THE TIDAL WAVE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5051, 1 June 1877, Page 3

THE TIDAL WAVE.

After an interval of nine years, New Zealand has again been visited by a tidal wave. Between 6 and 7 a.m. on May 11 some persons on the Queen's wharf discovered a great commotion in the bay, and immediately the water was observed to rise two or three feet above the ordinary level, and subsequently to recede with similar rapidity, the time occupied in the flux and reflux not exceeding a quarter of an hour. This abnormal ebb and flow continued, gradually decreasing all the morning iu rapidity and volume till noon was reached, when the ebb and ilow occurred almost every seven minutes, and the height of the rise became insignificant. Towards the afternoon, however-, the rise and fall increased, and about 5 p.m. it had reached nearly six feet. After this it fell away again, and during the evening became merely nominal. Of course the above' figures are principally estimates, as there is unfortunately no apparatus or convenience iu the harbor for gauging tidal movements. At Meech's baths, it was calculated that the greatest difference between the extreme rise and extreme fall was three and a half feet; but at the wharf and at the Star limiting Club sheds, a much greater differenre was observed. The height to which the water rose is variously stated as between one and two feet above the highest spring tide recorded. During the day some peculiar commotions occurred in the centre of the harbor, which are quite beyond explanation ; but the result of one of these was probably seen by the Ringarooma. Near Point Jerningbam a quantity of bluish mud was observed, which at first sighjt was taken fco be a shoal suddenly raised iu the fairway. In the Strait those on board the steamer observed nothing particularly striking except that the sea was

coming in from the eastward in a long roll. The Tui, which arrived during the evening from Lyttelton, experienced a very heavy sea off the ICaikouras, and the schooner Kuby, which also arrived in port from Kaikoura last evening, reports having felt a shake off Cape Campbell. At the opening between Mills' foundry and the breastwork of the new reclamation a strong rush of water occurred while the tide was advancing or receding, and occasionally, when the long strip enclosed by the breastwork and extending from the foundry to the railway station had not time to discharge its superfluous water before the wave again began to advance, a kind of rip was formed, the contending waters rushing up in a vertical pillar several feet high, and in mid-air dashing their spray in all directions. Just outside this opening some rather strong eddies occurred, and small craft were spun round and round like a teetotum, while even the barque Australind was swayed to such an extent by the current that the hands were unable to prevent her being driven so close to one of the T's that her jibboom played considerable havoc with the J<ew Zealand Times posting board, and very nearly crushed in the side of a goods-shed. A party of excursionists engaged a waterman's boat from the gridiron, to see " how it felt in the harbor," as they said. They embarked when the wave was fully in, and upon its receding were rather surprised to find their boat high and dry. According to the telegrams it seems that there were distinct waves noticed in other ports g, the colony, but in AVellingtou there was almost a continuous ebb and flow, differing only in degree. The same thing was observable in ISOS, and we find that Dr. Hector, in a paper on the occurrences of that period, read before the AVellington Philosophical Society, explains the difference between AVellingtou and the other ports of the colony in this respect in the following paragraph:—"ln this harbor, AVellington, where I caused exact observations to be taken at frequent intervals—as might be expected from the wide expanse of water and the narrow entrance—these waves could not be so clearly distinguished as on more exposed parts of the coast ; but there is a general agreement among all the observations taken at the different stations, which leads to the conclusion " that there were three great tides or rushes. However, what took place in the other ports of the eastern coast of the colony may be gathered from the following telegrams : Kussell, 3.30 p.m.—A tidal wave this morning rushed into the bay and surrounding harbor. The tide rose about eight feet in as many minutes. It did not come up the bay as far as the township, but at noon to-day the tide fell very suddenly about four feet below the ordinary low-water level, and rose again very fast.

