THE EARTHQUAKE

Hokitika Guardian, 19 June 1929, Page 6

THE EARTHQUAKE

MURCHISON OVERWHELMED D > / HILLSIDES FLATTEN OUT -— o — TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE ATTOPHOUSE —o WESTPORT’S FEARFUL PLIGHT — ■ — DEATH ROLL TOTALS TEN WESTPORT DAMAGE £200,000

HOMESTEADS BURIED

MUR CHI SON’S DISASTER

DEATH ROLL UP TO EIGHT

[By Telegraph, Per Press Association^

WELLINGTON, June 18,

The Acting-Secretary has received the following Further information from the Postmaster at Murchison -Murchison awoke to a scene of havoc and devastation, after a night of terror, through constant detonations, mostly in the west, and earth tremors. Matakitake Valley; three miles from Murchison, beggars description. The gorge is filled back to the back, half-mile wide, with rocks and, debris one mile long'; and the Matakitaki River is now forming a lake, which, it is feared will break away and flood Murchison, as it is unknown what body of water is held further up, as it is reported that this river is dammed in three places. The block nearest to Murchison, caused by a hill on the west bank, behind Mr Busch’s farm',: has been .blown clean out burying Mr Busch’s homestead, wherein Mrs, Miss and Ron Buscli were killed. The burst wns so terrific that it caught Mr and Mrs Cnnrles "Morel, and overwhelmed their homestead on the opposite side of the river.; injuring .Mr Morel so severely that Aie . succumbed. ,' ■

In Lower Mamin (Ariki) the top of the hill west of Air Walter Holman’s ;tiirlled' over, "burying his ‘farin'-and; Iris homestead, wherein were Airs Holman and one child, Under thousands of tons of- rock. -

This lias also dammed the Alarum River. . . ... !

At. Fern Flat, tho hanks on both .sides of the Bulior River, on the Murchison side- of the Buller Bridge, have tumbled into the river.

Tlit*.. road is completely blocked fron four miles south of Murchison to the Buller Bridge. The road remains untraversed further than this, and there, is considerable anxiety for the safety of Lyell and of the service cars that were expected to leave the vicinity of the Lyell yesterday. A public meeting this morning decided to man pick picks and shovels and open the road to Nelson, and get tae' women and children out.

.‘Tlie road, over the Alaruia Saddle has fallen away and from the Eight 'Mile tef Matakitaki is blocked. « The-'detonations and tremors are continuing.

Over two hi ndied inhabitants have left, for Nelsoii.

Gibson’s farm in Alaruia Valley. Glengarry,-- was - ovefhelmcd. A! rs and Alaster Gibson, ISo Westbrook and Aliss Ferguson, were buried beyond , recovery. : Twenty refugees from this valley are endeavouring to reach Alurcliison tomorrow. Tremors and detonations still continue. Tho very violent shocks were experienced about 6.3 p.m. The residents of Matakitaki and Upper Matakitaki were reported yesterday to be safe. There is " () ' communication with Upper Alaruia VrfUo.v and Springs. Junction by road or telephone. .. . ROAD RESTORED NELSON TO MURCHISON: ' ' • NELSON. June 18. The road to Alurcliison is now passable. A large number . of' 1 nlen from the railways wqrks have been transferred to tlie road, with .the result that the way lias boon cleared through various blockages.

Newman Bros.’ service car, with live passengers, which lin'd not been reported since the earthquake, was found to-day three miles'"oil the Most Coast side of the Lyell, all well. Refugees from Alurcliison are expected to arrive at Nelson this evening. _ , An emergency meeting ol the City Ooirnei was-held this afternoon to: make arrangements for billeting, many offers for which have been received.. The Alotiieka district .suffered con-; siderably in the way of broken chimneys ,etc., and Itiwaka, nearby, reports several ground fissures.

MURCHISON EXODUS. BAD SHOCKS CONTINUE. "WELLINGTON, June 18. The Acting-Secretary of the G.P.O. lias received the following report from the Postmaster, Nelson : 1.45 p.m.—Road now open for cars between Glenhope and Murchison. Position in Murchison still serious. Persistent tremors and severe shocks felt this morning, and fifty or sixty people are leaving there to-day to connect with the special train at Kohatu for Nelson. Glenhope is still having Frequent earthquakes. There is still ao further news south of Murchison. ARRIVAL AT NELSON. NELSON, June 18. Airs Holman and child were killed in a second slip in Matakitaki Valley. Spectators state they saw bills flatten out in frent of them.

Hodgson’s store is lying over at an anguc of 45 degrees. The police stopped people from entering. A volunteer, however, ,wer.t in tiiis morning to secure bread. Most of the inhabitants, including all the women and children, ‘were brought down by motor lorry and special train to'-night. A few hieii are remaining in Murchison.

