AN AWFUL DISASTER

Hokitika Guardian, 4 February 1931, Page 6

AN AWFUL DISASTER

GRAPHIC STORY

ROW OF TAXIS BURIED. BIG BUILDINGS FALLING TOGETHER. WELLINGTON, February 3. who '"was ‘at the Vaf' will know wliat it felt like to be in. Napier,” said,-. Mr '&•„ Lewis, .of - Sydney, who arrived in Wellington, from Napier tftl? evening. “Two-stofey buildings,” said; “came, down like a pack of cards; hnd in one of the streets two sides met, Luring a whole row of taxi-cars, with their drivers. HOW IT LOOKED. Sitting in the lounge of a city hotel, Mr Lewis gave a “Dominion” representative a graphic account of the disaster:—“l was sitting in my car outside Napier Post Office when the quake came,” he said. ' “All of a sudden, the car shook violently. ’ I jumped out to see what was wrong, but fell over. On looking up, I saw all of the buildings opposite collapsing. Then clouds of dust enveloped the whole place. - People .! were .rushing out. screaming.’ No brie “knew what was going to happen. Next thousands rushed to the beach. They thought that was the safest place.” At ten minutes after the- big shake, rain started to fall, but there was only a few drops. It looked as if there was going to be a storm. CLOUDS OF DUST. On the collapse of the. Bluff the whole town was covered in dust,for a while. It looked as if the place Was on' fire. The biggest fire destroyed the Masonic Hotel. It was burnt to the ground. ... . He said:—“Every two-storey brick building came down. The houses on the hill appeared to be all right. The Post Office and Caledonian Hotel saved hundreds of lives. The people accumulated there, both buildings surviving the shook.” “All of the asphalt roads buckled up. Dr. Moore’s Hospital was wrecked. All of the private houses and private hotels on the waterfront' -were damaged.., People were lying dead in the streets, said Mi- Lewis!. “A' woman rushed, about-in an hysterical ' condition,'' while thousands made for the beach, many entering the water.” , : Mr . Lewis Said that on'Monday night there was not a breath of wind in Napier. The heat was so oppressive that it was almost impossible to sleep. The conditions' this morning were much about the same. WELLINGTON, February 3. . The following further advices regard;i fng" the earthquake have been received, "'“by"the Secretary of the Genaral Post, Office at 5.11 p.m.: “The following are portions' of messages received by a local broadcasting station from the Hastings broadcasting station: “The officia l death list at Hastings at 3 p.m. was; twenty-one. Ambulance supplies are ._ ...wanted urgently.”. - Froth "S.'S. Northumberand (through v _„thjs at Wellington) 5.45 p.m. : “Tho Chief Officer of the liner reports that slight tremors still continue. The hospital is wrecked. The nurses’

home collopsed, and killed several, so that there is a great shortage of nurses also of doctors medical supplies, and bandages, etc. Fires are still raging.”

AN EYE-WITNESS’S ACCOUNT. V ; • • WELLINGTON, February 3. The following message has been received •by the Secretary of the G.P.O. by telephone from Dannevirke about 2.50 p.m., and is an account by an eyewitness:—“Napier is in a very -bad' State indeed; ' I have fust left there. I should,, say .the loss of life ig -very serious. The town is pretty well razed to 'the ground. The Masonic Hotel and places around there in the centre of the city and every twostoreyed building appear to be razed. In.'the, town there was a queue of casualties. Napier look like a bombardment. I was in-the Napier Post Office building. The Post Office is down except .for. the ground floor. I have never experienced anything like it. The roads appear to be all right except that the bridges require attention. These are being attended to now.” HOUSES HANG.OYER CLIFFS. MANY TRAPPED IN SHOP. MASTERTON, February 3. The story of an eye-witness of the ’quake at Napier’ is provided by Mr J, Batchelor, who .hqa shops at Nap-

