THE EARTHQUAKE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXX, Issue 8578, 4 September 1888, Page 5

THE EARTHQUAKE.

EXTENSIVE DAMAGE IN THE AMUEI DISTRICT. STARTLING PERSONAL EXPERIENCES. RESULTING PHENOMENA. LATEST TOWN AND COUNTRY ITEMS. MEETING OP THE CATHEDRAL CHAPTER. A meeting of the Cathedral Chapter was; held at 11 a.m. yesterday, to consider what action should be taken in consequence of the damage to the building. The Most Rev the Primate presided, and there was almost a full attendance. It was decided to authorise the removal of the loosened stone from the top' of the spire. In recognition of the bravery and energy dislayed by Mr Anderson on the occasion of the earthquake, it was decided to write him a letter of thanks, and to present* him with a gratuity of £S. Mr B. W. Mountfort, who was present, submitted a proposal that the repairs to , the steeple should bo earned out in wood, ' enclosed in a metal casing, and surmounted by a cross lighter than tho-one thrown down. It was resolved that the shire should be taken down to a point between twoand three feet below tike present fine*' ture, so as to secure the safety <*f the public. Mr Mountfort was asked! to famish a fall and detailed report on the accident to the CafheoxaL caused by the earthquake, and to make recommendations as to the future tion of the damaged spire. Mr B. S. Dobson, formerly Engineer to the Provincial Government, is to be asked to associate himself with Mr Mountfort in submitting the final recommendations for the work to the Chapter, It was also resolved to communicate officially with the City Council, and to 1 ask their assistance in view of obtaining their consent to declaring, at as early a date as possible, that the building is safe for resuming the services as heretofore. Steps will, it is understood, be taken to raise the funds for the restoration of the spire as soon as the architects* proposals and estimates have been received. REWARD OF BRAVERY. The Chapter yesterday decided to give a gratuity of £S to Mr Anderson, in acknowledgment of his plucky ascent of the Spire, and the services he rendered during the earthquake bn Saturday morning. At the Synod yesterday a report on the state Of the Cathedral and spire, prepared by Mr Mountfort, was read by the Primate. la the course of the report the architect paid a high compliment to Mr Anderson on Me courageous conduct, the reading of which was received with loud applause by the members of the Synod. THE NORMAL SCHOOL. The architect to the Board of Education, Mr P. E. Schmidt, is losing no time about the necessary repairs to this building, at scaffolding has already been erected round one of the damaged chimneys, and men are at work. The ceilings that were affected are only those in the upstairs rooms, and are being taken down to be replaced with match-lined boards. The corridors will also bo treated in the same manner. It is evident, from an observation of the damage done to the ceilings and the chimneys, and the other damage done in Christchurch, including the Cathedral spire, that there was a rotary motion during the shock, in addition to the wave. It seems to have been clearly demonstrated that the top of the Cathedral spire sustained a twist in addition to the ordinary rocking movement, and this applies to those parts of the Normal School that were damaged. THE MUSEUM. Since the information received on Saturday, respecting the result of the earthquake shock at the Museum, it has been ascertained that a chimney in the East wall has sustained a shaking that will necessitate its being partially removed and restored. ADDINGTON FLOUR MILLS. The tall chimney at the Addington Floor Mills was so badly cracked by the shock, that it was found necessary to take it down. We are requested to state that the name of Mr Brightling’s man who was passing the Cathedral at the time of the shock Charles Bouse, not Ross, as at first state^f THE AMURI DISTRUST', AN INTERVIEW WITH A. LOW. . One of the first visitor'to Christchurch since the eruption topSc place in the Amnri district Has been kind enough to place us in possession of a complete narrative of the events which h&fro been disturbing the inhabitants of the country of the "wool kings ” —the Mr W. Ai Low, owner of the station known aw St Helens, where be resides, situate /'on the Percival river, Haamer Plains', and which sustained considerable damage during the shock on Saturday morning, has placed his family in security at the Jollie’s Pass Hotel, and come to town to make the necessary arrangements for repairing the place. FEEMONXTOEY SYMPTOMS. He states that for three weeks back some strange rambling noises have been heard emanating from the hills at the back of Jollie’s Pass, which could not be explained away. Men who have come in to the Pass irom the direction of "The Edward’s,” Mr M*Arthur’s property, on which there are some small hot springs, have described these sounds as weird, dismal, and awe-inspiring. But till Thursday evening they were not thought so much of, at the Plains, as they wereipit down to the wind <k some other cause; However, on that evening these long, low, rumbling sounds were followed by others of a more alarming character, which more nearly resembled the report of single pieces of musketry fired in rapid succession. These were shortly succeeded by the shocks of earthquake at about ten minutes past ten in the evening. Ever since then the noises have gained in force, till on Saturday morning >■ they were simply deafening, and continued to be so till the violent shock which did such damage, particulars of which are given below, followed, and the terrors of the morning were indeed great. The direction from which the sounds have come through the gorge appears to have been from the head waters of the Awatere river, past the Clarence at the point where the accommodation house stands, and between the ranges to Jollie’s Pass, where they, in meeting the open plains, appear to have died away, as they had not been noticed further South. THE DAMAGE DONE. To enumerate the damage sustained by the settlers, Mr Low commenced with himself. At St Helens three chimneys were completely smashed—not broken off at the top only, as those in Christchurch, but smashed up completely. 'One fell through the roof of the kitchen, one through the conservatory, and one fell outside. The. building and. floors ot the house sustained no injury. Two brick chimneys of the overseer’s cottage also came down, and did ■ some damage in their fall. Mr Low removed his family to Jollie s Pass Hotel, which had sustained no injury, and hie furniture was put into the wooisbed. He estimates the cost of repairs at from JBISO to .£2OO. ■<

