THE WORST DAMAGE

Hokitika Guardian, 22 June 1929, Page 5

THE WORST DAMAGE

SOUTH OF MURCHISON .MR FURKERT’S INSPECTION. NELSON, June 21. .Mr Furkcrt, Enginecr-in-Cliieif of the Public Works Department, and M,r L. May, Resident Engineer at Nelson, returned to Nelson this evening, after an inspection of the damage in the Murchison district. On Wednesday night, Air Furkcrt reached Nelson IVOIII Pieton, and left, after a few hours’ rest for Murchison, where Mr -May was awaiting him. The engineers made an inspection of the damaged area, and they slept last evening in an abandoned house in the Puller Gorge. Interviewed this evening, Mr Furkert said that the damage to the road from Gletdiope to Murchison was nothing to worry about, but the damage south of -Murchison was terrific. Slips had come down from mountains. Slips 1500 ft to 2090 ft in height and half a mile long were noted. These occurrences showed how scores hud been made in tlie past. The whole face of the countryside has boon changed and a very strange tiling was that the ends of the spurs had been shaken off. The only why to get an idea otf what had happened was to put a magnifying glass, 011 ordinary hillside slips. REMARKABLE CRACKS.

Mr Furkcrt said that there were also "racks in tlie ground, which could he followed over the hills for long distances. In some instances tlie difference in the level on the sides of the cra'ks was as much as 3 feet 6 inches.

The engineer said that all that £ould he done at present was to make a track and get the people , out. No work could be done in this locality till the shakes stopped, and enough rain •mil fallen to bring down all that was likely to fall very easily.

Reverting to the shaking off of tlie spurs of tlie hills, as against the slips which usually occurred on the sides of valleys, Mr Furkert referred to the quick movement of the end ball when a number of billiard balls in a ro\v were flicked. NO ROAD FOR MONTHS. .Mr Furkert said it was evident there could he 110 road to the West Coast for many months. At the present time 200 of tlie men on the railway works bad been transferred to the Glenltope--Murcliison road. There only minor damage, comparatively speaking, had occurred, and they were only holding the road open. Even this part of the highway would prove a costly undertaking. for most elf. i-he soit filling on the sides had crashed, and-they would fall off with heavy rains.

Tlie present needs,'isaid Mr. Furkert, showed the wisdom of the. Highways Board in having, .a good credit balance at its disposal. Mr Furkert paid £ tribute, to the good work done on the-Glenhope-Mur-c'hison Road, and .' to"-the initiative of Mr Ensoll, the Engineer-in-charge of the Railway Works, who made his way to Murchison on the afternoon of the occurrence, and quickly organised work on the road. It was initiative like that which was worth a lot;'

THE NATURE OF TILE ’QUAKE. Referring to the earthquake, Mr Furkert added that the “ bangs” were due to the ends of layers that were say 2000 to 3000 feet thick sliding up against one another. The shakes came from the conclusion df the earth movement underneath. 'There was nothing volcanic about it. It was evident that several of the rich plains in the district had been formed by similar action countless ages ago, only on a much larger scale. There was doubt £hat at' some future time, generations to come would find that the lakes new forming in the Matakitaki and Mamin rivers would have silted up, and that rich flats would he loft. He was of tho opinion also that Lakes Rotoroa and Rotoiti had been formed in a similar manner coitntless-,£lges ago.”

The earthquake has nf>t affected the level of the lands in the Murchison district to any great extent, except perhaps in the minds of the people, and if he were a young man lie would take advantage of the panic and buy up the best of the land at any sale. That was his opinion of the prospects of the Hats.

DRIVER POWLEY’S STORY

WESTPORT, June 21

Mr R. Powley has returned from near the Lyell where he was caught by the earthquake, whilst on his way to Nelson with Newman Bros, motor service car. He says tho experience of himself and his passengers was terrifying. Great cracks opened in the road, and trees and boulders came hurtling down tho mountain side. They camped in a paddock but cracks opened up and made tho conditions there most unpleasant. They were all glad when they managed to get back to Tnangahua Junction, and thence to Westport.

WESTPORT COAL COY’S DONATION.

DCNEDTN, Juno 21

Westport Coal Coy. wired yesterday £SOO to the Mayor of Westport.