FORTY YEARS AGO

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2295, 28 June 1921, Page 3

FORTY YEARS AGO

THE EARTHQUAKE.

(Prom the “Manawatu Herald,”

June 28th, 1881.)

At 5.19 ft.tn. on Sunday morning last, June 26th, the people of Foxton and Manawatu generally were awakened from their slumbers by an earthquake of terrible violence. The direction appeared to be from south-west to north-east, and the motion was not of that undulating character which usually characterises shocks in New Zealand, but was as if the earth were being violently shaken and rattled at a rapid rate. The sensation was most alarming and along with the rattling of windows and doors, the crash of chimneys as they fell on the corrugated iron, roofs, or into the rooms, and the clatter of glassware and crockery, but above all the rumbling roar that preceded and accompanied the earthquake—formed a brief time of horror such as few would care to experience again. Following the one big shock were a series of shocks, mostly very light, and thus in anxious expectancy the time was passed until dawn. We should not omit to mention that the weather at the time of the principal shock was cold and windy. The barometer was very low during part of Saturday, but at about 10 o’clock at night the wind rose and began to blow fiercely from the west, lasting about twelve hours. JThe'-common idea of earthquakes occurring in close, murky weather was proved in this, as in many other instances, to be without foundation. As day dawned, it was seen that the destruction had been general. On every hand the chimneys had been shaken down level with the tops of the roofs, some to the ground, whilst all the others (speaking generally ( had been cracked and many wrenched round. When it was light enough to move about, a number of the citizens visited the different parts of the township for the purpose of ascertaining the extent of the damage. It is hardly necessary to state that the different hotels fared very badly, the bars being in such a state as would have rejoiced the heart of Sir William Fox. Decanters, bottles, flasks, etc., which had adorned the shelves the night before, and been full of spirits, wines, etc., lay in a broken, eonfused mass, only a few bottles being saved from the wreck. The stores came off hardly any better, though from what wc have been able to ascertain, the Ready Money Store fared the worst, while Mr Gray came off best. The railway works have suffered considerably. The whole of the embankment between the new wharf and the cutting opposite the Rev. Duncan’s house has sunk towards the river, in many places as much as two feet. The massive goods sheds just taken possession of by the Railway Department also sunk with the ground, and yesterday morning, upon the levels being taken by Mr Gillies, of the Public Works Department, it was found the west (river) side of the shed had dropped 9 inches, and that the line of rails between the shed and the bank were 12 inches below the level. The railway line along the sandy country between Fox ton and Oroua Bridge \yas twisted about iu a singular manner. It was found that it had sustained considerable damage, especially about 13 miles from Foxton, being turned about in a snake-like fashion at that point.

The value of the damage at Foxion is estimated at between £I,OOO and £1,500.