At Woodbank, the property of Mr W. Atkinson, the large brick house, erected there about five years ago, and fitted with every convenience and nicely furnished, is a complete wreck. There was a large twostory wooden addition recently made to it, which was set on concrete foundations. This has been forced off the foundations about two feet, and is otherwise considerably damaged. The men's hut is also a complete wreck, and one of the men, who was inside when the shock came, was slightly injured by a falling rafter. Mr Atkinson removed to Cnlverden Hotel with his family on Saturday. v AtHopefieldßtation,iheiproperi^ofJly

W, Acton-Adams, which is situate on the South side of the river, farther up the gorge, the station-house completely collapsed, and the manager, Mr Cook left it a total wreck on Saturday, taking his family with him. At Glynn Wye, the station still further up the river on the North side, the large dwelling-house, the property of Messrs A. and D. Rutherford, was first thrown bodily against the terrace at the back, and then completely wrecked. Besides this, the men’s hut, a large two-storied iron building, was also completely wrecked, and the manager, Mr Oliver Thomson and his men, fortunately in possession of tents, are now utilising them as temporary residences. The stone walls of the large woolshed are also an entire wreck, and the iron roof has fallen in- A concrete dip has been literally shaken to pieces, it may almost be said ground to powder, so severe was the shock. FISSURES IN THE EARTH. Up the river and ou the terraces along its banks leading to Glynn Wye, fissures appear iu numbers, and range in size from three inches to a foot in width, and of various dimensions. These also appear in parts of the Percival river-bed, in the Hanmer Plains, but are not so large in the Upper TV aiau Gorge. NEW HOT SPRINGS. Since Saturday morning several new hot springs have appeared in various places, principally in the flat below Jollxe s Pass, and near the famous curative baths. These have not been affected in the slightest, and the buildings round them have* remained intact. During the shock of earthquake, however, tbe water in them was violently agitated, but beyond splashing over ■as any ordinary water would h*ve done, appeared not to have been otherwise affected. THE UPPER WAIAU BRIDGE. The bridge at the Waiau was naturally a source of anxiety not only to Mr Low, but to all residents North of it. A careful inspection of all parts has been made, and itpronounced not only safe but_ free from* damage of Any kind. This is highly satisfactory to all concerned, considering the. immense weight of concrete in the piers. LOWER AIIUEI. From what Mr Low gathered on his journey to town, there has been a considerable amount of damage done in this district. The Ferry. Hotel close by the bridge is much shaken and considerably dilapidated, but Mr Holmes, the proprietor, has not found it necessary to leave it and is setting about the necessary repairs at once. At Montrose, the residence of Mr W. 0. Rutherford, three chimneys have been partially destroyed, their tops having been throjm down, and one of them fell through the roof of the conservatory. At Leslie Hills, on the North side of the river, the large stone dwelling-house, built about ten years ago, and which is the property of the Messrs A. and D. Rutherford, is a complete wreck, and a recent addition in wood was considerably shaken, all the plastered walls having come down, doing considerable damage to the contents. Mr and Mrs Duncan Rutherford and family have been compelled to take refuge with their more fortunate brother at Montrose. The shock was felt with considerable violence all over the plain, but the force seemed to have been spent in the neighbourhood of the hills. Altogether the damage done in the Amuri district, so far as Mr Low has made out, amounts iu the aggregate to several thousands of pounds. ,AN AWFUL NIGHT AT WOODBANK. Mr W. Atkinson writes At a quarter past four on Friday morning the imitates # at Woodbank residence, Hanmer Plains, were awoke by a moat severe shock of earthquake, and it was only with difficulty