ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE DISASTER

Grey River Argus, 17 September 1932, Page 5

ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE DISASTER

ON EAST COAST OF NORTH ISLAND ENORMOUS DAMAGE CAUSED Ground Still Quaking Frequently WITH SUBTERRANEAN RUMBLINGS. An earthquake, with its centre near Wairoa. in Northern Hawke's Bay, commenced yesterday morning three minutes before half-past one in the East Coast districts of the North Island, and the tremors, which at some places were more violent than in the big Hawke's Bay quake of 1931 lasted in several localities for well over a minute. The greatest damage was that done at and between airoa and Gisborne. The exact time of the shock was 1.2/ a.m., and extensive damage resulted in Gisborne and in Wairoa. At Gisborne numerous chimneys and parapets were brought down, windows were broken, and buildings were cracked and damaged. At Wairoa, buildings were materially damaged. The quake was also severe at Napier, and m Hastings, but fortunately no loss of life resuited anywhere, though a number were injured.

Wairoa Violently Rocked WORSE THAN 1931. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS. (Per Press Association). WAIROA, September IG. AX airoa had a violent awakening at 1.27 this morning, when a quake, admitted to be of 50 per cent, greater intensity than on February 3rd, 1931 occurred. The quake hit the town with awful suddenness, no warning tremor whatever taking place. Fortunately, very few were outdoors. There was a number of narrow escapes from seri ous accident from falling fu.nitur. tankg etc. Buildings most damaged include Deacon’s garage. Long’s confectionerv (completely collapsed), Hall’s recent shop (collapsed), Winter’s Bulk Store. Richardson’s brick office, Thompson’s butchery, Herbert’s drapers, and Duiey’s workshop, where the top storey collapsed, burying two cars. 1 Fox’s garage was badly structurally I damaged. In addition, a large number * of plate glass windows fell out. The scene, at the “Star” Office beg-! gars description. Every machin e was thrown out of place, type and stock I being strewn everywhere. The paper! will be> unable to publish for several days. A linotype operator, leaving the office, had a miraculous escape. A falling linptype crashed through a par. tition. just grazing the employee’s head. There wa 9 a remarkable absence of damage apart from goods and fittings, noted in all buildings re erected since the 1931 quake. The Gaiety Theatre was a cas e in point, the only damage suffered being patches of plaster off the walls. The old bridge, rendered unsafe in 193,1, wa 9 completely demolished. The •new bridge, in the course of construe, tion. suffered serious damage, which is certain to delay completion for many months, adding further to the business people’s hardships. Numerous crackg in all streets did not occur in 1931. Concrete fences in all partg of the town are flattened to the ground. The noise accompanying the quak e was like an artille.y bombardment having an eff n ct on many women and children, who rushed into the streets, the night being filled with screams, and cries of fear. Every shop and dwelling and business place is a scene of havoc. It appears that thousands sterling were lost. North Clyde premises were badly damaged and will cost a considerable | sum to renew.

At the hospital, the patients be. have-d admirably. The nurses dis played great coolness. Thera was an entire absence of p’anic. The medical superintendent was quickly on tha scene. H G reports that all inmates endured the shake remarkably well. The hospital suffered more than in 1931 in the way of breakages, practically everything being broken. At time of sending, no fatalities had been reported. The casualties in. elude:— Mrs J. O. Scott, broken arm. A. Dawson injured back, and severe shock. Mr King, log artery severed, and later ftospitalled. The Borough Council met nt 7 a.m., Emergency committees wore set up to deal with the position, which is much more serious from a municipal view point than in 1931. especially the immense damage to private homes. Prae. tically no residence possesses uu broken crockery and glassware of any description. Wardrobes and other articles of heavy furniture were tossed about like corks. It was remarkable that very few chimneys and tanks collapsed locally, apparently due •to the good re.construction work after the first quake. Mayor Harker, interviewed, states that the damage to the water services are very serious, and will take a considerable t>nte to restore. ITe hoped to instal a temporary system shortly. Lighting and power broke down. Several transformers were displaced, and poles out of alignment. Mayor Harker i s confident to have this ser vice reetored to-morrow. Local Public Works officials are rendering all assistance possible. A stare is being made this morning to clean all the debris in the main thoroughfare.

