’QUAKE AT PASS

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 March 1929, Page 5

’QUAKE AT PASS

EXPERTS’ INVESTIGATIONS. Mr H. F. Skey, Director of the Christchurch Meteorological Observatory, and his assistant, Mr H. F. Baird, who went to Arthur’s Pass on Tuesday in order to carry out investiga'tions which might lead to the discovery of the centre of the disturbance, have returned to Christchurch. Mr Skey stated that they had made a careful examination of the country in the vicinity of Arthur’s Pass, but could not find any main line of fault. They had climbed the mountain at the rear of the Arthur’s Pass Hotel in consequence of a rumour that a fissure had been found there, but upon investigation being made this was ascertained to be incorrect. Just before they left Arthur’s Pass on Thursday afternoon it was reported to them that a fissure of considerable

size had been found on a mountain slope near the junction of the Bealey and Waimakariri rivers, on the Waimakariri side of the mountain. They did not have time to look into the matter, which had been reported by a party of surveyors. Mr Slcey said that he was inclined to think that if the report were found to be correct it was likely that this was the centre of the earthquake. He did not think that the centre of the disturbance was at Arthur’s Pass settlement itself. So much prominence had been giv.en to the effects of the ’quakes at Arthur’s Pass because there were residents there, whereas there might, on the other hand, have been greater disturbances in areas where no one was living. He was satisfied that any damage done at the Pass was due to local weaknesses, not to a main fault.