HAWKES BAY BADLY SMASHED ,j || * NAPIER IN RUINS -■■- ■ - ' o FIRES FOLLOW EARTHQUAKE A BIG DEATH ROLL ALARMING EXPERIENCES (By Telegraph—Ter Press Association)

ier and Hastings, and who brought his wile and family to Masterton tonight. Mr Batchelor states that the /business centre of both Napier and Hastings was detsroyed. When he left Napier at 1.30 p.m., the panic- stricken people were making for the Bluff Hill, fearing a tidal wive. There is a huge slip across the Bluff Road at the site of the fatal slip of a few months ago. "Telegraph poles were thrown down and splintered. Houses are hanging over ,Ithe- cliffs in places. The people were rumble to walk at the climax of the ’quake. Emerson and Hastings Streets suffered most at Napier, where it is feared many were trapped in McGruer’s shop.

A huge fire was burning in the vicinity of the Masonic Hotel.

People were camping in the streets and parks.

There was a big subsidence at KaraHiu bridge, which made it necessary for cars to go via- Oniahu, but otherwise the roads are passable, few fissures being noticed. Mr Batchelor fears a heavy death roll at Napier. The business centre of Hastings was also wrecked, the taller buildings suffered most. The business buildings are also clown at Waipawa. PLANE VISITS NAPIER. A DISTRESSING SPECTACLE. MASTERTON, February 3.

A plane belonging to the Wairarapa Aero Club, piloted by A. V. Jury, visited Napier this afternoon. Mr Jury stated the lire had gone well through Napier, from Clive Square to the seafront, for about two streets width. The buildings therein were not only shaken to the ground, but were burnt out. The fires were still raging at 5.30 p.m. There was a, big blaze on the seatront adjacent to the oil tanks, hut the tanks themselves "did “hot appear to be affected. The plane also landed at Hastings where every building appears to have fallen into the street. Only one hie was there observed however. The shocks were still being experienced there, and during the ten minutes the plane was on the ground, three sharp quakes were felt. POPULACE STUNNED. AUCKLAND, February 3. xhe following radio message was received from the Commander of the Veronica at Napier at 9.15 to-night:— “I have just returned from going round the town. Practically the whole of the stone and brick buildings of Napier have been destroyed, and in many cases they are blazing furiously. Hundreds of wooden buildings have been wrecked, and it is feared that the casualty list is a very heavy one, hut it is impossible to even estimate the number at present. The water supply has failed and the Fire Brigade is incapable of dealing with the fires. The populace are quiet and appear to he stunned' by the magnitude of the disaster. I have organised a food depot and mu policing the streets. Several, temporary hospitals have been organjsed and tlio Veronica is forming an X-ray station. AH the destitute women and children are being received on board the Veronica. Earthquakes snooks are still occurring.”

TERRIBLE DESTRUCTION. AT HASTINGS AND NAPIER. WELLINGTON, February 3. Further news from a Gisborne radio station is that Napier is said to be worse off that Hastings. Tlie new Post Office is down. Bluff Hill on Napier’s waterfront Is down. The Post Office tower is down at Hasting. The Post Office staff aae safe.

One dead body of a women is visible in the wreckage.

Roach’s shop (biggest in Hastings') has been burnt. Several are dead. The Library is down. Dead bodies there have been recovered.

: Gill’s Auction Mart is down. Mr Thomas Gill, the owner, is dead, also Ins assistant.

The Grand Hotel is down. Tlie proprietor is missing. A committee has been formed at Hastings to.ration food. The shakes have been almost continuous and are still continuing at. Has tings and Napier.