Practically no damage occurred at Waikaremoana power house. Frasertown and other country districts report many chimneys and tanks down, numerous buildings damaged, and roads cracked in every direction. Telegraphic communications with the North is disorganised by the loss of i bridge. Restoration work is pro. ceeding. Wairoa is considered to be the centre of the disturbance. The quake maintained extreme violence for approximately ninety seconds, then followed, by a few minutes’ interval, fur. ther shakes of lessening intensity, with occasional violent upward bursts accompanied by a similar noise l to that of firing heavy guns. Shocks are still going on the whole time. WELLINGTON, September IG.

j An additional report received by the ‘ Secretary to the G.P.O. from Wairoa. ! says:—Practically all the old traffic bridge has entirely disappeared. The I new bridge has moved on its piles. 1 which arc still standing at angles. The i severity is reported to have been 1 greater than in 1931. No loss of life ocI curred but private damage is very extensive. Shakes of a minor nature are frequent. The P.O. building is slightly damaged. If i s reported that ! only three persons in the town were injured. TREMENDOUS LOSS In Wairoa BUSINESS AREA WRECKED. WAIROA, September 16. Despite, tremendous losses, the people of Wairoa are bearing up bravely under their cumulative misfortunes. The terrific forces of Nature have subjected them to a terrible ordeal, but they have not wilted. Under the strain they are true and typical examples of Anglo Saxon blood. Some business people have closed their premises temporarily to clean up, while others have opened up to continue business amidst the debris of their stock. NEED OF RELIEF. Large numbers of residents have lost their entire stock of crockery, glassware, jams and preserves. What they saved from the wreck of the great quake in 1931 has now gone. It will be very hard on those who are not equipped with the means to purchase articles, and no doubt any assistance in this direction would be welcomed. WORSE THAN 1931. The residents who went through the 1931 upheaval are of the opinion that the quake of this early morning was greater in intensity than the former. It is safe to say that, had all of the buildings not been structurally strengthened since the 1931 disaster, probably all of the business places would have been shattered to pieces. A deadly line of fault ranges through the Marine Parade from east to west, about twenty feet back from the frontage. With the exception of about three buildings, almost every buildings, whether in brick, concrete or ferro concrete, has fractures, some being slight while others are serious. THE LESSON. Like a lighthouse, in the desolation, there stand unpretentious buildings, strained certainly, but not fractured, which, if they had lips, would say to the world “Build strongly in wood!’’ A hurried visit through the business area discloses the fact that the following business places have come under the heading of “fractured” premises:—Wairoa Hotel, the Post Office, Wilson’s Buildings (including Pidduck, ironmonger; Clark, grocer; the County Club; and Prcbble Bros.’ jewellers), Gillespie’s Pharmacy, Perry’s Radio, Mrs Withers’, drapers; Flint’s barber and billiard saloon; the Clyde Hotel; Cash and Carry, butchers; Andresens, drapers; Miss Fraser, fruiterer; Beck’s Pharmacy; the Union Bank of Australia; th" Bank of Now | i Zealand; Lim Kee, fruiterer (the back or these premises was shaken down);’

Zakris and Zakris, restaurant; Fletcher, footwear; McGolbrick’s Buildings; Osier’s Buildings (including Miss D. Cook, draper; W. Smith, jeweller; and Osier’s, bakers; whose oven is badly damaged and there store house has collapsed); J. P. Moore, draper; Stephenson’s Buildings; Johansen’s Buildings (including Mrs Better, confectioner; Roach’s, drapers; True Light, fruiterer; Johansen’s, plumbers); Martin’s Buildings (including Sweetman and Francis, outfitters; Hasler’s, confectioners: Hannah’s, grocer; Sidelines Unlimited, dealers); Burridge’s, drapers; Miss Good, fancy dealer; Miss Wilson, draper; Dooley, fruiterer; and Nobles, saddler. AN ESCAPE. R. Long’s brick shop collapsed like I a pack of cards. Fortunately lie and | his wife and family lived in an outbuilding. and escaped injury. The dividing wall of Miss Good’s shop was also destroyed. The frontage of the County Garage came down. Dalgety’s premises (a wooden building of two storeys) wore badly strained, with a loss of goods. Gillespie’s and Bock’s pharmacies incurred great losses, as also did local

