s baker’s oven is ruined and nearly every chimney in the township is down, the damage to buildings and contents being severe. A large crack appeared in the roadway at Kanieri and a couple in the road towards Hokitika. RAILWAY DAMAGE. The railway line at Ho Ho, Awntuna and a siding near Teremakau were damaged by the quake and the goods trains to-day were cancelled. There is a possibility of no train -running tonight. N AT ROSS. It is reported that there is very little damage at Ross. / AT WAINJHINIHI. It is reported considerable damage was done in this district. AT WESTLAND HOSPITAL. No damage is reported, but at the Mental Hospital an employee named Goodall, of Greymouth, working for the contractor for the erection of the high water tank, was shaken off the scaffolding into the well, and suffered a broken leg. • AT KOKATAHI. . The quake caused much alarm in Kokatahi Valley the visitation being an extremely heavy one.

Telephoned reports state that the shock there was of an extremely heavy nature, and that there is much damage done. Brick chimneys are down in all directions and the brick build inns in the business centre have suffered a great deal of damage. There was a big fall in Cobden quarry, some 60,000 tons of stone coming down. Thirty men were engaged at work there, hut escaped without

injury. • Armstrong’s coal mine at Runaiiga has collapsed, hut no loss of life. The chemists shops at Greymouth are the greatest sufferers. Most of the brick chimneys are down or damaged.

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association.)

GREYMOUTH, June 17

A very severe earthquake visited Greymouth at 10.20 a.m. Great damage was caused to buildings in commercial centres.

GREYMOUTH, July 17

Damages by the'quake include many shops had frontages destroyed and stock rtltrov/n all over the place and buildings cracked, including the Post Office, which clock stopped at 10.19 a.m.

The “Evening Star” building was seriously damaged. The printing machine (15 tons) was moved on the bed lialf-an-iifch. At Cobden quarry there was a big slip. 'I ue mines around Runanga suffered. Hundreds of chimneys in Greymouth residential area were destroyed, water mains hurst and furniture damaged. At the schools the children were given a holiday. Technical College laboratory was wrecked.

Hospital patients were frightened. The dispensary was destroyed and a huge chimney stack damaged. Many wires, electric and postal are down.

Tremors are continuing, hut slight. No loss of life is so far reported, but there were many narrow escapes from injury.

REEFTON, June 17

Earthquakes were felt at Reelton to-day at 12.45 a.m., 7.20 a.m. and 10.17 a.m. The last shake lasted several minutes and was accompanied h.v much noise. It did great damage. Chimneys are down everywhere. The hotels had their shelves cleared and goods in the stores were thrown on to the floor. The damage will he heavy.

Shakes have occurred every few minutes since. The whole district is alarmed. The violence of the 10.17 dtock was terrifying.

Larry’s cutting is down and has stopped traffic.