Auckland, 3.30 p.m.—At the three-quarter ebb at 10.30 a.m. the tide rose rapidly about nine inches, and then receded. The flood tide came in very fast. There were foul - distinct tidal waves at Warkworth (Knahurangi) at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 10 a.m., and 12.40 p.m. The highest wave was six feet, at 7 a.m. Tauranga, 2.25 p.m.. —Tide coming in suddenly, fell seven inches. The phenomena still going on. 2.35 p.m.—Since telegraphing I have made further enquiries, and find the tidal disturbance was felt here about 8 o'clock this morning, causing a rise of about two feet. Gisborne, 9.10 a.m.—The sea got up yesterday afternoon, but has gone down again. There was a strange phenomenon in the tide this morning. At three-quarter-ebb tide it rushed into past high-water mark and then receded again, and a second rush in took place not quite so much as first. 2.45 p.m.—The tidal disturbances continue. At 7 a.m. the tide rose eight feet in ten minutes; at 9 a.m. it rose about four feet; -and at 11 a.m. about three feet. At 0.40 p.m., and again at 3.30 p.m., it rushed in for about ten to fifteen minutes, rising three to four feet. The sky has a very windy appearance, and it is commencing to blow from the S. It looks like a S.E. gale. Great tidal disturbances are reported as having occurred throughout last night. This morning a wave came over Poverty Bay, and rose eight feet over the top of the hull of the Go-A-Head. _ The men had to fly to the rigging to save their lives. From that time to about noon there were seven more waves. Bar., 29'90; wind, W.S.W., strong; cloudy. Pout Ahuriri, 9 a.m.—Tidal disturbances. At high-water proper this morning, about i o'clock, there was an extremely high tide. At 7 a.m. the tide commenced to rise rapidly, and at 7.15 it was as high as good spring tides. It fell as rapidly. The tide immediately commenced to rise again, and at 8 was as high as ordinary neap tide, and then fell rapidly, and is now rising again. Napier, 9 a.m.—Tidal disturbances occurred this morning. High water proper was at 4 a.m., when there was an extremely high tide. At 7 a.m. the tide commenced to rise rapidly, and at 7.15 was as high as good spring tides. It fell as rapidly, after which the tide immediately commenced to rise again, and at 8 o'clock was as high as ordinary neap tides. It then again fell rapidly, and is now rising again. Akaroa, noon.—A heavy tidal wave was experienced here thi3 morning, first at 7 o'clock, when it was nearly dead low water. The sea came in with great force, and receded in a few minutes, the rise and fall being about Bft. Waves still are coming in at intervals of about twenty minutes. No damage is reported. Port Chalmers, 11.35 a.m.—Extraordinary fluctuations of tide are now going on here. At 10.30 a.m. to-dny the flood tide rose Sin. in seven minutes, and fell immediately afterwards 2in. iu three minutes.

i p.m. • —• Subsequent observations show an alternate rise and fall of the tide from 11 a.m. to 1.45 p.m. The greatest rise 8 inches in 1 minute, and the greatest fall 4 inches in 3 minutes. The tide is now ebbing in the ordinary way. Bluw, 12.15 p.m.—Tidal waves have been rushing in and out every hour since 9 a.m. The rise and fall is 4ft. to sft.

Oamakd, 11.30 a.m.—There has been an extraordinary sea commotion since midnight. Tidal or volcanic waves are coming from the north-eastward, and are ebbing and flowing Bft. to 10ft. No damage has been done to the shipping as yet. Chkistciiurch.—There was a strange tidal disturbance this morning in Lyttelton harbor from seven o'clock till late (one o'clock). The water has been rising and falling in an unusual maimer, at times rising three feet in a few minutes and falling equally rapidly. No damage was done. It was felt in the Waimakariri, also at Timaru. 7 p.m.—There was very great excitement in I/ytteltou this morning, consequent upon another tidal wave. The harbor was iu a great state of turmoil about 7 olclock, and throughout the whole of the morning the tide rose and fell with very great rapidity. At one period it rose 3ft. in nine minutes, falling again as rapidly. The whole of the harbor lias been stirred up, the water being very thick with mud. No damage has been done to any of the shipping. The tide was at about its proper level at 1 o'clock.