grocers. The business places to escape structural damage were:—Corkill’s Buildings (2). Gaiety Theatre, Bank of Australasia, Osier’s (North Clyde). A large number of premises lost plate glass windows. Every business firm had tremendous losses. The Shipping Company’s wool store, which was badly damaged in the first great quake, collapsed entirely. NEW GEYSERS START. The district of Nuhaka was badly damaged. Business places suffered heavy losses. A transport driver reports that the Mahia back road had hundreds of miniature geysers A RIVER RECEDES. A fisherman at the Heads who early this morning was engaged laying nets declared that the river water receded and left him high and dry before returning. BIG SLIPS. Residents in the vicinity of the hill on the eastern side of the river, near Wairoa. were greatly alarmed during the morning by numerous slips cascading into the water. The whole of the kerbing of the Marine Parade was badly fractured. WHOLE AREA MOVED. It is stated that the whole business ! area of Wairoa has moved two or three inches towards the direction of the river. Tn other instances, modern buildings have subsided a similar distance. St. Andrew’s Church spire is reported to have a lean from the perpendicular. There is a suggestion that a pontoon bridge should be constructed over the river, pending the completion of a new bridge, as the welfare and morale of the town and district depend on immediate action to preserve communicasion north and south. The 2Z‘P wireless station has again been badly damaged. Attempts arc being made to make temporary broadcasting sets. COUNTRY HAVOC. News from the country’ settlements is now filtering through. All express the one opinion that the shake was heavier than the 1931 quake though of not so long a duration. HOMES CRASH. Homes at Mangapoike, Clyde Bank, Marumaru, and Tuhara settlements crashed to the ground or were thrown bodily off their piles. The residents at the last-mentioned escaped through the windows. In town one home was lifted fully two feet way from its piles, and the chimney, though intact, is now bottleshaped. A second house on a hillside has an alarming lean to one side. Ruakituri Valley is also reported to have suffered considerably. ROAD MENACED. An unverified report states there are a dozen slips and that bridges have subsided and bad cracks have developed on Teuhi Hill on the main Gisborne highway, making it difficult to negotiate. The main road to Napier is open and safe for traffic, but has opened up considerably in places. On the Lake Waikaremoana Road slips have occurred, but it is not known if it is impossible to negotiate them. A large number of local residents are carrying cuts and bruises to-day as the result of their injuries from falling furniture. NEW BRIDGE SUFFERS. The new bridge, under construction, is at present a sorry spectacle. Its cylinders have a dangerous lean. Girders have broken clean away, and are hanging in the river. It is estimated that the loss on this alone is approximately fifteen thousand starling. OVER-CURED! The quake, despite its serious aspects, was not without humour. One local resident fainted at a friend’s house. Brandy was used as a . restorative to such an extent that when the patient recovered, he presented a living picture of the disciple of Bacchus, requiring further aid of a different kind to enable him to reach his home. PUBLIC WORKS TASK. The Public Works Department have undertaken the task of restoring the water supply. The assistance of Mr Hamilton, the Minister, in this dime-

HOSPITAL BADLY AFFECTED. Three gangs are busily engaged carrying out urgent repairs to the hospital. A visit to the institution this afternoon disclosed the fact that the damage is far in excess of the 1931 quake damage. The X-Ray room was thrown completely off its piles, and the plant seriously damaged. The operating theatre is in a sorry state, j Through the injury to the room, the I surgical instruments were thrown from j their glass cases in every direction. I Various appointments have all broken away from their fastenings. The sterilising room shows the whole plant was wrenched away, the largest steriliser being thrown right through the door some feet away. The dispensary gives the impression that a maniac was at work, broken bottles, drugs, shelving, etc., being scattered in all parts. The isolation ward is so badly damaged as to be unsafe for use. A house at Frasertown presents a remarkable sight, being broken into four complete sections. THE UNEMPLOYED. Mr Jessep, of the Unemployment Board, arrived by air shortly before 5 p.m. to take control of the situation from the unemployment point of view. He is expected to assume authority to-morrow, when activities will be renewed. There are ample unemployed available, and it would be unwise for others to come to this district. The Mayor, Mr Harker, stated he was very pleased at the splendid spirit prevailing amongst the inhabitants, and feels sure the various services will be restored as quickly as possible. Mr Harker is doing his utmost to assist the whole community, and under his guidance good results should be shown, for complete harmony is existing among all classes.

