FOREST SWALLOWED

Hokitika Guardian, 8 November 1932, Page 6

FOREST SWALLOWED

ACTION OF THE EARTH’S SURFACE. EARTHQUAKE IN HAWKE’S CAY VNAPiER, November 7 . The uncanny action of the ea-tb s surface during the earthquake which slnok Hawke’s Bay 011 September 16, cauc.iig thirtv-iive acres of high standing virgin, bush to disappear totally beneath a sea,of broken ana chu;h' lup mud, was referred to by Air H. Tait, secretary of the Red Cross Society, at Napier, in an interview The land upon which this phenomenon is stated to have liapuenot is situated) on the station owned by M r Thomas Byrne, Opouiti, on the road from Wairpa to liniroto, where the shock of the upheaval was of sufficient force to cause the tinroer hoamsUad in places to, collapse .almost),. completely... The homestead, stated Mr Tniu, was situated on the side of a slope. beyond which, lay'the valley in which the bush stood before the upheaval. The action of the earthquake, however, not only caused the sides ..of the valley ’0 converge, hut also the centre of the valley to erupt, completely ob 1 iterating any sign of the forest. There wa. 1 not a twig to bo seen, Hated Mr Tait, m'ei’ly a sea of broken and churned up mud. The area-of bush thus destrowed was. -between thirty and thirtyfive acres. In .'Other places the whole sides cf bills were flattened out over gullies, the extent of file mo/emont being indicated by the Tact that lines' of fences which formerly lan down the sides of the gullies were left hanging mahy feet in the air, presenting a strange spectacle.