EARTH TREMOR

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 43, 19 January 1938, Page 2

EARTH TREMOR

EXPERIENCE IN CITY. SOME CONCERN FELT. An earth tremor with a duration of three minutes, and the worst experienced'in Palmerston North since that which occurred at midnight on March 5, 1935, was felt at 2.43 o’clock yesterday afternoon. It was accompanied by a rumbling noise and caused some concern among business people and householders. After several jolting movements there was a swaying motion. The general direction of the movement was from east to west, and at the Bunnythorpe electric sub-station the force recorded was 8 on the Rossi Forel scale—a tremor of considerable intensity, the maximum on the scale being 10. The epicentre was apparently very close to Palmerston North. Communication with Napier showed that the tremor was barely felt there, but was more noticeable in Hastings and grew in intensity fit various places throughout Southern Hawke’s Bay. No damage was reported in'the city.

IN OTHER PLACES. Reports received by the Chief Postmaster (Mr G. Clark) indicated that the tremor had been felt as follows at the undermentioned places:— Wellington—Light. Masterton—Sevei e. Wanganui—Severe. Feilding—Severe, g, Ha wera- -Moderate. Levin—Severe. Foxton— Severe. Waipulntrau—Light. Woodville—Severe. Dannevirke—Severe. Taihape—Moderate. Napier—Very slight. Pahiatua—Fairly severe. Pongaroa and Tiraumea- -Some chimneys down. Two shocks were felt in the township of Saiison. People hurried out of doors, and it was considered that the earthquake was the most severe experienced for a number of years. A severe shock was felt in Pahiatua. Business people and housewives had many articles shaken from their shelves. So seve're was the shake that many people huried for the open road. A baker’s van left standing moved down a slope, but the driver managed to stop it before it went any distance. EXPERIENCE IN W AIR All AP A.

FAIRLY SEVERE TREMOR. Per Press Association. MASTERTON, Jan. 18. An earthquake between six and seven on -the Rossi Forel scale was experienced throughout the district at 2.45 this afternoon. The ’quake which lasted about 25' seconds, was of a steady nature, though there was considerable movement. It appears to have been fairly severe in the Tinui, Castlepoint and Te Wharau districsts, where in,one or two instances chimneys were damaged and crockery and other articles dislodged from the shelves. The keeper of the Castlepoint lighthouse reports no damage there beyond broken crockery. The direction appeared to be from the nolth-east to south-west.