SEVERE QUAKES CONTINUE. Shakes are continuing every few minutes. They are of a minor nature, but there is an occasional sharp jolt that causes concern among a number, especially those so unfortunate as to have experienced the 1931 visitation. Steady rain set in about noon and is still continuing. There is no wind, and the weather is not cold. However the rain has the effect of driving a large number indoors to-night, who otherwise would have remained in the open. An endeavour was made to supply electricity to-night, but it unfortunately failed. The town presents a pitiable sight with the number of buildings down, the plate glass windows fallen out, and the bridge in ruins. Tt is a night that could not be envied by many. Just as the telegraphing of this message began a very sharp jolt was experienced. Gisborne Experience SUCCESSION OF SHOCKS. CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE. (Per Press Association.) GISBORNE, September 16. Gisborne was shaken by a severe earthquake, at 1.27 this morning, followed by 'a succession >of slight tremors, lasting till 5.30, with one outstanding jolt, about 2.30. To the Secretary-General to the Post Office (Mr McNamara) the following repoit was sent from the Gisborne P. and T. Office: —“What is generally regarded a s the most severe earth, quake ever experienced, in Gisborne, occurred, about 1.27 o’clock this morning. This was followed by several othc»r severe shakes. Intermittent trem. ors have occmred up to the time of writing this telegram. Numerous chimneys and parapets arc down, and windows broken i n the town, and consid crable damage done to breakable stock A portion of the wall of the Anglican Church fell out. Superficial examination disclosed, that the chief Post Office tower sustained a serious crack. Theris a bad crack in the parapet over the Custom House Street public entrance to the building. Examination by the Public Works Department will take place immediately. Fur ther reports will follow. Only moderate shocks are reported from other portions of the district, although it is understood Wairoa is also sadly shak

The initial quake was more severe than that experienced at the time cf th e Kapier earthquake. Shop fronts, as previously suffered considerably, and pavements were strewn with glass, ’ whilst window displays were fhrown into confusion. Many chim neys are down. The structural damage. is confined to a few buildings, including Holy Trinity Church, where a brick gable was thrown clean over the porch way on! to the grass plot in front of the church.

Collett ’g motors suffered heavily. The whole west wall, for a distance of 50 feet, fell outward and the back por tion of the premises collapsed, the roof falling on f.o a number of cars. The parapet and side wall of Vincent’s paint shop fell, crashing through to the floor of 'Robinson’s tobacconist.

tion, is greatly appreciated. An idea of the huge task confronting the Department may be gained from the fact that over an area of five miles in ex cess of one hundred leaks have been located. It is hoped to have a temporary supply at an early date, but a complete restoration will take a long time.

The wall of Wildish’s auction mart also fell outward. The front fell out of Boil’s fruit shop, Mangapapa. Heavy damage was sustained in jewellery and glassware shop's, and trades people generally are busy this morning, straightening out th e mess. : T< »h n Ormond, a well-known citizen, ruslung out of Ormond’s motors, whon a second sharp shock came, fell and sustained slight concussion. At the hospital, in several wards, of which the plaster was railing, the patients were quickly evacuated, the staff and patients preserving admir- I able presence of mind. St Helen’s home chimney crashed through the roof, but nobody wag in jured.

MOST BUILDINGS DAMAGED. A further inspection of the damaged buildings shows the earlier reports of the damage were not exaggerated, but that if anything it was under-esti-mated. Many buildings thought previously to have escaped damage are now found to be seriously affected structurally, very few escaping injury. Various committees were appointed this morning and are functioning smoothly. The situation is well in band as far as finances will allow, there being an entire absence of chaos.

Ma'ny bu people came into town soon after the first shake to sue vey th? damage and look after th l ’/ stock, the headlights of ears for the time, being flip only available lights, the i lectric power service was sub. sequ ‘ntly restored. Short circuiting occurred at the substantial power stati hi at Tckaraka doing subsequent damage.