that they managed, after tramping over a quantity of broken glass, bricks, &c., and ■ almost deafened by the rumbling noise and failing debris, to find escape, nearly all the entrances being blocked by wreckage from the brick portion of the building, of •which one side and end completely fell out. The other side and end were supported by the verandah, wooden building, and staircase, which prevented the roof falling, thus allowing those in the brick part to escape. All furniture, &0., is a total'wreck, and nothing now remains but complete ruins. The men’s hut, a large, strong cob and iron building, is quite destroyed, one man being injured. Fires "’"Wire lighted, and such blankets as were l possible to obtain from tbe wooden buildingjNwere procured for those shivering from’ cbdji and fright. At daylight, with much difficulty, clothing was recovered from tnVKruina. It was a mo:-1 dismal sight, and obfly those who unfortunately experienced v it can have any conception of the dreadful sensation eftused through the upheaving and incessant shocks which continued at intervals of five minutes up to the time of departure atlOa.m,” \ Our Waikari correspondent stelcgrapns ; I have just seen Mr Williams Atkinson, juhr., of Woodbank, who says 'that the road round Horseshoe Lake, going to Glynn Wye, has been thrown clean into the Lake. The gas escaping through Assures at Hanmer Plains can be lighted with a match. In the Upper Waiau Gorge the ground is very much disturbed, the whole surface being altered. The wire netting on the rabbit fence crossing the Hanmer Plains, and between St Helen’s ami Woodbank, was thrown clean away from the fence. Mr Atkinson’s house is uninhabitable. The ground is still continually shaking. During the first shock on Saturday loud reports, as if big guns were going off, were continually audible. He observed a light on the hills in the direction of Cannibal Gorge. Tne Horseshoe Lake is situate, about a quarter of a mile from the Glynn Wye homestead, and is about three acres in extent. It is a peculiarly constructed lake, as it has steep rocky sides, and is in most parts forty feet deep. /The water is crystal clear, and when useo 1 for drinking is found extremely palatable. ; Some years ago when a Commission, consisting of Messrs Bolleston, C. Whitefoord, the late J. T. Brown and others, was proceeding to the West Coast they made an inspection of the lake, and pronounced it an admirable place for the introduction of the Californian trout, and some steps were taken for their introduction, but it is not known if they have been successfully carried out. The lake has, however, one exceptional peculiarity, iu the shape of a floating island, bearing shrubs and native products. This is about thirty feet in length, by six or eight in breadth, and is guided in its location by the prevailing winds. Situate as it is about sixteen miles beyond tbe Upper Waiau ferry, it has not many visitors, but in any other portion of the civilised world would be a great attraction. In any case, the disfigurement of such a freak of nature is to be regretted. MB GUNN’S EXPERIENCES. PHENOMENA ON THE HAM NEB PLAINS. Our correspondent at Culverden reports as follows: Mr Gunn, Inspector for the Hurunui Babbit Board, came in from the Upper Clarence and Hanmer Plains on Sunday evening, bringing reports of the severity of the earthquake m that district during the last three days. He was,-at St James’ Station on Thursday night, and the shock, which was felt at about 10.10 p.m., by his watch, was most severe, but no buildings on the place were injured. On Friday he came out over Jack’s Pass to the Hanmer Plains, and stayed the night at Jack’s Pass Accommodation Sense, The shock there at about 4.12 a.m. on Saturday was most severe, and during tbe whole of Saturday the earth never seemed still, shock following shock in quick succession, and at about 430 p.m, a very severe shock was experienced. The Hanmer Plains springs on Saturday were greatly agitated, throwing up quantities of mud and gas. The shocks seemed to come from the West, and a continual noise like distant thunder was heard at short intervals