Further danger is feared from the docked Matakitaki aiid Buller rivers, which have been backing up againsi huge slips lor 36 hours. If'the water ireaks suddenly, Murchison will be swept away with probable disastrous results also in the Buller Valiev.

Api ever-increasing lake is being .ormed by the banked up waters. Although many of the buildings arc -till standing, most are untenable. 1 lie liinin walls of the Commercial lotel are apparently intact, but tiie la ilk 'of ,N6w "Zealand, adjoining, is in ruins.

Air S. Bi.isch, whose wife and daughter, aged 23. and son aged 18, were .died when their.! house was engulfed >y a falling hillside in Afatakitaki Valley. had a most horrifying experience, le was some distance from the house, working in a paddock, when he was i stricken spectator of the awful •scene. Hearing a roar he looked up to see thousands of tons of rocks anc: earth falling on his house, which was buried many feet deep. Attempts at extrication were totally out of question. A refugee informed a pressman that last night was a night of boll—one long series of detonations and violent shocks. The shocks continued This morning, culminating in a violent one, accompanied by a huge landslide, just before the main party left for Xclso'n.,

BIG EXPLOSIONS. IN MURCHISON DISTRICT. HEARD EOR-. WEEKS , PAST. NELSON. June 18. • The trains which picked up the refu-1 gees at Kohatu arrived at Nelsonabout eight-thirty. It was met by the Mayor and Councillors. Arrangements were 'made for their sleeping ftccom-i niodation for. the night.

The haggaVd looks and general ap-j pea ranee of tlie refugees were evi-j deuces of the trying ordeal through i which they had passed. j For a fortnight past the residents of j Murchison have heard the noise off explosion's which they put down to I someone blasting. They have now! come to the conclusion thht they Were, of subterranean origin. i| Monday afternoon and night and until the party, left to-day was just 1 like one continuous thunderstorm while in places there were hot mere landslides, but terrific explosions, which lifted the hillside right out

BRICK BUILDINGS CRASH

hurling enormous masses across wide valleys.

'The residents have felt the earthquakes least when the explosions were greatest. The late Air Morel, who was an elderly man, saw a hillside on the opposite side of the valley, over half a mile distant bursting out, and, seizing bis wife, ran with her, hand in hand, for safety, but they were caught in the mass, Airs. Alorel being buried up to her neck, but she got clear. Air Alorel was badly wounded by fragments of rock, and be bled to death before assistance could be rendered. TOPI 1 OUSE SENSATION. A TERRIFIC UNHEAVAL. BLENHEIM, June 19. Earthquake investigations reveal that the first estimate that the damage is comparatively slight was accurate. Tremors of varying intensity, but. mainly very light, were felt during the night and continued untli noon. They kept nervous people on the qui vivo, but did not cause any serious disturbances. Telephonic inquiries disclose the fact that there are no important additions to the list of the damage, all parts having come through the ordeal fairly safely.

TOPHOUSE’S EXPERIENCE. The. Postmaster at Tophouse reports a really terrifying experience throughout;the whole countryside. Apparently tiie.territory is fairly near the centre, origin of the disturbance and was very severely shaken, while a loud rumbling added to the eeriness of the occurrence. The first shock was felt at 7.22 a.m. and. the main shake at 10.20 a.ni. NOISES LIKE THUNDER. Between 7.22 and 11.18- when tho Postmaster was called out on line duty, no less than 14 distinct shocks were'felt. From 8 p.m., when the officer returned, until noon to-da.v, there had been six further shocks. All the minor tremors had been of a duration of practically six seconds, and all had been accompanied by noises like distinct thunder. It is estimated that when the heavy shake occurred for eight seconds buildings and trees swayed and trembled and all, the chimneys in the' district were leveled ; trees and buildings swung at least 18 inches out of plumb. The shake appeared to be travelling north to south.- At the time of the heaviest vibrations-1 there were loud explosive noises coming seemingly from the direction of thy West Coast. Huge masses' of the hillside slipped into Lake Rotoiti during tlier,! 1 quake, setting up. or r eat rumbling crashing poises. The warning of the approach; of the main disturbance was provided by rumbling noises which preceded till it gradually became louder. • . as

ROAD SUBSIDES. ' The road from Tophouse to Kawa-tii-j is strewn with boulders and debris, brought down hv the shake, and care had to be exercised in travorsiiuT the road by car. AH along the road side fillings, have subsided, leaving barely sufficient traffic room. Reports like muffled explosions were heard in all parts of Pelorus Sound. They were especially distinct at Manama where settlers had a terrifying experience and feared a repetition of earth*shocks.

