NIGHT ALARMS

Evening Star, Issue 21662, 6 March 1934, Page 7

NIGHT ALARMS

Heavy Earthquakes in The North

Much Damage Over Wide Area

Power, Light, and Railway Interruptions

Feilding, Foxton, and Pahiatua Get the Worst

Parapets and Chimneys Crash

The reports of the earthquake show that the area of greatest'intensity was in a line from Wanganui across to Wairarapa. The only reported fatality is at Pahiatua, where Mr Pringle, draper, died from shock. The front of the W.F.C.A. Building and the Wall of a fruit shop in this town fell. '

Shocks were felt at a number of centres in the South Island. Clocks stopped at Nelson. Kawhia (Auckland) is the most northerly point reporting the shock, which was generally felt there. ,

The following Press Association cablegram indicates that at its centre the earthquake must have been of terrific violence. It is a Sydney message received at 10.20 a.m.: —The seismograph at the Eivervi.ew .Observatory began to register earthquake shocks at 9.52 last night. The needle was almost torn off the face of the instrument, and it continued to register until after midnight. Father O’Leary was forced to stand by th.e instrument in order to prevent the terrific shocks causing damage to it. He said that if the earthquake had occurred in any populated area great loss and widespread damage would have resulted.

TWO SHOCKS KIGHT SPENT IH STREETS [Pe? United Press" Association.] FEILDING, March 6. The severest earthquake in Feilding's history occurred at twelve minutes before midnight. Though only minor personal injuries were received _by one resident, there was very considerable damage done to buildings. ; It began with no previous warning, and quickly developed into an alarming fore-and-aft movement, which continued for probably a minute. All the electric*lights failed immediately, though only for a couple of minutes. A second shake, quite as severe, followed, and these continued till this : morning- with considerable bumps at S a.m. and 9 a.m. Dozens of chimneys arc down at residences. The principal damage is in the business area. The parapet of the Jubilee buildings (owned by the borough council) collapsed through a. verandah, and the debris was scattered right across the street. Part of the parapet of Hastie's Hotel fell right on to the fire escape ladder, but fortunately no one was attempting to escape that way at the moment. Part of the parapet of the Salvation Army Citadel was also thrown into the street, and several plateglass windows of shops were broken. The residents were greatly alarmed, and rushed into the streets, spending a most uncomfortable night_ with the repeated shakes. In one chimney the bricks, fell through a skylight on to a bed occupied by a lady, who received minor injuries. WALLS CRACK AND CRUMPLE CAMPERS' TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE FOXTON, March 6. " The severest earthquake in the history of Foxton occurred at 11.48 last night, when considerable damage was don© to house chimneys. No injuries to residents are reported. The business area is strewn with glass from plate windows, hardly a shop escaping damage. The Town Hall was seriously damaged, the top of the back brick wall being cracked and crumpled. The railway line is twisted, and the rails snapped in several places. The goods shed has dropped about a foot on the west side. Cracks occurred along the wharf frontage. At the beach blow holes occurred on the river flat, where sand_ and debris were blown out. The flat is now unsafe for traffic. One car was bogged, and a party of campers had an unenviable experience. The water swept up the old river flat within a few seconds, forcing them to seek refuge on the sand hills where they spent the night. Houses are not greatly damaged, but the occupants had a terrifying experience. The Whirokino bridge on the Wel-lington-Auckland main highway is unsafe for traffic. The approaches to the Shannon bridge on the Foxton-Shan-non highway were raised six inches, but the bridge is safe for traffic. The weather is boisterous. SHOCK KILLS INVALID PANIATUA IN DARKNESS PAHIATUA, March 6. A ..terrifying earthquake lasting for nearly two minutes, shortly before midnight, was the worst in the district's history. In the business are.-i the damage runs to thousands of pounds. Many firms are affected. Chimneys are down all over the country, and the effect of the shock is apparent in hundreds of homes.