on Saturday and Sunday. Some rents in the earth have occurred in several places 1 in the Hanmet. Plains and Upper Waiau,

and gas is bubbling up from a number of them.

Huge rocks have rolled down the hillsides, and several landslips have taken place, one on the Waiau bridge cutting. Mr Gunn walked across the Hanmer Plains from the Kogerson to the Waiau bridge on Saturday, and says that the whole plain seemed to be seething, gas and water bubbling up in many places. He states that on Saturday night at the Perry Hotel, no damage had been done beyond the breakage of glass, &c. The last shock experienced at Culverden was at 8.15 this (Monday) morning, and since then everything seems quiet. Mr Gunn expresses an opinion that if the shocks had been generally all as severe as at the Hanmer Plains, no stone or brick building could have stood up. He says he was glad to get clear away, and thinks there is great danger of an eruption, if one has not already taken place in the ranges towards the West. Hanmer Plains are still in active motion.

Mr F. H, Wilson, owner of the Culverden Estate, eleven miles North of the Hurunui, states that the force of the shock there was greater than any he has felt in Germany, India, Switzerland and Italy, and he has had several sharp experiences in all of these countries. The only damage done to the buildings about the Culverden Station was the removal of three or four of the chimney pots. This may possibly be accounted for by the fact that the house is a most substantially-built wooden one, erected at great expense, and appears to have been out of the direct route of the seismic disturbance, which lay between the Awatere and the West Coast of this Island.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HANMER PLAINS.

In 1884 a representative of this journal went to the Hanmer Plains to report upon the Springs. The following is a portion of his descriptive account: —

