THE EARTHQUAKES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1786, 6 September 1888, Page 4

THE EARTHQUAKES.

At Christchurch the Cathedral Chapter have vo'ed £5 to Anderson, the steeplekeeper, fur his bravery in seconding the tower and securing the cross immediate'y after the shock. THE AHUM DISTRICT. Mr W. A. Low states that for three weeks back some strange noises have been beard emanating from the hills at the back of /ullis’s Pass, which ecu d not bo exp l #!' ed away. Men who have come in to the Pass from the direction of “ The Edwam’s,” Mr M'Arthur’n property, On which there are some small hot springs, have described these sounds as weird, dismal, and awe-inipiring, But till Thursday evening they were not thought so much of at the Plains, as they were pn» down to the wind or some other cause. However, on that evening these long, low rumblii g sounds ivere followed by others of a more alarming character, which mo'e nearly resembled the report of sing'o pieces of musketry fir d in rapid succession Tluse were shortly succeeded by the shocks of e irthquuke at about ten minutes past ten in (he evening. Ever since then the noises have gained in force, till on Saturday mooing they were simply deaf< ning, and continued to be so till the violent shock which did such damage, particulars of which are given below, followed, and tha terrors of the morning were indeed great. The direction from which the sounds have come through the gorge appears to have been from tbe bead waters of the Awatere river, past the Clarence at the point where the accomodation bouse stands, and between the ranges to Jollie’s Pass, where they, iu meeting the open plains, appear to bare died sway, as they had not bean noticed further South. THE DAMAGE SOKE. To enumerate (ha damage sus'ained by the settlers, Mr Low commenced with himself. At St. Helens three chimneys were completely smashed—not broken off at the top only, as those in Chiistchurcb, but smashed up completely. One tell through the roof of the kitchen, ons tbrougii the conservatory, and one fell outside. The building and floors of the house sustained no injury. Two brick chimneys of the overseer’s cottage also came down, and did some damage iu their fall. Mr Low removed his family to Jo-lie’s Pass Hotel, which had sustained no injury, and hia furniture was put into the woolshed. He e t'mates the cost of repairs at from £l5O to £2OO. At Woodbank, the property of Mr W. Atkinson, the large brick house erected there about five years ago, and fitted with every convenience an I nicely furnished, is a complete wreck. There was a large two-s'orey wooden addition recently made to it, which was set on concrete foundations. This has been forced off the founda'iona about two feet, aod is otherwise considerably damaged. r fhe men’s hut is also a complete wreck, and one of the mou, who was inside when the shock came, was slightly injured by a failing rafier. Mr Atkinson removed to Culverdeu Hotel with his family oo Saturday. At Hopefiold Station, the property of Mr *V. Acton-Ad a ras, which is situate! ou tha South side of the river, farther up the gorge, the station-house completely collapsed, and the manager, Mr Cook, left it a total wreck on Saturday, caking bis firoily with him.

A' Glynn Wye, the station still further up the river on the North side, the large dwelling-house, the property of Messrs A. and D. Rutherford, was first thrown bodily against the terrace et the bick, and then completely wrecked. Brides this, the men's hut, a large two-storeyed iron buiding, was also completely wrecked, and the manager, Mr Oliver Thomson snd his men, fortunately in possession of tents are now utilising them as temporary residences. The stoi e walls of the large woolshed are also an entire wreck, and the iron roof has fallen in. A concrete dip has been literally shaken to pieces, it may be said almost to powdar, so severe was the shock. liOWEB AMPRI. r'rom what Mr Low gathered on his journey to town, there has been a considerable amount of damage done in this district. The ferry Hotel, close by the 1 bridge, is much shaken and considorab y dilapidated. At Montrose, the residence of Mr W. 0. Rutherford, three chimneys have been partially destroyed, their tops having b»en thrown down, and one of them fell through the roof of the conservatory. At Leslie Hills, on the North side of the river, the large stone dwelling-house, built about ten years ago, and which is the properly of Messrs A, and D. Rutherford, ia a complete wreck, and a a recent ad oil Jon in wood was considerably shaken, all (he plastered walls having come down.

Altogether the damage done io the Amur! district, so far as Mr Low his made out, amounts in the aggregate to several thousands of pounds. AN AWFUL NIGHT AT WOODBANK. Mr W. Atkinson write*“ At a quarter past four on Friday morning the inmates at Woodbsnk residence, Hamper Plains, were awoke by a most severe shbfck of earthquake, and it was only with sfficu'ty that they after tramping over a quantity of broken glass, bricks, etc., and almost deafened by the rumbling noise and falling d4hri», to find escape, nearly ail the entrances being blocked by wreckage from the brick portion of the building, of which one side and end completely fell out. The other side and end ware supported by the verandah, wooden building, and staircase, which preuented the roof failing, thus allowing those io the brick part to escape, All furniture, •to., is a total wreck, and nothing bow remains but complete ruins. The men’s hut—a Urge, 'strong cob and iron building —is quite destroyed, one man being injured. Firek were lighted, and such blankets as it was poiaib'e to obtain from the wooden building were procured for those shivering from cold and fright. At daylight, with much difficulty, clothing was recovered from the ruins. It w»s a most dismal night, and cn<y those who unfortunately experienced it can have any: conception of the dreadful sensation caused through the upheaving and incorsmt shocks which continued at intervals of five minutes up to the time of: departure at ID 4,m.” The road rbudd Horseshoe Lake, going to Glynn Wye, has been thrown clean into the lake. Tiie gas escaping through fizzurea at Hanmer Plains can be . lighted with a match.—Lyttelton Times. Writing from Oulverden at 3 p.ra. on Tuesday, a correspondent of the Press says;—“Rumb'ing noises still continue on Hanmer Plains. The rivers and creeks are muddy and undrinkable. Landslips have taken place on the Upper Waiau station and Glynn Wye. Mr G. Manson, manager of the Waiau station says that the rumbling sounds were so loud that be could not bear his wife speak. Mr Atkinson’s family are safe at Coopei's Hotel, Culverdm, Some station-holders who were preparing to retnrn to look after their homesteads are deterred by news of the continued shakings.” Up the river and terraces along tbebsnks fissures appear in numbers, ranging in sizs from three inches to a foot in width, and of varied leng'hs. These also appear io parts of the Percival river-bed in the Hanmer plains, but are not so large ns in the Upper Waiau gorge. Since Saturday morning several new hot springs have appeared, principaly in the flat b*low Jolhe’a Pass, near the curative baths. These have not been affected in the slightest, and the buildings round them have remained intact.