EARTHQUAKES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume X, Issue 4204, 4 September 1888, Page 2

EARTHQUAKES.

(BY TELEGRAPH.) Ohbistohtooh, September 3. Mr W. A. Low, of St. Helen's, Hanmet Plains, states that for three weeks back strange rambling noises have from the hills at tho baek of Pus, bat till Thursday evening they were not thought muoh of at the Plains, as they were put down to wind or some other suoh canee. On that evening these goundiwere followed by others more alarming, which nearly resembled the report of. single pieces of musketry fired In rapid' succession. These were shortly , shooks of earthquake about 10,10 , p.m. Ever since then the noisss gained in force till on 'Saturday morning. they wet* deafening, and oontlnaed to be so till the violent shook which did saoh damage. The direction from which the sounds have come through the Qorge appears to have been froba the head waters of the River, past Olarenoe, at' a; point when the accommodation house stands, and between the ranges of Jollie's Pass, jrhere they, in reaching the plains appear to hays died away, as they had not notioed them farther south. At S L . Helen's three chimneys were completely smashed—not broken off at' the top only, as in Christchurch, but smashed up completely. One fell through the roof of a kltchen, ' one through aoonservatoy, and one outsidei Mr Low removed his family to Jollie's Hotel, whioh had sustained no injury, and the furniture was put Into a wool shed. He estimates the cost of repairs at from Ll5O to L2OO. At Woodbank/ the property of;Mr VV. Atkinson, a large brick house, ereoted there about five years ago, and fitted with every convenience *aud nicely furnished, la a ooatr plete wreok. There was a large two-storey wooden addition* tooently mfcde v to it, whioh was set on concrete foundations. This has been forced off the foundations about 2ft and is otherwise bonslderably damaged. The men's hat Is a complete wreck. One of the men, who was Inside when the shock oame, was slightly injured by a falling rafter. Mr Atkinson removed to the Oulverden Hotel with his family on Saturday. Hopefield station, the- property of ; Mr W. Aoton Adams, whioh is situated on the south side of the river father up, the Gorge Station house has completely eollapeed and the manager. left it on. Saturday, talcing his family with him. ..At. Glynn Wye Station, still farther up the river, on the north side, a large dwelling-house, the property of Messrs A. and D. Rutherford, was first thrown bodily against the terraoa at, the bßck, and then completely wreoked. Besides this the men's hat—a large Wof storied iron ballding—was wrecked. The manager, Mr Oliver Thomson, and Ills men fortunately, In possession of tents,> are now utilising them as temporary., residences. The stonewalls of a large, woolshed are an entire wreok and the Iron roof has fallen in. A. concrete dip has been literally shaken to pieoes up the river, and on the terraoes along the banks leading to Glynn Wye fissures appear In numbers, whioh range in sisa from three inohes to a foot In width, and are of various lengths. These also appear In parts of the Perolvat River bed In Hanmer Plains, bat are not so large. In the Upper Waiau gorge ; since Saturday morning, several new hot springs have appeared, principally on the 'flat below Jollie's Pass, near the oaratlve baths. These have not been affeoted In the slightest, ai;d the building round them have remained intaot. There has been considerable damage done In the lower Amurl. The Ferry Hotel, olose by the bridge, is considerably dilapidated, bat Mr Holmes, the proprietor, has not found it neoessary to leave, and is setting about repairs. At Leslie Hills, on the north side of the river, a large stone dwelling . house, built about 10 years ago, the property of Messrs A. andD. Rutherford Is a oomplete wreok. A reoent addition In wood is considerably shaken, all the plastered walls having oome; down. ''Mr and Mrs Duncan Rutherford and family have taken with a brother at Montrose. Altogether the damage done in the Amuri, so far as Mr Low has made out, amounts In the aggregate to several thousand pounds. The Cathedral Chapter have voted L 5 to Anderson, the steeple keeper, for his bravery in ascending the tower and seonring the cross Immediately after the shook. Mr Gatin, Rabbit Board Inspector, walked across Hanmer Plains from Rogerson to Waiau bridge on 'Saturday, l and says that the whole "plain seemed to be seething with gas, and water was bubbling up in many places. The last shock experienced at Oalverden was at 815 this morning. Slnoe then everything seemed quiet. ~' - Mr Gann expresses the opinion thfctlf the,shooks had been generally alj^'XajMyttie as at Hanmer Plains not a stone, or brick building could have stood up.. Hetayphe was glad to get dear away; and thinks there is great danger of an eruption,, if one has not already taken plaoe in the ranges towards the west. .Hanmer Plains are still in aotive motion.