A WRECKED BRIDGE

Northern Advocate, 11 February 1931, Page 5

A WRECKED BRIDGE

HEWN AS WITH AXE JOISTS LIKE WOODEN MATCHES. REMARK ABLE SPECTO'LE. (Per Preu Association.—Copyright.) HASTINGS, This Day. Nowhere is. the force of the earthquake more vividly illustrated than at the bridge which gave communication between Hastings and Havelock North. The joists which suspended the bridge decking over the old Ngaruroro River measured Id inches by 10 inches and the decking itself consisted of a layer of macadam and bitumen, a total thickness of eight or nine inches. The bridge collapsed when the first big shake came on Tuesday morning, and the second shake that night completed the ruin. The joists, macadam and bitumen decking were cut in half as though roughly hewn asunder with in axe. No human workmanship could have created more entire destruction, The great joists and ether timbers might have been so many wooden marches so far as their resistance to the earthquake was concerned. REPAIRING PIPE LINE. COURAGEOUS WORKMEN. Running parallel "with the bridge, and on the same level as the decking Was the pipe line which carried the Hastings water supply from the bplough reservoir on the Havelock Hills, The water was pumped from artesian bores in Hastings into the reservoir, from which it is drawn back at increased pressure into the town mains The pipo Hue burst and caused interruption in the supply, but it was soon re-established by means of pumping direct into the mains, thus cutting out the reservoir. Yesterday the borough engineer and a gang of private assistants, completed the work of truss , ftig up the line and welding the breaks in it. Havelock, until then without a proper water supply, was given full pressure. The "work that, the men did on the pipe line was not only skilfully and rapidly done, but provided an example of the best sort of courage maintained under most nerve-wracking conditions. The line is supported by slim railway rails set up. in the shape of a letter “A,” and tho ground in which they are. standing is soggy Shaky wooden trestles have -been erect* ed to support the pipe line while it is being repaired, and tlm men are perched precariously on the tops of ladders or astride the line, -while doing their work. Owing to their position, and the shakiness of the ground below them, every one of the- many tremors still being felt is greatly magnified in its apparent intensity. A quake that would hardly be felt by men on the ground sways the pipe line and trestles and the men on them in a most unnerving way, . STRONG POLICE FORCE PROTECTTON~OF HASTINGS. PUTTING DOWN LOOTING. (Special to “Northern Advocate.”) HASTINGS, Tuesday. Following urgent representations by tho Citizens’ Committee, Hastings has been supplied by the Police Department with 32 additional constables, who Wave been brought into the town from Auckland, Wellington, Wanganui and other centres. Their arrival has done much to allay the fears of residents.

The police force in Hastings now numbers 50, instead of the normal, force of 12, and Inspector Lander, of Wellington, has arrived to assume control of the augmented force. patrol the residential part of thi, town every night witlh 1 tho co-opcraf tion of ex-Territorials, , leaving the\ guardianship of the devastated central portion of the town to the volim* teer patrols, who number 140. , ) The Justices of the Peace who fined two young men £3 each, in default one week’s imprisonment, for looting, delivered a severe reprimand. They said there were sufficient troubles without the authorities being worried by pilfering. Detective Farquharsou said some trouble was being experienced in keeping down looting, and he pressed for a somewhat severe penalty, stating that the police and others desired the prosecution to be a warning. The accused said they had gouo into the ruins of a shoe shop on seeing pickets walk over the mins. They said they had no intention of carrying out determined looting. They saw slippers and picked them up. They said they had not realised the seriousness of their actions and they thought it was all right for them to go over the ruins. SHOCKS AT TAUPO, BED OF LAKE RISES.. FOUR MILE BAY SHOALING. (Per Pres* Asiociauon. —Copyright.! ROTORUA, Monday. Official information received in Rotorua today states that four earthquake shocks wore felt iu Taupo on Saturday. At Four-Mile Bay the bed of ■ the lake has appreciably risen. Ngaurnhoe is more active than it has been for some time past. The : Waitahaimiri, Hatope and Waipoihi 1 Streams came down diseolo'ured by ‘1 Large quantities of pumice after the M ’quake r.u Tuesday, and were still dis- . coloured on Saturday, indicating slips •in the higher country.