Numerous other shakes occurred at intervals, and the whole district was plunged into darkness by the disruption of the electric power lines. The phone lines are also partly down along either side of the main street. At the outset the communication north of Pahiatua was cut off, and only with the greatest difficulty was outside news gleaned. There was one tragic occurrence. Andrew Pringle, a leading business man, who had been seriously ill, was making a hurried exit from his residence when he heard a crash, and collapsed and died. WORST SHOCK IN MEMORY SLEEPERS THROWN FROM BEDS WOODVILLE, March 6. Woodville was rocked by the worst earthquake in living memory. No one was injured, but the property damage runs into many thousands. The first shock, at 11.48 p.m., awakened all sleepers, throwing some from their beds. Practically every chimney in the town and district is down, and others are unsound. Crockery was broken wholesale. The worst damage is in the business area, where the stock was thrown from the shelves, plate glass windows smashed, and parapets thrown down. Some walls are unsafe and will have to be removed. The Club Hotel Chimney crashed through into the kitchen, which was completely wrecked. The chimney from the Masonic Hotel went through the vestibule roof of the Kosy Theatre adjoining. Grocers and chemists are the heaviest losers. Practically everything movable was thrown on the floor and smashed. The damage to stock is estimated to be over £I,OOO in Galbraith's store. Six plateglass windows' were cracked, and most other shop windows were cracked or broken. Reports from tho country districts state that chimneys and crockery were wrecked. , Cracks opened on some roads, and at the bridge approaches. Tho borough water andgns supply is intact. At Grinlington's (furnishers) a double chimney crashed through two floors, taking with it a wardrobe, and embedding itself in the ground. Minor shocks followed the first, and many people walked the streets throughout the night. ANOTHER SHAKE TO-DAY DAMAGE AT MASTERTOH MASTERTON, March 6. Considerable minor damage was done throughout the district by the earthquake last night, chimneys being down, and cracks opening in the roads. At 9.3 this morning another slight, but pronounced, shake was felt. A number of Queen street _ business > premises suffered fairly extensive damage, and in places the footpaths were littered with broken glass and fragments of brickwork. In Queen street over thirty plateglass windows were broken. Buildings were badly cracked in a number of instances, while in the rear portions of a number of premises the brickwork came away. A portion of the rear part of the Opera | House came down, while the Post Office clock is damaged, and there are cracks in the walls.

Some parts of the residential area escaped damage while in others chimneys collapsed, and household articles were scattered in all directions.

At Te Oroore, Wanachu, and toward the oast coast, the damage is fairly heavy, chimneys being down in all directions. In some areas the conditions were made worse by the electric light failing. Many of the shops in Masterton arc a scene of_ destruction owing to the gods being violently flung down. In one street in Masterton there are over ten chimneys down.

