THE EARTHQUAKE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 10385, 2 May 1925, Page 5

THE EARTHQUAKE

DAMAGE EN THE NORTH. GREAT LOSS IN CROCKERY* ROADS CRACKED AND TREESUPROOTED. (Per Press Association.) KAIKOURA, May 1. Two severe earth tremors occurred last night, the first at 9.35 and the second at 10.30. There was a little rumbling with the first shock, which continued for about ten seconds, but the second shock caused walls' to bend, crockery to shake, and chimneys to sway. So far only one chimney is reported down here, but considerable damage was done in most pantries. Further north the 'quake seems to have been more severe. From Halfmoon Bay to the Clarence Bridge trees have been uprooted, slips of rock brought down, and cracks formed in the road from two inches to eight inches wide. Chimneys are down at Messrs E. Harris's, Parker's, and Todhunter's places, and at Woodbank. Slips occurred on the Puhi Puhi Road, ana a temporary blockade of traffic was occasioned.

Telephone communication with Christchurch last night was interrupted. At Clarence the tremors occurred throughout the night, and residents state that the second shock last night was the* most severe felt in this district.

AN UNEASY NIGHT. i OVER FORTY SHOCKS FELT! ' BLENHEIM, May 1. Two earthquakes occurring just within an hour of one another startled the residents of Blenheim and district last night, but although one of them was something more than an ordinary ’quake, no damage was created except to set jangling susceptible nerves. The first shock was felt at approximately 9.35 p.m., but the tremors were not characterised by any marked severity. Just about 55 minutes later the second and heavier shock occurred. . This was noteworthy for the prolongation of the vibrations for qurte an appreciable number of seconds, but the shake was not accompanied by the jerky movement which made the recent heavy ’quake in Blenheim a rather terrifying experience for some people. The East Coast experienced theshocks to a much greater extent. Conversing with a reporter, Mr J. W_ Trolove, of The Shades, said that three distinct earthquakes were experienced, the second one at 10 _ o’clock, whilethere was a series of jolts. In addition, some damage was done to Mrs Trolove’s crockery. Further down the coast, in the neighbourhood of Clarence Bridge, over 40 shocks, large and small, were counted by one settler during the night, and it is reported that one or two residents left their houses. The driver of a car which arrived in Blenheim this morning stated that he had observed several cracks in the road, which he attributed to the earthquakes. RESIDENTS ALARMED". BIVOUAOING IN THE OPEN. ; KAIKOURA, May 1. Sustained earth tremors, that have lasted for a day, have given concern to residents in the district of Kekerangu, which is about half-way between Kaikoura and Blenheim. It is stated that 47 separate shocks had been felt up till last night, and that some people had deserted their houses 1 and were sleeping outside. MORE SHOCKS AT CLARENCE. SUBSIDENCE OF LAND. BLENHEIM, This Day. Two earthquake shocks were felt at Clarence River last night. The land on the seaward side of the creek, a mile south of the Clarence, appears to haveThe opinion of residents is that the disturbance centred in the ocean off the coaßt. EXPERIENCE IN CHRISTCHUCH.. SEVEREST FOR THREE YEARS. The earthquake on Thursday night was the severest experienced in Christchurch since the memorable quake on Christmas Day 1922. Although the shake was a fairly heavy one, and frightened a good many people, especially women, no damage was done. The direction was from north-east to south-west. There were two or three distinct shocks. The first lasted foi fullv five seconds, and the second occurred about 30 seconds later, but was not of such a severe character as the first one. Minor vibrations followed for 15 minutes after the first shock. There was also a shake at 9.30 p.m.,hut this was not generally noticed in Christchurch, though it was felt quite distinctly in North Canterbury, round Cheviot, Waikari, and Culverden. This earthquake was not nearly as severe as the one that occurred an hour later. At Cheviot, which is one of the earthquake centres of Canterbury, both shocks, the one at 9.35 p.m. and the one at 10.32 p.m., were felt quite distinctly. The second was much the heavier of the two, and it rattled the windows in an alarming. manner. No damage was done. The earthquake on Christmas Day, 1922, did a good deal of damage at Waikari. The two shakes on Thursday night were felt in the' Waikari district, and, while they had the effect of giving people a scare, they were not attended by any damage. “The earthquake stopped one or two clocks, but there was no damage done,” the postmaster at Culverden reported yesterday morning.