A fire :i[ Tckaraka started prior to the (‘arthquake, and destroyed a large building, formerly a boarding house, own. d by Mrs Malone, and an adjoin ing shop. LATER. Siiuctural damage to the hospital was not extensive, being confined to the women’s ward, where some bricks weio displaced. The patients in this wai I are ac(*oniinodated on the \eran_ dah ;. Oiher.s are returning to th-ir bed;;. Miss Negro’s unoccupied shop, at Ma.igapapa was badly damaged. The Post Office tower suffered damage. a nd probably will have to comedown. I wo heavy iron weights on the Roebuc k Road bridge came off, one crash ig ; hrough the footway. Telegrophic communication with the South is cut off.

Only two mi'n were on duty i n the telephone exchange when the quake octurred. and the telegraph cable op rator was taking a message when the line was lost. All stuck to their ts, and within a quarter of an hour a dozen clerks had reported for duty, whilst to-day, even those on holiday leave, returned to their posts. The Post Office buildings received a severe shaking, cracks appeared in several 1 places, and the clock tower being badly damaged. No estimate of th-e damage to Collett’s can be given. The roof rests heavily on a number of ears.

BigneU and Holmes, and Redstone’s gerages, also Upton’s tyre surgery susta'ned some structural damage. The alignment of th e back wall of the Mijestic Theatre is affected. The th ‘at.e meanwhile, will be closed. The R- gent Theatre, which suffered by the p'r ‘vious quake, this time, is not af_ ected.

Gisborne Damage HAVOC ON CHIMNEYS. POST OFFICE TOWER TO COME DOWN. WELLINGTON, September 16. The Secretary of the General Post Office, Mr McNamara, has received the following further report from Gisborne:—Public Works Department state that the Gisborne Chief Post Office tower has sustained a serious double fracture. The present indications are that the tower will have to come down. The parapet over the Customhouse Street entrance is being removed immediately. There is an unprecedented number of chimneys down in Gisborne. In Russell Street (residential area) of 150 houses, scarcely one chimney is intact. QUAKES CONTINUE. GISBORNE, September 16. Minor tremors are still being experienced at intervals in Gisborne.

GISBORNE HAVOC Alarming Effects GISBORNE, September 16. Many miraculous escapes are reported, persons rushing out of their homes in a stat e of panic, and dodging by a hairs-breath, falling chimneys. In several cases chimneys fell through the roofs on to bedrooms but, fortunately, as far as can be gather- j ed, in n o case was anyone seriously injured. It is not possible to giv 3 any estimate of the damage, but it must run into an enormous sum. SHOPS DESTROYED One large two-storey business premises, the property of J. S. Allan, plumber, and containing three shops and a plumbing show-room, has been Shattered so badly that it makes necessary its complete reconstruction,. Two shops in the main street, the property of th P Craig Estate, are being scaffolded in readiness for complete new fronts to be put in. At Colletts’ Motors the west wall f ell outwards, allowing the roof to crash on a number of cars. A big wall on the west sid P of | Vincent’s two-storey shop (painter and uaperhanger) toppled on to a small hairdresser’s shop below. The latter was completely buried in brteks and mortar six or eight feet deep. The Majestic Theatre has now been closed owing to the parapet on the rear wall falling outwards, and the wall itself developing a bulge, necessitating the rebuilding of this portion. Wildish’s furniture mart lost a side; brick wall, which fell in the Salvation Army grounds. Upton’s tyre surgery, supported on four large stone pillars, suffered extensively, the pillarg being cracked badly and showing a slight bulge, a big crack also developing in the upper portion. Holy Trinity Church suffered badly,

a largo portion of th P upper structure above the doorway falling out. bodily. GREAT WINDOW DAMAGE. In one block of town shops, nine in succession, have the plate glass windows shattered. All told, some seventy or eighty plate glass windows wer e smashed. CHIMNEYS GO IN HUNDREDS.

