SUBMARINE FOREST

Hokitika Guardian, 18 February 1931, Page 6

SUBMARINE FOREST

NEAR GISBORNE. NEW REEK AND RAISED EO IiESHORE. (By Telegraph —Per Press Association) GISBORNE, February 17. Half way between Taumotu Island and Paith Hill, about a mile and a half on the eastern side of Gisborne harbour, the raising of the foreshore by from eight feet to ten feet, along with the existence of dozens of small geysers, with water that tastes fresh but is vomiting inflammable gas, and also an upheaval of submarine forest were revealed this morning as the result of tile big quake on 'Tuesday week,, which rocked Gisborne, fortunately without any lives being lost. t Soundings in the harbour itself and in the roadstead show no change. The locality affected is close to an inlet known as Sponge Bay. Here the most remarkable changes have occurred. For about a distance of two miles, the foreshore lias risen up between eight foot and ten. Half way out to the island, a reef that was formally covered at low water is now visible at high tide. At the south-west end of this reel' there is a large pool, about 50 yards by 20 yards, of a dirty milky-colour-ed water, which at low tide is one mass of small geysers, or springs, from which gas is issuing, and. a’ match applied to this gas instantly ignites. Strange to say, the water, when tasted, is hard to distinguish from fresh water. All round the reef there is fearsome, looking mud and stone, with seaweed and papa, the whole hearing the appearance of having been squeezed from far underground. Low tide uncovers a large number of stumps of trees, which appear to have been cut oil’ or broken off when far under the sea. Some of the stomps in this forest are four or five feet high, and are embedded in black, sticky, messy mud. Strange to say, campers along Kaiti Beach, between Sponge Bay and Gisborne, hardly felt the big quake.

MOHAKA UPTHRUST. WELLINGTON. February 17. Doctor Henderson, Director of Geological Survey, reports that there is no apparent uplift at Wairoa. 'There is a great slip one mile south of Moll aka. Tt has lifted the sea floor locally 70 feet.

I REBUILDING NAPIER. LOCAL DECISION. NAPIER. February 17 I At a meeting called by Mr 0. O I Morse for the purpose of discussing the demolition, clearing work, and the ! proposed rebuilding of Napier, was I very largely attended. The chairman said it was desirous that the citizens should come to an agrement regarding the demolition of the buildings, and also that they should agree to clear up all debris comprehensively. It was not fair to expect the Public Works Department to undertake the job. The committee wanted those present to make arrangements in respect of mortgages /and other restrictions as soon as possible, so that the work of demolition might be attacked compre-

, hensively. | It was decided that the Government he requested to carry out the clearing of the devastated urea, and to charge it to the individual property owners, the Government to take up the question of payment later. A resolution was also passed leaving in the hands of the Relief Control Committee for immediate action the matter of choosing n suitable site for the erection of temporary tin promises to bouse the retail and shopping centre.

The weather to-night is fine. and though occasional quakes are being experienced, there are none of any alarming magnitude. HOSPITAL CASES. 22 AT 11A WEB A

lIA WEB A. February 17. Hai'rv Abbott, aged .4!) years, oi 804, Kiramu Road, Hastings, was discharged' from the hospital on Saturday.

! The condition of the remaining nino--1 teen patients is satisfactory. Their names are:—Aiiscll, Mrs Florence, 53. I Napier; Berry, Miss Freda, 10 years. 184, McGrath Street, Napier; Le Barr, j Albert, 47 years, Winifred Street, 1 Diinnan, Andrew. 44 years, 61 Milton I Road, Napier; Dunn. Frederick Leo. 56 years. 12 Harding Road. Port Aluiriri; Downey, Allred. 14 years, 8 Miller Street, Napier; Hill. Mrs Rose, 84:

years, 49 Shakespeare Road, Napier; i Hopkins, Mrs Jean, 87 years, 61 McDonald Street, Napier; King, Frederick, 24 years, 53 Nelson Crescent, Napier; McLernon, Frank, 65 years, freezing works, Hastings; McCormick. Mrs Mary, 75 years, 97 Vigor Brown Street, Napier; Page. Airs Dorothy AT.. 29 years, London Private Hotel. Port Allurin' : Patmore, William Stephen, 81 years. Midland Hotel. Napier; Poclc- [ ett. John Henry, 17 years. 7 Paradise i { Road. Napier: Roch. Miss Aloliy. 21 j I years, 74 Alunro Street. Napier; Bear-j I don, Mrs Grace. 72 years, Carlton j [Private Hotel. Carlyle Street. Napier; < [ Ryan, Jack, 30 years. Charlotte ('re-I scent, Hastings; Value, AfLs Eileen | 48 years. 4 Enfield Road. Napier ; Wat-j kins. Henry. 59 years, 26 Main Street. > Napier. J i

ABLE MEN REFUGEES WANTED BACK. WELLINGTON, February 17. The necessity for the return of all able-bodied men to the earthquake area was stressed by several speakers at to-dnv’s meeting of the Wellington Relief Fund Committee, and there was also a. general discussion on the difficulties of billeting. It was generally agreed that Wellington had received all the refugees it could accommodate, and it was decided, if possible, to divert future refugees to other cities. “A TERRIBLE TASK.” LABOUR M.P.’S EFFORTS. NAPIER, February 13. After three days’ strenuous work at the Nurses’ Home removing solid slabs of concrete and bricks and finally driving a tunnel 2011 in on one side and 25ft on the other, the bodies of the two young men, .John Stanley Shirley, aged 21 years; and William Thomas Taggart, aged 26 years, clerks of the Hospital Board, were recovered late, last night from the ruins of the administrative block.

Too much praipc cannot lie given to Mr J. O’Brien, M.P. lor Westland, who directed the operations and swung a 141 b hammer almost incessantly. “Jt was known the young men were in the building,” said -Mr O’Brien last night, “but it was a terrible task getting to them. I bad a gang oT 1(5 men, and all worked like Trojans. As wo excavated and tunnelled we found the bodies close together in what was apparently the hoard room, where they had sought refuge when the shake came. Timber and huge blocks of concrete bad crushed them to death.”

Concurring with the statement that remains would continue to lie found throughout the whole cleaning-up process in the lire area, Mr O’Brien stated that in one case he came across what had been the bodies of five persons. The whole of tile remains could he placed in a paper hag. Ho is of opinion that many bodies lie under the Bluff Hill on the way to the breakwater, hut it will take weeks ol work to dig them out. The remains of the two men were interred this morning. Among those present were fellow Masonic lodge members.