NORTH ISLAND SHAKEN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22205, 7 March 1934, Page 8

NORTH ISLAND SHAKEN

~ SEVERE EARTHQUAKE SHOCKS

AREA AFFECTED

WIDESPREAD STRUCTURAL DAMAGE '{■]: Earthquake shocks, causing the greatest alarm and attended by two deaths, occurred in the Wellington, Manawatu, Taranaki, and Wairarapa districts on Monday night. Palmerston North, ■'.■'■■: Feilding, Foxton, and Pahiatua: were'.the centres chiefly affected. 'vOver.a", 'wide area buildings suffered severely, and the structural damage occasioned by the shocks will cost thousands of pounds to repair. Power, light, and railway interruptions occurred ' in many places, but in the majority of instances these were promptly .restored. ■ ' . One fatality is reported from Pahiatua, where Mr Pringle, a •".'•' ': draper, died frbm ,shock. At Qreytown, Mrs L. Greathead, who suffered from heart trouble, collapsed under the strain and died.

WTOE AREA SHAKEN ALARM IN WELLINGTON RAIL TRAinC INTERRUPTED ''-.;.'■" ':_.;:,*;'' ii "."'. 1 . ";'....',,....,.■■". (Pet Uirnio Puss Association.) WMMN&TON, March 6. , The earthquake was severely \ felt fn aU parte of Wellington, and a good deal '/',. \< of alarm'.'iwi* caused; bat; no-serious has been reported, either in the .' city or suburbs. A few shop windows were broken, and a number of chimneys .were damaged; Unstable window decorations fell in some shops, causing the breakage of glass- ' ware. ' : - No .damages of any h kind is reported, y- ■ Some plaster was shaken down in the ■ Tq^; : |hn:;s^.-)tdbraw.^-' , S6«e;. i Library shelves' were moved and books wen thrown down. The cracks in the Fire Station were widened. These buildin*, art not regarded as good earthquake buildings. ' • ■"■"" A«j «*M paat4ron water main to the city failed near Hutt Park and a heavy escape of water; occorred, but it was soon repaired. The gas and electric systems are undamaged. The Hntt Valley felt the shock rather more than the dty. and the hotels lost a fair amount of stock.' Chimneys are down at Paekakariki and '"' '/■;.': '■'. * . in Hilit''..And.■. Petonei the , business areas suffered dsmage to the extent of *>•■ some hundreds of pounds In broken windows, crockery, end glassware. Bon#> holders have suffered in damaged chimneys, the wrenching away of hot water tank connections, and ; troubles of a like nature. . ■■ , ( In the centre of the city some windown "arereported, to have been smashed l and crtckeri• damaged Aroughjthe vioi lehee >f- the tremor, which seemed to 'have-a circular movement and was not preceded by any smaller shocks. Lights picketed in, the dty, but the power .supply did not fail. Reports from outside centres indicate that the ahock was also felt severely in the and Wairarapa district* !ln Palmerston, North some chimneys, are down, and alarmed residents rushed into ■■■■- the streets, the electric power failing \ • there for «* time. ■'■ ■ ,■ There are "also some chimneys down'n Masterton, Woodville, and Levin. Napier and VHastinßi also felt the ,shock, but no damage is reported. The earthquake w» felt as far north as j Attckland and; in"the South Island, but j .'•;/ oihiy slightly; "' ■'.:■:■■■■■ \ The Telegraph Offlce "ports that it | has-been in communication with most centres by telephone, and, beyond a few chimneys down and minor damage the effect of the tremor. was not severe. Telegraph communication, however, was ; interrupted in the north, and for a time difßculty was experienced in getting messages through. ; ; OBSERVATORY RECORDS ■ Dondaion Observatory records show , that the first :«h()ck was. at 11 hours 48 minuies IS seconds. There was another shock at 11 hours 58 minutes, and a tur- •"-. the* one; at 12 hours 6 mumtSes*. v • ■,- After that there were eight fairly large shocks' -which-alight Aaw..been felfc by <z people or might not. but which left very ; clearly defined records on the^eismographs. Altogether, including these..there were 22 aftefsbocla, some of ■ which might be described as microscopies Judging from the shocks as recorded, ' ' the epicentre of the shakemust have been some > 96 miles from Wellington, and, .:• Eh this is not yet. definite, it seems as though the Pahiattta district is indict intensity of the'shock in Wellington on the Rossi Forel scale was, roughly, ; sax Two of the pendulum clocks stopped '< and practically every other clock except ; suffered alight derange- . menV iThese adjustments occupied, considcrable time, -but, with the help, of - ships' chronometers, which are less subject to vibrations and jolts, it was possible to work out the time signal for 11 8 The effect <>f the shake OU the finer seismological instruments wag even more varied. The two Milne-Shaw seismographs, which will record a shock .at, a great distance; will not stand up to sturdy local shocks, aM these were put mo- . pletely ottt of adjusttaent by the shake. ' RAILWAY SUBSIDENCES A inrverdf railway damsge in the raidnkht earthquake show?, that Its severity Was confined to the southern part Of the North Island, for there have been no reports, of damage on the Stratfordf ' ' Okshukura line, which has so many new cuttings. The Wairarapa section, however, Manawatu; Wanaanui, and Hawkes Bay fe, Ormondvttle all report damage, though traffic will not be seriously affected. , The Wanganui district bad a slip 30 chains long and six feet deep in a cutting near Westmere, and the abutment of one "-' bridge between Waverley and Patea , showed a subsidence, while concrete work of the engine turntable at Wanganui was broken. The traffic is being conducted on this section at reduced speeds,

