EARTHQUAKES

Hokitika Guardian, 21 December 1925, Page 2

EARTHQUAKES

ALARM IN AUSTRALIA. [Australia & N.Z. Cable Association.J SYDNEY, Dec. 19. Severe earthquake tremors were experienced in Sydney and inland. Tbo alarm was general and in Newcastle, ail audience in a theatre was barely saved from panic. The shocks were felt as fas as Dublin. In some districts, the phenomenon was accompanied by a rumbling noise. People rushed into the streets, fearing the collapse of their homes. The origin of the disturbance was about 80 miles from Sydney, and was the most severe local shock experienced. There were three distinct shocks in the city, followed' by a number of minor tremeors, but many suburbs experienced nine or ten shocks. Professor Cotton, of the Sydney University, states that the most probable cause of the disturliancc was a fracture in the earth’s surface at Kurrajong, or along the coast. Although there was no extensive damage, crockery and windows in thousands ot homes were smashed. DE PIGOT’S VIEWS. SDNEY, Dec. 20. Referring to the earthquake, the Rev Doctor Pigot, of the Bivervicw Jesuit College Observatory, says that, compared’ with the quakes in other countries, the movement here has lieen very small. It was very short, being only a fraction of a second, compared with tbo shocks of eight or nine seconds often recorded in New Zealand. The State Xletcrologists’s Barograph registered a. movement measuring three onehundredths of an inch. The people in New South Wales, who were unused to such occurrences were badly scared. Many weird and highlycoloured descriptions of the quake have been published. A prominent city medical man says he heard a preceding rumble, which he likened to an opossum jumping on a tin roof. The newspapers featured the shakowith double-column headings. Mariya people were afraid to go to bed. Hio' observatories were besieged by telephone callers, inquiring the cause am# (he possibilities of further shocks. Some of the seismographs did not even record a tremor.

A HEAT WAVE FOLLOWS. SYDNEY, Doc. 20. Svdney was visited by at beat wave yesterday (Saturday) tbo thermometer reaching 10J degrees Fahrenheit. Many hush and grass fires were (caused. anil did considerable damage.