The Hamner Plains are about ten miles long and two and a half to three broad. They contain about 15,000 acres of more or less level ground. Their elevation above sea level is 1200 ft or 1300 ft, but the grand range of mountains on the northern side culminates in such heights as Mount Perceval 5000 ft, and Mount Isobel 4500 ft. These, as they rise abruptly from the plain, bush-clad in places and snowcrowned, are very grand. Pour miles after crossing the wicked "VYaiau,. St Helen’s Station, owned by Mr W. A. Low, is reached—at this time of year (May) a bright spot of colour on the brown plain with its green willows, and the bright golden yellow, almost fiery in its intensity, of the poplar trees. In that keen air tints on the trees are brighter than close at home. The plain is cut through by many a creek, and intersected by water-courses bordered with flax and waving toi-toi, from rise argumentative Paradise ducks and silent swamp hens. To the North-east lies the overland route to Blenheim, and the road leading to the valley of the Clarence may be seen zig-zagging up to Jollie’s Pass, at the foot of which, in a snug little corner, nestles the only accommodation house on the plains. Ibis is Fry’s, well spoken of for quiet, cooking and comfort by all who visit the Springs. They are two miles off, far nearer the ,{ ferry,” and opposite St Helen’s, close under the foot of the northern range of encircling hills. From East to South-west, sweeping round to the gorge, the lower hills lie piled one behind the other; almost like bronzed metal look their steep, lumpy spurs, clad with yellowbrown tussocks. To the West, past the little gap whore the gorge is cut through them, the view is bounded by another higher chain of hilltops, backed by the lofty peak of Tekoa. To the North-west may be caught glimpses of the West Coast mountains, up the river valley, range packed behind range without end, until they melt into soft, dim, blue distance. Few such diversified panoramas of every sort of mountain-peak can be viewed from one spot, and the scenery must always prove one great charm at the Springs. They are situated on a small plateau—or terrace, perhaps, would be the better term —two hundred yards from the foot of the northern range. Here the Government hold a reserve of two thousand acres, and this includes much more than the ground through which the Springs take their rise. They were originally seven or eight in number, situated within a few yards of each other, and the water, in most cases, bubbles up with some force, and in very large quantities. Their smell is more decided than pleasant, the colour of the water green, and that not a pretty or attractive green. In winter the spot is marked by a shifting cloud of steam that rises from the surface of the pools. But a short time ago they were simply large, swampy, muddy pools and holes, some of them twelve yards across, some only a few feet in diameter. Shelter and convenience for bathers did not exist. The temperature then varied considerably in different places, and also in different pools, being naturally highest over the tubes or orifices whence the gas arises. But 94degto 104cieg Fahr. was the most ever obtained, while the Springs were in their natural state. Since then the largest have been boarded over, and several of the others confined within a much smaller area, as suggested in a paper by Dr Julius von Haast, read as fhr back as 1870, before the Nelson Scientific Society, 'i his has had a most decided effect, and a steady temperature of 117 deg to 120 deg can now be registered in the bath-house, to which the water is led from the two principal springs in pipes. A curious phenomenon is to be noticed in connection with this matter of temperature. The springs are always hotter during easterly weather than when a strong Nor’wester is blowing. PROFESSOR HUTTON’S OPINION. In conversation with a member of the Lyttelton Times’ staff yesterday. Professor Hutton expressed some opinions on earthquake phenomena, and particularly with reference to the occurrences at the Hanmer Plains, which are of such general interest that wo place them before our readers. THE SHOCKS NOT OF VOLCANIC ORIGIN. “ First of all,” said Professor Hutton, after ho had read, from a “ revise,” our report of the earthquake at Hanmer Plains, “an earthquake extending over a largo area, like that of Saturday morning, is never connected with volcanic eruptions, which are accompanied by a large number of small earthquakes, due to explosions of steam at the base of the mountain, and these never extend further than a few miles. Even in volcanic districts, like the Andes region, when large earthquakes occur, they are disconnected with volcanic phenomena. It is known now that they are due to crushes and strains in the earth. There can be no doubt that the cause of our last earthquake has something to do with a strain on the rocks underlying the mountains. Some rocks have probably been either crushed or snapped through long continued tension or strain, which has thus been relieved. You know that when anything snaps, there is always a certain amount of concussion. The concussion from the breaking of an immense mass of rock will be tremendous. The centre of disturbance may have been but small, only a mile or so in extent, or the rock which was split or crushed may have extended many miles, so that the fracture may have stretched longitudinally under the Alps for a great distance. It ia impossible however, in tne absence of observations with proper instruments, to say what the nature of the disturbance was. CHARACTERISTICS OF SEISMIC FORCE. “It does not follow, because a large amount of damage was done at the Hanmer Plains, that therefore the centre of the disturbance is situate near there. It is, no doubt, some considerable distance away. The movement of the earth directly over the centre of disturbance is vertical, the force strikes directly upwards, and is not so likely to throw down buildings as force exerted obliquely. It has been proved that an earthquake is most destructive where the angle of emergence of the earth wave is from forty-five to fifty-five degrees. In other words, buildings are more likely to be thrown down at places where the force of the shock strikes them at an angle of

