THE EARTHQUAKES.

Otaki Mail, 19 March 1923, Page 2

THE EARTHQUAKES.

-'< » ItELA'I CO Hi I All'n I lII,Mi d;.-. NO NEED FOB AI.AIIM. A prolonged shock ...t earthquake, acexperieuced in Otaki, and districl ;l seven minutes tu nine on lieiav n 0,.,:. Ihe earthquake was also fell al I'almerslon, Wellington. and U'nngauui. Two more shocks were felt last night, the liist being very light while the second was more pronoun I. Wellington, Man h i; In connection with the earthquake reported liere last night, In. Adams, Government Seismologist, says Irum descriptions given ji seemed as il the earthquake bore a resemblance to Him disturbances which occulted at Tuupo some time ago. Recently he hud had reports from Hulls and the Itangitikei districts staling that quite a number ui earth shucks occurred in that di - trict, and these have been characterised by a considerable amouni ol v. ;- lical motion. From what bad been observed, In. Adams remarked that ii certainly looked as it the phenomena which occurre'd at laupu weie work mg down Ibis way. In any case there was no need for any alarm, becau-e it \\a- probable that the vaiious shocks which .bad taken place between Taupo and here migbl have an easing down tendency and thus minimise to a vet) great extepd the effects ol lurther Shu. ks ll they did lake pla. .• Ai I'ahneistoii the e,n tbquake ■ ; comma '■'.■.-, picculed bj ihe u tiai

ruiubljiig and slight shake, winch de\eloped into a peculiai jarring vt-r'.i-cul movement. Apparently the disturbance came iiuui a northerl) dnecUon. r-Viidnig lelt the eanhquake ju»i telore nine, o'clock, atiu the town clock was so startled that :; struck two. A panic was narrow!} aveited at 'he i'almerston Opera House, where a concert was in progrcs.. \;i>. 'i'Brien was Unglng "Toe Last Kosc ■■; Summer" when the firs* earth tremor was noticed m the building, and -he had hardly "finished the seooi 1 verse when the building began rocking violemly ; the huge gas d.anU*hers swaying perceptibly. One lady in the dress circle .aimed, and theic was a geneiai sign o; coinmouoii, people beginning to make for the doors. A gentleman requested eveiyone to "keep calm," but this seemed ol no avail, and Miss U'Bjfcri, who had stopped singing, Weill lot vard again to the footlights, and calmly continued the strains pi the "Las! I.ose ql Summer." When J>2 'l'''-..'-' e;i ;e sav; the calmness oi the peitormer they decided to remain, and vociferously applauded the young !ad3 for her presence ol liiiiiq Wellington, La-t Nigh'. What is described as the worst earthquake experienced in Wellington for the last twenty y(-.:xir wa- experienced here last night. At about 7 p.m. there was a loud explosion, ss:> though :> mm-, had burst. This wa,, followed by a -.. vere jolt, and then about two seconds later by a pronounced swaying motion.. which lasted for several seconds. Tall buildings, in the city rocked quite perceptibly. Damage was done both in the residential and business quarter-. Several

hundredweight of masonry was dislodged from the old police station and a huge plate gla.-..-. window in the new Maritime Building in CuittdmliouJ>« Quay wa, hurled Late the street. Chimneys are reported to be doivn ail over the residential areas and there is much broken glass in the suburbs. In one case a suburban residence was badly damaged. There are probably consid erable losses of fragile stock In the shops and' warehouses. No meteorogical phenomena were observed except an abnormally clear sky. At about the same time as thai mei ■ tioned above —7.10 p.m. lasl night--light tretopr was felt in Paimmtoa North,