WESTPORT DAMAGE. ! A DETAILED ACCOUNT. BROUGHT-BY AEROPLANE. I■" ' - ■ ' TWO MINERS KILLED. (By Aeroplane, From Westport.) CHRISTCHURCH, Juno 13. On Monday Westport passed through a most terrifying experience when the town was severely shaken by the earthquake. Chimneys toppled down in all directions, hardly on.e building, if any, escaping without one or more chimneys being toppled over. Many passed through the roofs of buildings, adding to the damage done. POST OFFICE GOES FIRST. Tho Post Office clock tower was one of the first places to go: a few nieces 'of masonry came tumbling clown and then the whole of the top. of the clock and all crashed to tlv> ground; indeed, it was found ad\isahle to blast away some of the loose pieces. House's in the vicinity of the ‘clock were roped off and the staff spe'edily deserted the building, which has not vet been - re-tenanted as ’quakes, some very severe ones, continue.

The brick walls on either side of Betts’ garage collapsed, bringing the roof down w<ith a crash. Six motorcars. inclfidfng new ones, were overwhelmed I'tv Hhe debris. One of the brick' walls on Gough’s side did considerable damage there, while Si brick wall on the other side

of Enright’s also collapsed, adding to the disaster.

The Albion Hotel, a brick building, lost a heavy top portion, which crashed to tlie footpath. Tlie brick waiis of F. S. Wood’s building also collapsed, one wall falling on to tlie “times” Office, doing considerable damage there and making publication for some days improbable.

The heavy frontage of Ward's building also crashed to the footpath. Eight down the front'street, footpaths were littered with broken plate glass, fn Mullan’s pharmacy, scarcely a bottle or article remained pn the shelves.

Part of the Fire Brigade brick wall also fell and the 'lifeavy stone masonry of the railway workshops came crashing into Addcrley Street. There were stirring scenes at the Hospital when a chimney came crashing down. Tlie patients were hurried out and some were taken to the Old People’s Home, a wooden building. Down at the wharves the lines are bent and the wharf itself is knocked out of alignment. Tlie railway down to the Tip Head is severely bent. At the right down side of the line arc huge fissures.

SECOND MINER KILLED. News from the country generally tells of fallen chimneys, land slips and two deaths.< William C-liamley, widower, 55 years of age, was killed in the Cardiff Bridge Aline, Seddonvillo, and Robert McAllister, miner, in the Glasgow Aline, Scddonville. While the County lorries were at work on tlie Stockton track, big slips eanie down, overwhelming two of them and narrowly missing the men with them. Tlie road overland and the Bullei Gorge is blocked with slips, while Bircbfield, Dcnniston, AVaimangaroa, Ngakawau, Granity, Stockton, and Hector all report general crashes and 3 other damage.

SOAIE EXPERIENCES. IN AVESTPORT AND GORGE. Messrs John AlcAlastcrs and Geo. Alanning, young Gioymouth builders, who . on Sunday left for A\ : estport to start work for Air G. Patterson on the demolition of Carmine’s building in the main street of AVestport, and went through the ordeal there of Monday, tackled the journey hack to Grey by way or the Buller Gorge yesterday, and reached there last evening. In the course of an interview by the Grey “Argus” they stated “The only half dozen chimneys left in Westport are of concrete ” The road opened up near the Hospital, while at the wharf the ground dropped two feet. At the Orawaiti bridge carrying the traffic north, the approach dropped two feet. The railway line queerly warped on the wharf, while a train two miles out was marooned between breaks. Holder’s Hotel caved ,iu at the rear and the Police'Station chimneys fell. The O’.C-onnor Home and Old People s Homo escaped lightly, and Buller bridge stood. There was a lack of bread in the evening, the bakehouses having been put right out of action, except one. •

Part of Alillerton endless rope, incline collapsed. The water supply was stopped and the light service. The Greymoutii pair slept in a bus ill the street till midnight, on Monday, when they were told to hurry to the Pakihis for safety as the Buller was going to flood. Ala king their way thither they saw _ women and children in distress and at 4.30 a.m. yesterday nearly two thousand were on the Paid his. with small fires lighted around, waiting till 7.30, when a number still remained. Every item of glass or crockery in AVestport was pulverised. The wooden buildings fared best. At 7.30 a.m. yesterday the five steamers in port were ordered to sail, and Air AlcAlaster saw three leave. At 8.30 lie and his mate decided to tackle the Gorge, and ride home, but were told they had no chance. Ihe first big slip they met 18 miles out, 'but others earlier, including one at the Twelve Aide, were sufficiently cleared to pass easily. There must he well over a thousand men at work in the Gorge. A slip of two chains was met 18 miles out, with a sheer drop into the river. Alcn blasted a way for the cyclists through this and helped them with the machines. Three miles nearer the Junction a smaller slip was passed. The road there was cracked and fissured ifi an incredible way. Every bridge on the road stood two feet or so above its approaches, i

