LYELL CONDITIONS

Hokitika Guardian, 2 September 1929, Page 6

LYELL CONDITIONS

QUAKE TRANSFORMATION!'

GREATER THAN YET REPORED

v ßy Telegraph—Per Press Association.)

WESTPORT, August 31

A representative of the Westport News who has just visited the Lyell, lias come back with the impression that nothing that has yet appeared 'in the illustrated press, or that lias been written, lias adequately described the colossal earth movements of the great, earthquake olf June 17th last. tion has been made of the road which dropped fourteen feet. That is northing. In one place the road has moved out 25 feet, and has dropped 50 feet, carrying with it all the telegraph posts which are still standing in line alongside the dropped piece of road.

In another place a hill has been bodily moved out on to the road. But it is the rock movements that invite special notice. The word-pictures given of the landslides have conveyed the impression that the surface -was opened up on the spurs and mountain sides as if with 1 a great razor. There is more than that; for the rock formation is rent and torn and lias descended the hillslides in rivers of rock some portions of which are of immense size!

' Beyond: the Lyell which was not-, visited by the; News- representative there is s according to the account of a roadman, a landslide sixty chains in width. How what remains of the once famous township of .Lyell escaped is incomprehensible, for the : surrounding hillslides are broken and torn, with.thefaces of the. spurs shattered and smash' ed. • ■ - ;•

Mr C, F. Schadick, County Engineer who has been through the Lyell and Karamea districts, brings back a similar story regarding the earth movements there. They are colossal. He stated that nothing he has yet seen lias given anything like an adequate description of the immense eruptive force that was at work. He has so v

pliotographs of land that is all humps, caused by geyser-like movements, as tlie underground was crushed by the great quake, causing the water to belch high into the air.

One can gather something of the account by poor Fred Patz, who was at Corbyvale when the quake occurred, when he said that he sat alone on a ledge, a terrified spectator of a great land movement on the other side of him with the sides olf a mountain being flung from half a mile to three quarters of a mile away. Patz had written to the Westport News three special articles on his impression when he was wrecked by Lis terrifying experiences. He was admitted to the Westport Hospital. He was engaged on a fourth and final one when • his earthquake spirit, passed away to more peaceful and happier climes. It is suggested tliat,- • with a view, to giving the public eleswhere some idea of this great earth movement, the shipping companies should arrange for an excursion from Wellington to Westport, the Railway Department doing likewise from Christchurch to Inangahua Junction. From the last-named place, excursionists could be taken as far as Arnold’s a distance oif between six and seven' miles, and could then walk on to Lyell. What they: would see would be a- revelation- to them They would marvel, as almost all who have seen the riven country, how it is that with something so catalysmal the loss of life was so small. Possibly many will prefer to come via Nelson and Murchison hv the new Maruia route down through Reefton to Inangalvua Junction, and thence proceed to Lyell.

It has been stated that what New Zealand has lacked is history. Over this route the traveller will have liistoiy that is written in tragedy as the road will take him past Lake Morel close to which no fewer than four lives were lost by the eruptive and disruptive forces of the big quake while in-tli distance also will be seen the Lower Maruia Valley, where there is another-new lake formed, and where also history lias its tragic side as five people were overwhelmed by a landslide as they came on through the valley. Tourists from the Old Country will have further striking evidences of the remarkable resemblances of the Britain of the South to; ther own land in its beautiful river arid foi-est scenery striking mountain raiiges, and many commanding snow-capped peaks.