from forty-five to fifty-five degrees. As the angle of emergence of the earth wavo gets leas than forty-five degrees, the intensity of the force diminishes on account of the increase in the distance from the centre of disturbance. THE MYSTERIOUS SOUNDS. " I confess I am unable to account for the noises which were heard at the Hanmer Plains. It is, however, known that what is known in geology as a fault, a fracture and slip of strata, extends along the base of the inland Kaikouras. This fault has been in movement in, geologically speaking, recent times, and which may be moving yet. The noises may possibly have been caused by that fault, but how I cannot say. I do not think the earthquake originated there, as it was so feebly felt in Wellington, whereas had it started from the Kaikouras, it would have been severely felt across the Straits. THE FISSURES. “The fissures are only the secondary effects of the earthquake. They have occurred exactly where I should have expected them, on the banks and terraces along the river. The cause of their occurrence in such a locality is simple enough. When the earthquake force strikes the mass of ground which terminates at the river, it drives the whole mass forward. When the wave has passed, the mass returns to its former position. That portion of it which is next to the river, not being backed up by more land, does not return with the same momentum as the rest of the mass, from which it consequently splits off. This accounts for the fissures in the river bank on the same side of the stream as the source of the earthquake wave. The fissures on the opposite bank, instead of being produced by the recoil of the wave, would be caused by its onward motion, because the portion of the hank next to the stream would not be able to follow tbe great mass through not being backed up, and would, therefore, separate from it. A familiar illustration of the way in which earthquake fissures are formed in the bants and terraces of rivers may be seen if you strike one end of a row of billiard balls. The one at the other end rolls away because there is nothing to back it up and keep it in its place, while the others remain stationary. The fissures have nothing to do with any explosion underneath. They probably are not deeper than the level of the river-bed. THE NEW SPRINGS. “ I do not attach any importance at all to the formation of new springs at the Hanmer Plains. In a country like that any earthquake would probably unsettle the ground, and wherever the ground was broken a new spring would force its way to the surface. CHANCES OF RECURRENCE. " I do not think that there is any immediate chance of a recurrence of a shock like that of Saturday. The probability is that the disturbance which caused it has relieved a tension which has been going on for a long pferiod. The earthquake evidently reached its maximum in that shock. The small shocks which are occurring now are due to the subsidence of the disturbance, as those which preceded the heavy one were due to its approach.” THE COUNTRY DISTRICTS. Another very slight shock of earthquake was felt at Kaiapoi yesterday morning (Sept. 3) at 8.30, not of sufficient violence to do any damage. We have been informed by a farmer residing near Stewart's Gully of several notable alterations which have taken place in the immediate vicinity of his residence. A portion of the newly formed beach in the river has disappeared, and the remainder of the beach is bulged out in several places with cracks about one foot wide. Several alterations have also taken place in the contour of his land. The earthquake, our Ashburton correspondent writes, has temporarily displaced the weather as a subject for commonplaces in conversation. It is clear from the details published that the shock was faint in Timaru compared with the experience of Christchurch. A few fresh faint cracks are to be found in some of the heavier buildings, but are only to be found on close search being made for them. Letters continue to come in from the country districts, showing that whilst the shock was everywhere felt, little, if any, damage resulted. At Chain's Bay dogs and cattle exhibited their alarm, and some of the people ran out of their houses. governor's bay. The earthquake of Saturday morning was severely felt at Governor’s Bay, where peop’e rushed out of their houses in great alarm, under the not unreasonable apprehension that the shock would bring down some of the loose rocks from the hilltops overlooking the bay. Fortunately, however, no such catastrophe took The most serious damage was to a cob-house, the property of Messrs Holland and Tapley, in the wall of which three large cracks were made. A COINCIDENCE. It is a coincidence worth nothing that the great earthquakes which destroyed three - fourths of the buildings in Charleston, North America, two years ago, occurred late on the night of August 31, and at intervals during Eiept. 1. ARTESIAN WELLS. The effects of earthquakes on the underground water-supply has frequently been noticed. This phenomenon was observed in connection with Saturday’s shock. At Fernside, water-courses that were perfectly dry on Friday had running streams in them on the following morning ; and an artesian well at Woodend, which was giving a splendid flow on Friday, ceased running after the shock, whilst another in the same locality, also previously flowing strongly, is now giving but a trickling supply. A LURID GLARE. The Otago Daily Times says:—On Saturday evening a peculiar lurid glare was observed in the North-western sky. It was noticeable till after midnight, and most people thought it was the reflection of a large fire. It was, we are informed, noticed early in the evening by two gentlemen who were shooting on the ranges behind Mount Flagstaff, and they state that so far as they could see it was not caused by any fire. The sunset effects seen from the hills by those gentlemen axe described as most extraordinary, and together with this glare in the sky and the snow-covered ranges in the distance the effect was such that they gazed on it in almost speechless astonishment. The glare was noticeable again last evening, but it was not so promiueut. It is somewhat singular that it should occur just after such a severe shock of earthquake as was experienced in some parts of the Colony on Saturday morning, and some are inclined to connect the two together, remembering the peculiar glow, which followed the volcanic outbreak at Krakatoa.