THE EARTHQUAKE

Hokitika Guardian, 18 June 1929, Page 5

THE EARTHQUAKE

LOCAL DAMAGE. The toll of damaged chimneys throughout the town is a very substantial one. ’Die frontage to Gibson Quay appeared to suffer more than higher up the terrace land where most of the residences escaped injury' in most places, though there were many eases of damage reported there. ■. The Red. Lion Hotel was the heaviest sufferer there being the unlucky 1111mbe of thirteen chimneys damaged in and around the hotel buildings, that came down or will have to be brought down.

Several skids on the wharf with their loads of timber have broken down ami will require to be re-erected. Along the' north bank of the -north wall there was a large crack in the bank with a six-inch subsidence. Reports from the country state the

quake caused much alarm. In the i hush country the manner in which the trees swayed to and fro caused a very eerie feeling, while cattle and horses became very much frightened and careered- around the paddocks madly in their fear. The railway traffic bridge across the Hokitika river gave several wayfarers across it at the time of the shake a bad few minutes. It appeared to career up in the air and the fear was felt that it was going to collapse. Throughout the town damaged chimneys are being pulled down, while all available labor is busy making temporary repairs to roofs where chimney debris had broken through. In many instances the roofs were broken in, necessitating immediate repairs before rain comes. At the Convent several chimneys came down, or were damaged and had to* be pulled down. St. Mary’s Church escaped without any serious damage. TRAIN SERVICE. There was no train service from or ■' to Grey mouth from Hokitika this morning, but the Ross train came in jas usual. Messrs Newmans Motors Ltd. ran a ear to Greymoutli last night and re-' turned this morning with passengers and mails, while cars also left this morning for Greymoutli and also for Otira to connect with the train from> there to and from Christchurch. AT GREYMOUTH. . Considerable damage was done at Ureyniouth. At the corner of Mawhera Quay and Tainui Street the cornice on Mr Kim Williams building crashed down, and many other buildings along the business centre suffered more or less damage. , There are many instances where cminneys fell either through roofs or down into the fireplaces, and in some cases housewives, had narrow escapes. Fully a thousand chimneys suffered damage in the town.

The Hospital dispensary suffered seriously bottles being smashed and other contents damaged. The big chimney of the institution was cracked. The patients showed no. signs of panic, though plaster (foil in the wards, ands the patients had to stay in their beds. The Technical Hostel lost chimneys, but its wooden composition proved an advantage. The 'chimney stack at the gasworks was damaged. It would be quite impossible to detail the damage, and it is well nigh so to estimate it, but ’£12,000 might not cover it. Inspections by experts will lie necessary to ascertain the actual amount. Keating’s store had a plate glass window cracked, while the frames of the windows in Miss Sanity’s new brick simp in boundary Street gave way. The Town Hall sustained some dam ace. there being cracks in front, rnd the parapet suffered, while lumps of material fell, including part of the tower top. The wharf power station smoke stack stood the racket. Patrick’s church suffered damage inside the building and at the Presbytery the damage is substantial, the Convent’ new structure shows cracks and the Marist school was damaged. There are many cracks in Blaketown streets. Blaketown bridge was forced a foot westward, the road sank and fissures opened in the road three 'feet wide and 70ft long.