LAND SLIDE IN WELLINGTON.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 841, 19 May 1910, Page 3

LAND SLIDE IN WELLINGTON.

COLLAPSE OF A BUILDING. BOARDING HOUSE IN GREAT PERIL Tho recent wet weather lias had a bad effect on the high cliff overlooking Lamhton quay, immediately behind Barrett's Hotel and Lankshear’s printing establishment, in Wellington, says the N.Z. Times. Yesterday a serious land slide occurred. On the top of the cliff tho Queen's Private Hotel is erected, and Ibis big concrete building stands a very good chance of making a hasty passage on to Lambkm quay. There was excitement among the boardinghouses in the vicinity of Plimmer’s stops when tho danger was realised yesterday, and tho Queen’s Private Hotel was quickly abandoned and everything in it transferred to an annexe, on safer ground. Tho private hotel affected is constructed ou the very edge of the solid part of the cliff, and tin l back portion of the building faces Lambton quay. There is a considerable amount of “made’’ ground between tho rear of Barrett’s Hotel and tho back of the boardinghouse, and this has been supported by a- brick retaining wall built right up the. steep banks to a level with tlie foundations of the tenement.

For some time (be retaining wall had been showing signs of weakness, and on -Monday niglil I rouble began in earnest, the wall eommeneing to crack ominously and lean out.

At about 2 o'clock yesterday allernoon the position was very serious, tho retaining wall opening out in all directions and the walls of tho brick building at tbo base were also badly cracked. It seemed inevitable that tho retaining wall would tall in and carry with it the building at the foot; and if this happened I lie boardinghouse' at the sunmul. would be in grave danger on account of its supports being carried away. There was a hasty eonsnlotion between the owners of the property—■ Messrs 11., J. A., and C. Plinimei — .Messrs Campbell and Burke, contractors, ami Mr Turnbull, architect. Mr W. 11. Morton, the city engineer, was ad 'iscd ol tin' trouble arid was soon on the scene. He advised underpinning the "Ml ol the Queen's Boa rdinghonsc. carrying the wall down to a need re foundation ami then building up underneath, with a view to making tho top building absolutely safe. 1 o carry out this plan it was necessary to shore up the bottom building ami the retaining wall. Messrs Campbell ami Burke, took charge of the work and at about 4 o’clock a load of heavy limber beams was on the. job ready to pin up tho retaining wall and building. Une shore was got into position at about. 5 o’clock, when it, was seen that, the whole of tlm bottom building was on the move. .Just as the workmen got, clear, down came the .structure with a report, like a hatlery of artillery. The bottom building was wrecked, the walls and sides falling in completely. The work of shoring up was then abandoned, and it will now be more' difficult to make the boardinghouse secure. as the main .supports have gone. The yard of the Queen's Private Hotel at the toji of the retaining wall, which had sunk several inches up u> the time of the collapse of the bottom building, has now practically fallen right in, so Unit I lie Ollier wall ot the building is on the very verge of the cliff, with nothing to support it. Tho position, was so dangerous at 3 p.m. that, acting ou the advice of the city engineer, ail the boarders were got out of the building and tho furniture transferred to an annexe. The pathway leading from Plimmer's steps was roped oil' and also the right-of-way between tho shops occupied by W. J. Lankshear and S. J. Ross, a constable being placed on guard at both places. The noise of the tailing walls attracted a large number of passers-by, but owing to the precautions taken by the police they only got a very limited view of tlie ruined walls. A COMMEMORATIVE TABLET. The Queen's Private Hotel contains twelve rooms and was built in 1902 by the late Mr John Plimmer. An ornamental inscription over the. front entrance states: — Built in remembrance of the Coronation of King Edward VH. and Queen Alexandra ou 6th August, 1902, by John Plimmer, Father of Wellington. It is a striking coincidence that tho building should bo in .such grave danger of collapse at the end ol tho reign of tho monarch in whoso honour it was built.