IiYTTKLTOST. —A strange disturbance has beeu felt iu the harbor all the morning, the water rising and falling rapidly, after having been above the usual high-water mark at half flood, and it has fallen exceedingly low. No damage has been done to shipping. 7 p.m.—The effects of the tidal wave were much felt in Pigeon Bay. The water rose about P2ft. above the ordinary high-water mark, covering the handrail of the wharf. The yacht Jimmy i'lyim has been washed into the bush.

Kivektov, 7 p.m.—A tidal wave was experienced hero at one o'clock this morning, and advanced and receded seven times between that hour and twelve noon. The first wave lifted the Express, from her moorings and brought her closer in shore, but carried away her funnel and mainmast. Before the wave rolled in, the steamer's decks were dry, and the men Were about to commence pumping out. No other damage is as yet reported.

This disturbance in 18CS was a great submarine eruption, at a considerable distance from shore. However, we will quote from Dr. Hector's paper on the subject:—"ln America there appear to have been two distinct shocks of

great magnitude ; although smaller ones were felt at frequent intervals, between the 13th ■••nd 16th, as vras the case in New Zealand. The first great shock was experienced at Peru at 5 p.m. on the 13th August, which time corresponds in Wellington with 9 00 a.m. on the morning of Friday the 14th. This shock is described as coming from the south and west, and there is no doubt that it was the result of a great submarine eruption at a considerable distance from the coast, as within a short time it was followed by three ocean waves, which destroyed the towns along the coast of Peru for a distance of 1000 miles, between lat. 12deg. and 23deg. south. There is no reason to doubt that it was the westerly propagation of the same three waves, the first of which reached New Zealand at 2.30 on the Saturday morning, having traversed the width of the South Pacific Ocean (over COOO miles) in seventeen hours, giving an apparent average velocity of six miles per minute. This agrees with the velocity formerly calculated for the wave, from the difference between the time with which it broke on the Chatham Islands and the Australian coast. A wave having its origin a few hundred yards from the coast of Peru, say in lat. 25deg. S., as appears to have been the case in this instance, would reach the Australian seas by the shortest route, following what is termed a great circle, and would appear to reach us, not from the north-east, as might be expected, but from the south-east ; the reason of which can be readily assigned by examining a globe. The force which originated such a wave must have been tremendous; and there is no instance on record in history of any earthquake wave of equal extent and magnitude. The second calamitous event, so far as we yet know, only affected the province of Ecuador, where at 1.20 on the morning of the 16th, or at 6.10 on the eveuiug of Sunday the 16th in Wellington, a tremendous earth-

quake shock passed slowly from east to west, devastating the districts lying on the western slopes of the Andes between the Equator and sdeg. S. There is no reason to suppose that this shock, although its direction was the same, had any connection with the shock which was experienced in New Zealand on the following morning of Monday, the 17th, at 9.56 ; but it is interesting to find that at that particular period the cause which gave rise to earthquakes was in activity at wide distances apart on the earth's surface, giving strong support to the view advanced in [a] lecture before the New Zealand Institute, that the primary cause of earthquakes is an influence external to our planets ; so that earthquakes are to be considered as the remote cause, rather than the effect of volcanic phenomena." All signs of the tidal disturbances of the previous day had disappeared from the harbor on the morning of the 12th, and as the telegrams are sileDt, we may assume that the waters in the various other harbors on the East Coast have likewise returned to their normal condition. One of the most remarkable occurrences in connection with the wave is given in the following telegram sent by the Captain of the Wellington, as follows : —" Nelson, 11th, 6.55 p.m.—The s.s. Wellington rounded Jackson Head at 7.15 a.m.; wind S.W., .strong ; sea smooth. At 7.30 a.ni., three miles from inner rock, the ship rose on end, nearly dipped her stern under, and receded about half a mile. Apparently a tidal wave.—Chas. Lloyd, Commander."