On the Wairarapa. side the engineers report a subsidence on the south side of one bridge near Woodville, though traffic is possible. The north approach to the bridge near Maunceville was suspended for half a chain, and the track was found out of alignment, between Mauriceville and Mangamahoe and Mangamahoe and Mangatainoka. There were also slips between Eketahuna; and Hukanui, and subsidences north and south of Mauriceville. station. Traffic was temporarily interrupted this morning., . Hawke's Bay reports a small slip near Oringi, also subsidences at the approaches to the viaduct near Ormondville and on. the approach to Kopua viaduct. Traffic will be resumed to-day at low speed. ■Night goods, traffic on the Manawatu line was interrupted through the track being out of alignment between Paraparatimu and Waikanae,' but to-day's expressfa were run; Slight,damage to the. bridge approach at Manawatu Gorge was quickly repaired. The Public Works Department reports no damage to the hydro-electric stations, but the automatic appliances which cut out the current when the line sways abnormally operated at Palmerston North and Hutt Valley, the latter losing the current. for 20 minutes. *' The Railways Department says the Wairarapa line is now clear and trains got ,through this afternoon. The chief engineer proceeded up the line this afternoon to; inspect the whole area, including bridges.. .'.'•..;:'■ '■";-. .. PALMERSTON NORTH ROCKED MANY CHIMNEYS DOWN SQUARE; SUFFERS SEVERELY (Paa Uwited Peesb Associatiok. j '■/ PALMBBSTON N., March 6. The most severe and violent earthquake the Palmerston North district has experienced for rat least 30 years occurred at 12 minutes before midnight, preceded by a rumbling noise..,.->. i_ • The, period of intensity, came with alarming suddenness, causing violent rocking, and awakening all, but a very few hardy sleepers. It caused swift alarm as movable article*' were swung from their stands to be broken in many pieces. Fortunately the period of intensity, was not more than 15 to 20 seconds, but the earthquake itself' lasted tor a full minute, the heaving of the ground not subsiding for'; two "or rhore 'minutes;"'":"•■* 1 :: '■""''' '"'•".~ In homes and other places where chimheyswere not able, to withstand the stress of the shake there was fear of greater damage as the bricks came tumbling down, some on the roof tops, others on the 'ground..'.",, ■ , i< Within the briefest space many people had sought the refuge of the streets, and another tremor by midnight again stirred unpleasant recollections. Thereafter there was a period of quiet, but the night was inclined to be stormy, with drizzling , rain.■■.■..-'„■ -■;':.'»' ■".; ''-J ',•.■