LONG SHOCK IN WAIKATO NO DAMAGE TO ARAPUNI HAMILTON, March 6. One of the most severe and prolonged shocks for many years was experienced in the Waikato district at 11.49 last evening. Many- residents were wakened by the noise of windows and fixtures rattling. No material damago is reported. Reports from Arapuni state that a severe shock was felt. The dam and power house and falls were inspected to-day, but no damage is evident. RAILWAY DAMAGE SLIPS AND SUBSIDENCES [Sfbcul TO TH» 'Sta«.'] WELLINGTON, March 6. A survey of railway damage in the midnight earthquake shows that its severity was confined to the southern part -of ,i y ho North Island, for there have been no reports of damage on the Stratford-Okahukura line, which has go many new cuttings. However, the Wairarapa section, Manawatu, Wanganui,. and Hawke's 'Bay to Ormondville all report damage, though traffic will-not be seriously affected. The Wanganui district had a slip 30 cha\ns long and 6ft deep in a cutting near Westmere, and the abutment of one bridge between Waverley and Patea -showed subsidence, while concrete work of the-engine turntable at Wanganui was broken. Traffic is being conducted on this section at reduced speeds. On the Wairarapa side the engineers report a subsidence on the south side of one bridge near Woodville, though traffic is possible. The north approach to the bridge near Mauriceville was suspended for half a chain, and the track was found out of alignment between Mauriceville and Mangamahoe and Mangamahoe and Mangatainoka. There are also slips between Eketahuna and Hukanui, and subsidences north and south of Mauriceville station. Traffic was temporarily interrupted this morning. Hawke's Bay reports a small slip near Oringi, also subsidences at the approaches to the viaduct near Ormondville and on the approach to Kopua viaduct. Traffic will be resumed to-day at low speed. Night goods traffic on the Manawatu line was interrupted through the track being out of alignment between Paraparaumu and Waikanae, but to-day's expresses will run. Slight damage to the bridge approach at Manawatu Gorge was quickly repaired. The Public Works report no damage to the hydro-electric stations, but the automatic appliances which cut out the current when the line sways abnormally operated at Palmerston North andHutt Valley, the latter losing the current for twenty minutes. MILL AND HOTEL DAMAGED [Pbb United Press Association.] WANGANUI, March 6. Apparently very alarming reports concerning the earthquake damage at Wanganui were circulated in other parts of the dominion. The reports were greatly exaggerated, although the shake was one of the most severe felt hero for many years, lasted for approximately three minutes (followed by other lesser shakes), and effected more damage than on the occasion of the Murchison and Napier shakes. The most serious damage ocurred at the woollen mills and the Rutland Hotel. Fortunately nobody was injured. The Rutland Hotel boarders got a shock when the parapet overlooking Ridgway street crashed through the balcony, bringing down the telephone and electric wires. The parapet of Ross and Glendining's building on Taupo quay fell. to the footpath. Several plate glass windows were damaged, and several hundred pounds of damage was done at the Renown Stores. • About 25ft of the brick chimney stack of the Wanganui Woollen Mills collapsed, portion falling through the boiler room, putting the cconomisers out of action. The walls of the boiler room building were also badly unsprung, and the mills are not working to-day. There was no damage at Messrs Kempthorne '■ and Prosser's large fertiliser works. The top of the old brick stack at the casein works came down. There were a number of slips on the county roads in the interior, blocking .the traffic. The colleges escaped damage. The boarders were quietly taken out of the premises. Thousands of tons of spoil have been brought down in tho Makirikiri Valley. TOWN HALL SUFFERS CONSIDERABLE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE [i'Eß United Pkess Association.] DANNEVIRKE, March 6. From twelve minutes to midnight Dannevirke and the surrounding districts spent an anxious night due to a series of earthquakes varying in intensity. The first shock was the worst, and was very severe. It lasted a long time, the movement being very violent and the noise in the buildings very alarming. Many residents temporarily vacated their homes. Fortunately no individuals so far as is known suffered injury. It was fortunate that the shake occurred when the streets were practically deserted in Dannevirke; otherwise the probabilities are that there would have been narrow escapes, if not fatalities.

An early morning survey of the town disclosed widespread structural damage, though comparatively not severe. The parapet of the ‘ Evening _ News ’ building, which successfully withstood the earthquake of February, 1931, crashed into the parapet of the De Luxe Dance Hall in Gordon street, and came down through the balcony, littering the footpath. Part of the parapet of the National Bank fell on the garden seat in Post Office square, smashing it to pieces. This is a popular rendezvous during the day time. The De Luxe Picture Theatre sustained some damage to the parapets at the back portion, and buildings in the business portion of the main thoroughfare suffered in various ways, some being cracked, some apparently slightly tilted, and others having windows broken. Many articles in various places wore thrown from tho shelves, and the contents littered the floors. The building which seems to have suffered most seriously is the Town Hall, a big brick building, Which is badly cracked along the front near the entrance door and on the northern corner. Tho parapet of Girhard's butcher’s shop came away and brought the

verandah, down with it. The brick belfjrey on the top of Knox Church shows signs of damage, and may prove to be unsafe. After the Napier disaster of 1931, many of the parapets on business buildings were removed, and other safety measures taken. This no doubt considerably minimised the damage in the business area.

