EARTHQUAKE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 25, 22 September 1931, Page 3

EARTHQUAKE

NORTH ISLAND SHAKEN TWO SHARP SHOCKS REPORTED AT NAPIER AND GISBORNE ROTORUA BELLS SET RINGING Shortly after 1 o'clock this morning the North Island was shaken by an earthquake of considerable severity. In Rotorua the shock, which was of the swinging, undulating type, indicating that the centre of disturbance was some distance away, was felt at 1.7 a.m. It was sufficiently severe to set the. Post Office bells ringing and operators on duty in the telephone exchange reported to the "Post" that the whole building was considerably shaken. In the "Post" office the shock was reminiscent of the disastrous Hawke's Bay 'quake on February 3 last, the building swaying and creaking with the movement of the ground. A report from Napier stated that two severe shocks were felt there and Gisborne also reported two severe shocks, though it was not known whether any damage had been done at either centre.

Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Cambridge, New Plymouth and Bay of Plenty centres all reported having felt the shake. At Auckland, where earthquakes are unusual the shock was slight. In East Coast and Bay of Plenty districts the shock was severe as far North as Opotiki, |out it decreased in intensity south of Napier. In the Wairarapa and at Wellington it was only slight.