The worst slip was at Tiroroa, the face of the cliff falling over into the liver, while a piece of it 20ft wide stood, the remainder breaking away from the lull. This they did not expect to pass, but after dinner walked over, finding Title food was available. - They squared, with the help of workmen, a part of 1 Ht* too and took the hikes over singly after enormous trouble. Near the JiHHtioii was another slip. three chains long. Workmen helped them over, and they proceeded to Reeffon along a road full of big cracks and fissures, one cut across being three: feet wide. The huts stood the shocks well. They got to Reefton about 5 p.m., after a trip ol; over -eight lion's. One hike had to he left behind at the Junction, hut they double-hanked and came on to Greymoutii. Air Arc-Master says lie hopes never again to experience such an ordeal as that of the past couple of days. AVostport people were in a state of collapse., The damage will take £2OO,COD to repair.

FURTHER WESTPORT REPORT. - WELLINGTON, June 19. W estport quakes have been continuing at irregular intervals all day. People at Tiraroa are camped in large tents. There are big slips on Buller Rond, Dublin Terrace and also Karaniea Road. An inquest was opened to-day for identification purposes by Coroner Fox, of Robert McAlister, killed in Glasgow mine, and adjourned sine die. the fedy of William Chamley, buried by a*fa 11 of earth at Cardiff Bridge mine, lias not yet been recovered. INANGAHUA REPORT. DISTRICT BADLY DAMAGED. A 4 p.m. yesterday at Inangahua .Junction, the Buller River was rushing past there carrying logs in its path, but the rush was not considered to ne heavy enough to do damage to any extent in the lower reaches of the Buller.

jn many houses here the hot " T ater service pipes are twisted like circular wire springs. Lavatories burst a'' though by an explosion of dynamite. From Lankey’s Creek the hilltops above looked as though they would meet, and before the shock subsided the tops of the cliffs, tumbled into, the valley. .g At Inglewood Gold Mine the qualcp caused a big flow df water. From a. chamber drive, Which is straight, dayr light can ordinary be. seen for a long distance back but the quake motion kept obsecuring the light, so it i« assumed from this that the oscillation of the ground must have been at least two feet.

The new bridge at Inangahua Junction did not escape damage, two cylinders being cracked and a Ihwd has shifted its position. Large cracks are visible at Larry’s Creek and at Three Channel Flat small geysers are playing through the numerous cracks in the earth.

The blockages at Fern Flat, Matakitalci and Newton Flat have caused the Buller River to be six feet below normal rt the Junction. Schools were closed to-day and the mines are not working. Th e Inangahua Junction publican. Apr W. S. ''Scotty) Clarke has suffered heavily. his hotel chimneys being demolished. The range was driven through the wall. Cracks opened in front of the building, and dirty grey water spurted out. ’ W ;,W The men in that vicinity were thrown to the ground. V On the Junction bridge, running boards were torn up and thrown face downwards, • the bails protruding upwards.

Two of the bridge cylinders are cracked. One has shifted. The bridge is now slightly out of. alignment. The bridge approaches have sunjv. At Three Channel Flat, the paddocks are covered with white sand, which was spewed up.

A slip is visible at Flaxbrush Creek, where the whole hillside fell.

The railway line to Inangahua Junction is now all bumps, like waves of the sea. The gravel lias slipped away in many places.

At Alborn’s coal mine at Merri,’igs the men came out of the workings. A length olf the fluming there was broken by falling trees. There is a slip on the Nelson Road near Arnolds, 150 yards long. The road is blocked bv debris.

Messrs Powlev and Quinn, the service car drivers, who left for Nelson yesterday, are reported to be safe.

The first train from Greymouth since the quake reached Kceifton safely tonight. Tremors of a slight nature are still being felt here. •J .essrs Welsh and Stone, roadmen at the Lyell, were the two men who received injuries, the former a broken leg and collarbone, and the latter a broken jaw. 'ihe road at Dee Hill has slipped and a hill at Docklands also slipped. The trains are not running to Jnangaliua junction as the railway lino lias been damaged over a large area. • \ “ \ tv VOLCANIC ERUPTION IN JAPAN. TOKIO, June ‘ 18. There is an eruption of the volcano, Komagatnke, 25 miles from Hakodate. Tt is destroying the villages around the base of flic mountain. The inhabitants are panic-stricken. Many casualties are already known.