Tremors .occurred during the remainder at varying intervals, one at about 4.30 a.m.; and another at 5.30 being Bharp jolts.'. '.'.'.-' ■* .- :-','.'< It is most fortunate that the main shock was one of violent oscillation and that' there iwas'-'nd upthrust movement, This accounts for only minor damage (in the main) being recorded.. All the modern buildings withstood the shock We 11.,- ..';',.•:- .{;.:., .

The story throughout the countryside is mostly one "i of fallen chimneys which, through- : age lin almost every case* were unable to withstand'the stress.

There were several instances of plate glass windows in city business, premises being, shattered, and parapets and tops of wing walls also collapsed, in one instance, wrecking-.'■■ the,-'corner of .a shop. There were no fatalities and no reports of accidents. The gorge railway is out of alignment, but the trains are running slowly. The Wairarapa line is blocked.

DAMAGE IN THE SQUARE A survey of the damage in Palmerston North showS that in the Square, the business area, the most, serious damage was suffered at Collinson and Son's, where a brick wall crashed through the roof to fall on the counters, leaving a gaping hole. A large quantity of crockery was smashed. In several other business premises the tops of the brick side walls fell during the height of the movement, but the only damage was to some of the syklights. Pegden's lost two large plateglass windows, and in other premises the glass entrance doors were broken.

The goods in the shops this morning bore evidence of the intensity of the earthquake, being littered on the floors. Considerable damage wag done to stocks of a fragile nature through breakages. In the Clarendon building an extensive crack appeared over the corner frontage. The hotels suffered heavy losses through the bottled stocks being hurled to the ground and shattered. In a glazier's shop two bins of plateglass were badly damaged. . At the hospital a large water tank above the children's ward overflowed, the water pouring down the staircase. At the Tiritea : waterworks, the source of the city's main supply, the main pipe fractured below the filter house, flooding the cellars. There was no interruption m the service, as the supply of Water was conducted through an emergency by-pass. So far as residences are concerned the great majority, as in the case of the business premises, escaped unscathed. In the southern part of the city the greatest damage appears to have been done, some of the houses having all the chimneys down. In others one or two are down and the rest are damaged. . THE COUNTRY DISTRICTS

Reports from the country districts show that the earthquake was very severe. At Bunnythorpe, where 40 chimneys are down, an hotelkeeper lost bottled liquor stocks valued at £6O. A large glasshouse here had many of the panes smashed. At Ashhurßt and Whakarongo, on the Napier road; the damage in the main was confined to house chimneys, but at the former the Masonic Hotel lost all its chimneys. Sandon reports slight damage. The Whirokino bridge across the Manawatu River between FoXton and Levin is stated to have suffered badly. The Shannon bridge across the same river between Foxton and Shannon was also damaged. The seismograph at the Bunnythorpe substation, which had the brickwork

shattered and the foundations cracked, recorded an earthquake of the first magnitude. The recording instrument was thrown clean off the chart, swinging to the limit both ways. Ten other fairly substantial shocks were recorded up to S o'clock this morning, and two others since.