In the town and suburbs, hundreds of chimneys are down, and throughout the district, hundreds of tanks are wrecked. MORE SHOCKS. A number of minor tremors were experienced to-day and to-night, an-1 heavy rain is falling this evening. EARTH QUAKING ALE THE TIME. In the country districts the earth is quaking practically continuously. In Mangapoike district the quakes are occurring almost regularly ever v live minutes. Iu every case they are pre ceded by a dull thudding noise from far below the surface. This noise is heard, and then within a few seconds the ground commences to shake. ENORMOUS SLIP. | To-night O. G. Thornton. District Engineer, returned from a visit to the Hangaroa district, some thirty miles from Gisborne There ho found the road blocked by a slip estimated at six hundred thousand tons, all of • it papa rock, which has fallen from a hillside from a height of from 150 to -00 foot. Some of the blocks are from thirty to forty tons in size. Mr Thornton estimates it will take ten to fifteen thousand pounds to clear this slip, which blocks the Gisborne to Wairoa main highway via Tiniroto. This is not thF usually-used main south road.

noys are reported down and power lines interrupted. No further damage. AT ROTORUA. I ROTORUA, Septemb?r 16. The earthquake was not f e ’t here. WHAKATANE, September 16. A very heavy shake north east to south west direction, approximately 20 seconds, at 1.24, both of a rolling and jolting nature. Further small tremors at 1.40, 1.50. 2.22 and 3.28. with sev oral very light tremors in between times. No damage is reported in this district. TE AROHA. September 16. Hero the shock was fairly sever 1 and prolonged followed by a series of minor shocks. A similar report from Hicks Bay. No damage. NUHAKA DAMAGE. WELLINGTON. September 16. Nuhaka reports all chimneys in the district down. There has been no damage done at Morere. WELLINGTON September 16. The Postmaster at Tekaraka reports that two-thirds of th e chimneys art down in fh e township. LESS DAMAGE SOUTH OF WAIROA. WELLINGTON, September 16. The Napier service drivers report that the damage at this side of Wairoa is slight. Badly Hit MARUMARU DISTRICT. WAIROA, September 16. The earthquake seemed to affect the district of Marumaru equally as severely as it did Wairoa. One sixroomed house was completely lifted off its blocks, and forced into a concertina shape. Other residences in the locality also suffered severely, practically every chimney being razed. FARMERS SUFFER. WAIROA, September 16. \ Messages from Mangapoike indicate ! that the farmers there are in bad i straits as the result of the earth- I quake. RAIN STARTS AT WAIROA.

RIVER DAMMED. A portion of another slip has fallen into the Hangaroa River, which is dammed up, but no danger is anticipated. At Hastings SERIES OF TREMORS. VERY LITTLE DAMAGE. HASTINGS, September 16. A prolonged and fairly severe earth quake, which began at 1.25 o’clock this morning, shook Hastings and district, and was followed by eleven lighter tremors, between that hour and 6 a.m. No damage of any real mo ment, has been reported 10-ally, although the tremor was strong enough to displace household goods and the stocks in shops. The tremor may be compared in severity with th e lesser earthquakes that have been experienced here since the two great earthquakes of last year, and to many p'eople, it was probably unsettling from the nervous aspect.

WAIROA, September 16. Steady rain has set in at Wairoa. making the conditions very miserable for those who are camping outside. THE SEISMOGRAPH RECORD. WELLINGTON. September 16. The recording instruments at the Dominion Observatory began recording the quake at between 10.25 and , 10.26 a.m. The shock was one of very large amplitude, 90 much so that in the ease of some instruments, the vibrations were more than they could record. At 1.48, a second strong shock came through, the two between them making a very confused record. A third fairly sever© shock recorded at 2.22 lesser ones coming through at 2.59 3.14. 6.13 and 9.4. Seismographs were in vigorous mo tion for two hours after the initial shock. The. tentative estimation of the centre of th e disturbance from the preliminary study of records, would place it about 30 miles to the east of Waipiro Bay, the disturbance pro. bably being a deep seated one. RIVERVIEW OBSERVATORY. INDICATES THE CENTRE. (Received September 16 at 8.40 p.m.) SYDNEY, September 16. ! The Riverview Jesuit College Observatory, Sydney, has recorded a se- ’ vere submarine disturbance. It lasted for several hours between 11.5 o’clock last night, and the early hours of this morning. The centre of the disturbance is believed to be three hundred miles east of the North Island of New Zealand. ANOTHER SYDNEY RECORD. (Received September 16 at 9.55 p.m.) SYDNEY, September 16. The earthquake was also recorded at Sydney Observatory. It recorded very small shocks at first, just prior to midnight, local time. Later shocks were much more severe, lasting two hours, originating about 1600 miles from Sydney, slightly to the east of the New Zealand const. MESSAGES OF SYMPATHY. WELLINGTON, September 16. In connection with the earthquake, messages of sympathy have been sent by the Governor-General to the Mayors of Gisborne and Wairoa. POST OFFICE REPORTS. WELLINGTON, September 16. Post Office reports were:— Napier: Severe earthquake, followed by minor tremors at 1.25 this morning. N o local damage reported. Have only one outlet with Wairoa. and communication with Gisborne i s totally interrupted. Wairoa: Severe earthquake at 1.29 a.m. Some of the town buildings were materially damaged. No reports regarding injury or loss of life. Lost all north lines, owing to break in th'cable crossing the Wairoa River. the township. Hastings; Prolonged sever 0 earthquake occurred at 1.25 a .m. Lost Gis- . borne, and all lines are still unable

