IN PALMERSTON NORTH

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23674, 26 June 1942, Page 6

IN PALMERSTON NORTH

Damage Described As

Not Serious

POWER LINES BROKEN

(P.A.) PALMERSTON N., June 25. One of the three most serious earthquakes felt in Palmerston North and the district this century caused widespread but no serious damage last night. Preceded by a tremor at 8.16 p.m., which was not strong enough to shake articles from shelves, the main shock came at 11.16 p.m. It was accompanied by considerable noise. Minor shocks were felt into the early hours of the morning, one at 1.10 a.m. and another about 2 a.m. being stronger than.usual. Power lines were snapped, goods were thrown from display shelves in shops, household goods were strewn about the floors of many homes, many chimneys were brought down, plateglass windows in the business area were broken, a few buildings received structural damage, and hot-water systems in numbers of houses were damaged, some severely. Trains passing over the WellingtonManawatu line last night did so before the earthquake occurred, but this morning the damage in the Horowhe-nua-Paekakariki length made it necessary for passengers to be transferred from one train to another, and no trains were running through the Wairarapa. Communication on the Railways Department’s telegraph system did not function beyond Woodville along the Wairarapa line. Minor Stoppages Cleared Minor stoppages in the Manawatu Gorge last night were cleared, Although precise details are not knc./n here, it had been ascertained by officials of the Railways Department that slips occurred and bridges were damaged on the line through the Wairarapa. About the Manawatu. line, also, is. lacking, but there is a b i lc)cßag®>near Otaki, and defects in the line near Waikanae. A length of a mile and a half of the line north of Paraparaumu has been affected, but the extent of the damage there is not known, and "transhipping” is being undertaken. In the Manawatu Gorge a large rock rolled down a hillside and broke a rail The bridge at Whakarongo was unsafe, but a gang was engaged in repairing it. The Limited Express, which is normally due here at 7 a.m., did not arrive until shortly after 9 a.m. The track from Te Kuiti southward had to be inspected for possible earthquake damage, and the train travelled slowly from there onward. Passengers did not feel the earthquake. . Telephone communication between here and the Wairarapa, Shannon, and Wellington is disrupted. All telephone communications in the city were thrown out of action when the swaying tangled the wires. While the whole of the automatic equipment in the exchange was temporarily tied up, the manual system was brought into play, immediate connexion being given to important points, such as the police station and the hospital.

No Great Damage

Fortunately, throughout the whole of this district, there was no great damage. No exchange was isolated. Radio communication was established with Masterton by Wellington. This morning telephone communication was restored’. Four hundred subscribers’lines in Palmerston North were put out of action. • The Army came forward promptly with offers of trained men and transport. It is expected that most of the trouble will be put right to-day. Reports received that Masterton suffered the worst damage. The damage at Eketahuna was not as great. Road traffic reached Masterton from Wellington this morning. The route to Palmerston North from Masterton is also open. A graphic description of the motion of the earthquake in Masterton was given by a resident, who said that it was particularly bad. but that he had heard of ho person being hurt. He added that most of the chimneys in the residential areas were brought down. Damage occurred in Main street here. Plate glass in business premises was shattered, roofing sections of a few buildings were loosened, and in one case a roof collapsed. Main street this morning was roped off at certain sections. Measures have been taken to assist the civilian population in clearing up.