SEVERE EARTHQUAKE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 June 1938, Page 8

SEVERE EARTHQUAKE

ALARM IN HAWKE’S BAY PEOPLE RUSH INTO STREETS NO SERIOUS DAMAGE REPORTED (By Telegraph—Press Association. ) HASTINGS. June 14. A fairly severe earthquake of a duration of at least 15 seconds occurred at 1.57 o’clock this afternoon and caused considerable alarm over a widespread area from somewhere north of Wairoa to the southern part of the province. The earthquake came with unusual suddenness,' the usual preliminary warning being entirely absent. There was a very pronounced bump —some places experienced two or more bumps —followed by a prolonged swaying apparently in an east to west direction.

School children, who were hard at their lessons when the shake came, behaved on the whole with remarkable calmness. In some schools built of brick the children, as a precautionary measure, were marshalled and marched outside.

The shake appears to have been centred somewhere in the vicinity of the Mohaka River watershed. It was considered that the shake there was the worst since the big shake of 1931. It came so suddenly that it was thought the district was going to experience another really big one. The postmaster at Te Pohue, Mr P. J. Howell, said the shake was quite a severe one and shook articles from shelves. It came very suddenly, with several bumps. The earthquake was fairly severe in both Napier and Hastings and caused a good deal of alarm. People in shops and other buildings, as well as homes, made hurried exits and remained outdoors for some time after the shake ceased. Apart from breakages through articles falling from shelves, the damage was negligible. Mr J. Halliburton, Kotemaori, described the shake as a “good solid rock,” but no damage occurred in that district.

Mrs Osborne, postmistress at Tangoio, said the earthquake came very suddenly and was very heavy but, apart from a few cracked chimneys, no damage occurred. The postmaster at Waipawa said the shake was very prolonged and probably of an intensity of six to seven on the Rossi-Forel scale. No damage, as far as he was aware, occurred in Waipawa.

As far as could be learned tonight there were no power or telephone interruptions reported anywhere in the province.

At Dannevirke the earthquake was prolonged and fairly vigorous. It was followed by a less severe one some minutes later. No damage was reported. At Waipukurau a sudden, sharp shock caused considerable alarm, people rushing from dwellings. FELT ELSEWHERE VERY SHARP AT WANGANUI WANGANUI, This Day. Yesterday afternoon’s shake was felt with some severity at Wanganui. It continued for some seconds and was very sharp while it lasted. One or two people ran out from shops. The earthquake was also felt in the Taihape district, where a snowstorm was experienced. A slight earthquake was also felt at Wa’nganui on Saturday. OBSERVATORY RECORD. NOT A MAJOR DISTURBANCE. WELLINGTON, This Day. The Dominion Observatory records indicate that the origin of the disturbance yesterday was about 200 miles from Wellington, which places the centre somewhere in the Mohaka region, but whether inland or off the coast cannot be determined until other records are studied. Although extensively felt, the ’quake was not a particularly severe one, and by no means in the class of major disturbances.

Reports state that the ’quake was felt at Palmerston North, and in other districts adjourning.