TIDAL WAVE

Grey River Argus, 19 May 1947, Page 5

TIDAL WAVE

NORTH OF GISBORNE FOLLOWS SEVERE EARTHQUAKE

(Per Press Association) GISBORNE, May 18. There was a fairly severe rolling earthquake, shortly after 7.5 o’clock on Saturday night in Poverty Bay. Following’ it, a tidal wave was experienced on the East Coast between Tolaga Bay and Tatapouri, a distance of about 25 miles, which was the area hit by a similar phenomenon in March. No damage or casualties are reported. Saturday night’s surge apparently lacked the height or the force of the March wave at the southern end. but . neat Tolaga the water reached six to eight feet higher than it did seven weeks ago. Two police officers driving to Tolaga Bay an hour after the ’quake saw logs and debris over sections of low-lying road before reading Tatapouri, but there was no further evidence of the inundation of the high way as far as Tolaga.

At Tatapouri Hotel, which was inundated in March, the wave on Sat' Urday night reached within a chain and a-half of the building. The licensee estimated the wave at twelve feet...

Len Robinson, a fisherman, who lost a bach and furniture in March, had the side of his dinghy stove in where it was moored on the sand above high water level at Waihau, outside- Tolaga Bay. The ’quake stopped clocks at the home of Mr N. Loisell, who said it was the worst he had felt since the Masterton shake. Another shake occurred at 3.45 a.m

to-day (Sunday). On Saturday night, the wave surged up a creek at a height greater than in March, covering a'“footbridge which was not reached by the water seven weeks ago. Mr Loisell estimated the water penetrated 400 yards inland, two chains above high water level. A pile of blue gum logs intended for the reconstruction of the bridge damaged in March, were swept across the road, and were deposited in a plantation. Although the ’quake was fairly severe in Gisborne, no damage, is reported.