THE RECORD IN CHRISTCHURCH.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 94, 20 April 1906, Page 3

THE RECORD IN CHRISTCHURCH.

CHRISTCHURCH, this day. . The seismograph at ChrisCehureh observatory yesterday showed a clear record of a distant earthquake, of which the principal part occurred about 2 a.m.. The whole shock occupied about four hours. There were small but gradually increasing preliminary tremors, lasting for a little over an hour, then came the indications oi the principal shake. This lasted about half an hour, and appeared to be in two I groups oi large vibrations. The earthquake then diminished into small vibra- i tions, continuing for about two hours I more. I Dr. Farr says that the nature of the record showed it was probably one of a distant disturbance, the preliminary and concluding vibrations being a fairly reliable indication that the tremors had travelled a long way. In that case the i original earthquake must have been a very big one, and he bad no doubt it was the catastrophe at San Francisco. Tak- I ing the time of the record at Christchurch to correspond fairly nearly with the hour of the disaster at San* Fran- ! cisco (for according to Dr. Parr the impulses would reach >cw Zealand in fromten to thirty minutes), the city must have been wrecked at about ci"-ht o'clock on Wednesday morning, San Francisco time. There is a small point, oi interest attached to the local record of this earthquake in that it occurred in tbe course of a period of otherwise | undisturbed seismologies 1 conditions. There are almost every night tremoTS due to local causes of temperature, that leave a record in the -instrument, and these are generally lacking on cloudy warm nights. Wednesday night was cloudy and temperate, and the line of the record up to the big shake was quite unbroken.

ANOTHER VIEW.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

CHRISTCHURCH, this day. Dr Fair thinks we may meet increased thermal action here. a"s a result of the earthquake, but he does not think we will get any serious convulsion. He fancies that the earthquake in San Francisco will not be described as a vcrv great one. The record of it does not indicate that it was quite as violent as earthquakes experienced just before the eruption of Mount Pelee. An enormous earthquake in Central America did a great deal of damage, though we heard little-ofit he«? ; . Tweaiiserit did '"not"taTce place under a city like. San Francisco. Just recently the activity of Alount Pelee revived, and, as we have recently heard. Vesuvius is very active. Although complete casual links cannot be ; made out, it is very probable that there ! is "a relation between these eruptions and the present earthquake. The special circumstances mentioned by Mr. Henry Allen, of Christchurch, recently a resident of 'Frisco, may have increased the apparent severity of the present shock and the consequent loss of life and property. The business portion of the city is built largely on land reclaimed from the bay line. Immense piles had to be driven deep into shifting sands, and an inside breakwater was thus formed. Reclamation graduaiiy proceeded south of that, Tlie great warehouses, hotels, and offices, that presented such a striking appearance from the bay, were raised upon land _£hat had an insecure sand bottom.