Many chimneys aro clown in various parts of! the town, particularly _ along the Terrace, though it is noticeable that most of them are old ones which survived the previous visitation. Reports from surrounding settlemonts show that the main damage was to chimneys, many of which were razed. Tho main shock apparently camo from an cast-south westerly direction, and about the middle there was a fairly violent bump. About seven or eight shakes followed before daylight, but were not nearly so alarming as the central oue. OTHER REPORTS MORE ALARM THAN DAMAGE [Per United Press Association.] PALMERSTON N., March 6. The most severe and violent earthquake the Palmerston North district has experienced for at least thirty years occurred at twelve minutes before midnight, preceded by a rumbling noise. The period of intensity came _ with alarming suddenness, causing violent rocking and awakening all but a very few hardy sleepers. It caused swift alarm as movable articles were swung from their stands to be broken in many pieces. Fortunately the period of intensity was not more than 15 to 20 seconds, but the earthquake itself lasted for a full minute, the heaving of the ground not subsiding for two or more minutes. In homes and other places where chimneys were not able to withstand the stress of the shake there was fear of greater damage as the bricks came tumbling down, some on the roof tops, others on the ground. Within the briefest space many people had sought the refuge of the streets, and another tremor by midnight again stirred unpleasant recollections. Thereafter there was a period of quiet, but the night was inclined to be stormy, with drizzling rain. Tremors occurred during the remainder at varying intervals, one at about 4.30 a.m., another at 5.30 being sharp jolts. It is most fortunate that the main shock was one of violent oscillation and that there was no upthrust movement. This accounts for only minor damage (in the main) being recorded. All the modern buildings withstood the shock well. The story throughout the countryside is mostly one of fallen,, chimneys which, through age in almost every case, were unable to withstand the stress.

There were several instances of plate glass windows in city business premises being shattered, and parapets and tops of wing walls also collapsed, in one instance wrecking the corner of a shop. There were no fatalities and no reports of accidents. The gorge railway is out of alignment, but the trains are running slowly. The Wairarapa line is blocked.

GISBORNE, March 6,

Tinoroto, which has been a centre of seismic activity in this district, experienced" a gentle swaying motion. Residents report that a loud, booming noise was heard at intervals, similar to that observed during the 1931 shakes.

NAPIER, March 6. Last night’s earthquake did no damage in Napier. The motion was slow, and the period of the movement about thirty seconds. WELLINGTON, March 6. The earthquake was severely felt in all parts of Wellington, and a good deal of alarm was caused; but no serious damage has been reported, either in the city or suburbs. A few shop windows were broken, and a number of chimneys damaged. Unstable window decorations fell in some shops, causing the breakage of glassware. No structural damage of any kind is reported. WAIPUKURAU, March 6.

A severe earthquake was experienced in the Waipukurau district about 11.45 last night. It was of fairly lengthy duration, with a swaying motion, but there was an absence of jolting, which was characteristic of the 1931 earthquake, consequently there was no damage. Tlie people were considerably alarmed, however. There was another shake of lesser severity ten minutes later, and also minor tremors, one notably at 5 o’clock. The Porangahau area suffered damage. A number of chimneys are down and (.’hers are cracked. Tanks upset and burst, and crockery was broken. NELSON, March C.

A prolonged shock, with circular motion, was felt at Nelson. No damage was done. The Post Office clock stopped. BLENHEIM, March 6.

The earthquake was felt here at 11.47. It was a very prolonged but gentle motion that stopped the town clock and caused a short circuit on the hydro-electric transmission system, plunging the province into darkness for quarter of an hour. No damage is reported. ASHBURTON, March 6.

Most people got a surprise this morning when they found that the town clock had stopped, and learned that all clocks in jewellers’ shops had stopped at 11.50 p.m, TIMARU, Marqh 6. An earthquake was experienced at 11.60 last night. No damage is reported. but it stopped the recentlyerected town clock, which, however, is undamaged.