HARBOUR DAMAGE-;

PORT AHURIRI DESTRUCTION

WELLINGTON, February 3

The following report from the Postmaster at Port Ahuriri was received by radio at 5.40 p.m.:—“The Post Office and quarters here were completely destroyed by the earthquake and by fire. The stuff are safe. The business area lias suffered extensively by the following fire, which lias destroyed three warehouses, two hotels, and three wool stores, and several smaller buildings and houses. Ollier buildings that were not affected by fii’e were more or less destroyed by the earthquake. The harbour works and the equipment were badly damaged. The rofads opened up in several places, and there are many slips,on the hillsides. One boy was killed and two or three persons are reported missing. PAPER OFFICE WRECKED. WELLINGTON, February 3. Private advice received at Wellington from Hastings, slates the “Hawke s Bay Tribune” newspaper at Hastings was wrecked, and that Air A. L. Ryan a reporter, is missing. MR A. L. RYAN MISSING. .Mr A. L. Rvan, a reporter of the “Hawkes Bay Tribune,” who is reported to bo-missing at Hastings, was well-known in Greymontli, which lie visited at the time of the Jubilee. Over sixty years of age, lie was a most genial personality. WAIP AW A BADLY HIT.

WAIPUKURAU, February 3. Waipawa reports extensive damage there, and that there is no communication north or south. Waipawa has suffered to even ft greater extent than has W aipukurau. Practically all of the shop fronts there were levelled to the stieet, and several bindings were domolishod. Two casualties were admitted to the hospital. The central Hawkes Bay district has suffered generally. WAIROA DAMAGE. GISISHONF, Feh. 3. It is reported unofliinlly from Wairoa by phone, that the Post Office and tile brick buildings are severely damaged. The traffic bridge across the Wairoa River 4s also damaged. WAIPAWA REPORT. WELLINGTON, February 3. The Secretary of the Post Office reports having received the iollowing further advice regarding the earthquake, which occurred to-day, from trie Postmaster at Waipawa:—

In to-day’s severe earthquake Imre, one member of the stall, AH’ H- I ■ Hopkins, (Exchange Clerk) was badly injured. He is now in hospital at Walpukiirat:. The damage at Waipawa :s very extensive. The chimneys at the Post Office are down but there is no apparent structural damage. There is no communication north or south. MORE SHOCKS AT 5 P.M.

A report received from the Postmaster at Otane at H. 1.0 p.m. s ays: Practically every chimney and water tank in this district was destroyed by the earthquake at about 10.50 to-da.v, and a though the damage to property geticralv is considerable, only ininoi injuries are reported by residents. At 5 p.m. fairly severe tremors are still being experienced, and the piesent indiations are that many residents will spend the night in the open. WAIROA REPORT. WELLINGTON, February 3. The Postmaster at Wairoa has rereported :—“I here was a severe earthquake at 10.50 a.in., to-day. The Post Office building was badly damaged. The clock tower was thrown down. The roof of the telephone exchange collapsed, and the hoard is out of action. There were no casualties among the staff. Temporary repairs are in hand. The business portion of Waipawa has been damaged. Two deaths in Waipawa are reported.

Communications to the north and south arc cut off.

The roads to the south are blocked bv slips at Turiroa.

A further south span of the Wairoa bridge is down.”

MORE SHAKES. AUCKLAND, February 3. Earthquakes continue in the stricken area to-night, according to the wireless reports received in Auckland. One from Wairoa at 9.25 p.m. stated:— 'the shake is very bad at tlie moment of sending this message, and lam hanging on. ifouses are falling all round. There may he more casualties yet. Ony a few chimneys are left standing, and whole buildings are demolished. All the road communication is cut off. Mies of roads are obliterated, fhe town bridge is all but gone. Since the main quake this morning, the shocks have been almost continuous. WA[BOA’S EXPERIENCE. WELLINGTON, February 3. At 11 p.m.. the following message was broadcasted from Wairoa: —"iho earthquake in Wairoa was very severe Access was cut off to Napier, but open to Gisborne. The town bridge is badly damaged. Now working on comnmnication with all the available men. Three of the fatalities are:—Lim Kee, a Chinaman. Mrs O’Malley. The third is one at the railway works, the victim’s name not being yet known