At the Municipal Hall, where some eight or nine hundred people were attending a dance, little notice of the quake wag taken. A few people left the building, but soon returned and the others went on dancing as soon as the lights were restored. The needly of Hendy de Denne’s seismograph was thrown off the chart, and no time record therefore is available. Personal observation, however, would seem to show that it lasted at its fullest intensity for a full minute, and died away a s gradually as if had come. It wa s more swaying than jolt-, ing in motion and therefor e not especially alarming. LONG NAPIER QUAKE. NAPIER, September 16. A prolonged earthquake, with rotary motion, was felt 1.30 this morning. The absence of a jolting motion apparently accounted for the absence of damage. The centre appeared to. be *oni-e distance away. The first, shock was followed by several minor ones. The surrounding districts suffered no damage. NEW NURSES’ HOME. DAMAGED AT WAIROA. WAIROA, September 16. The new Nurses’ Home at Wairoa, consisting of 26 rooms, which was practically ready for the official opening, has been badly damaged by the earthquake, and, judging from reliable reports, it will not be fit for habitation for a considerable period. The nursing staff have already spent two winters in tents, due to the fact that the home was completely demolished in the 1931 earthquake. Southern Hawke’s Bay LASTS A MINUTE AT WAIPUKURAU. WAIPUKURAU, September 16. Shocks of earthquake prolonged for about a minute, were experienced at 1.27 this morning and 1.15. They were marked by a steady swaying movement apparently easf to west. No damage was done. Most people were awakened. The first shock was the worst. LONG SWAYING AT DANNEVIRKE. DANNEVIRKE, September 16. Shortly before 1.30, Southern Hawke’s Bay had a prolonged earth, quake, continuing for upwards of a minute. It was a gentle swaying motion, and apparently came in the usual direction, north east. Houses rattled and creaked. There was little alarm and no damage. AT WOODVILLE. WOODVILLE September 16. There was a severe earthquake at 1.27 a.m. No damage is reported.

In Bay of Plenty NOT SO SEVERE. OPOTIKI, September 16. Two severe quakes aud also smaller ones were felt. Many chimneys arcdown. The electricity failed about 1.30 a.m. Th Post Office report was:—Sharp earthquake shock experienced at 1.26 a.m., of 30 seconds, followed by minor tremors, at 1.40 a.m., and 1.50 a.m.. and sharp shock at 2.23 a.m. A few chim-

to raise him, either on morse or p'h.-one. Cap e Runaway reports: Initial shock almost as severe a s in 1931. Wairoa reports 10.25 a.m.: Road clear from Napier, except for one bad crack about five miles south of Wairoa. No serious damage to the lines. Wairoa town water supply is interrupted through the collaps-e of the bridge, the old bridge, carrying 300 pair cable, wa s carried away except for end spans. Several cracks ar e in the Marine Parade, facing the river. Telephones are undamaged. Communication between Wairoa and Gisborne should be re-established early. Tara dale: Prolonged rolling earth, quake lasting about a minute expert, enced at 1.25. Minor shakes followed. No damag e reported.