The Railways Department reports that the line through the gorge is out of alignment, but trains are being sent over it at five miles an hour. The bridges here are all in order. The bridge approaches at Ormondville and Kopua are reported to have subsided slightly, but are being repaired. FEILDING AND FOXTON HEAVY SHOCKS EXPERIENCED (Peb United Press Association.) FEILDING, March 6. The most severe earthquake in Fielding's history occurred at 12 minutes before midnight. Though only minor personal injuries were received by one resident, there was very considerable damage done to buildings. It began with no previous warning, and quickly developed into an alarming fore-and-aft movement, which continued for probably a minute. : All the electric lights failed immediately, though only for a couple of minutes. A second snake, quite as severe, followed, and these continued'till this morning with considerable bumps at 3 a.m. and 8 a.m. Dozens of chimneys are down at residences. The principal damage is in the business area. The parapet of the Jubilee Buildings (owned by the borough council) collapsed through a verandah, and the debris was scattered right across the street. Part of the parapet of Hastie's Hotel fell right on to the fire escape ladder, but, fortunately, no one was attempting to escape that way at the moment. Part of the parapet of the Salvation Army Citadel was also thrown into the street, and several plateglass windows of shops were broken. ■ . ' '.' The residents were greatly alarmed, ana rushed into the streets, spending a.most uncomfortable night owing to the repeated shakes. In one* chimney the bricks fell through a skylight on to a bed occupied by a woman, who received minor injuries. FOXTON, March 6. The most severe earthquake in the history of Foxton occurred at 11.48 last night, When considerable damage was done to house chimneys. No injuries to residents are reported. The business area is strewn with glass from plate windows, hardly a v ehop escaping damage. The Town Hall was seriously damaged, the top of the back brick wall being cracked and crumpled. The railway line is twisted, and the rails snapped in several places. The goods shed has dropped about a foot on .the west side. Cracks occurred along the wharf frontage. At the beach blow holes occurred on the river flat, where sand and debris were blown'out. The flat is how unsafe for traffic. a ''

One car was bogged, and a party of campers had an unenviable experience. The water swept up the old river fiat within t a few seconds, forcing them to seek refuge on the sandhills, 'where they spent the' night. Houses are not greatly damaged, but the occupants had a terrifying experience. The Whirokino bridge on the Welling ton-Auckland main highway is unsafe for traffic. The approaches to the Shannon bridge on the Foxton-Shannon highwaywere raised six inches, but the bridge is safe for traffic. The weather is boisterous.'-: >.■-..•-.■•!

MARTON, March 6. - Though last night's earthquake was the most severe experienced in this district, the damage was only of a minor nature. Buildings shook alarmingly. An eyewitness says that the Post Office and the Marton Hotel appeared to meet across .the street. -The telephone exchange was ten* porarily out of commission. A few chimneys down and minor breakages in the shops appear to be the sum total of the damage. , '

DAMAGE IN WOODVILLE HEAVY LOSSES IN BUSINESS ' AREA (Per United Pkesb Association.) : WOODVILLE, March o, Woodville was rocked by the worst earthquake in living memory. No one was injured,, but the property damage runs into many thousands. The first shock, at ,11.48 p.m., awakened all sleepers, throwing some from their beds. Practically every chimney in the town and district is down, and others are un sound. Crockery, was broken wholesale The worst damage is in the business area, where the. stock was thrown from- the shelves, plate-glass windows smashed, and parapets thrown down. Some walls are unsafe and will have to be removedv ■ The Club Hotel chimney crashed through into the kitchen, which was completely wrecked.. The chimney from the Masonic Hotel went through the ve6tibul»> roof of the Kosy Theatre adjoining. Grocers and chemists are the heaviest losers. Practically everything movable was thrown on the floor and smashed The damage to Stock is estimated to be over £IOOO in Galbraith's store.

Six plate-glass were cracked, and most other shop windows were cracked or broken. Reports from the country districts state that chimneys and crockery were wrecked. Cracks opened on some roads, and at the bridge approaches. The borough water and gas supply is intact. At Grinlington's (furnishers) a double chimney crashed through two floors taking with it a wardrobe and embedding itself in the ground. Minor shocks followed the first, and many people walked the streets throughout the night. ■ An inspection of the back country re veals minor damage from slips and cracks Practically every road has suffered and the cracks are particularly noticeable at Kumeroa, where the houses suffered badly Nearly all the chimneys are down in this district, and the crockery losses are heavy in addition to the structural damage. One house is unfit for habitation. Twenty cheeses fell from the shelves of the Riverbank dairy factory and were broken. The smokestack, of the Woodville factory was twisted. A further slight shock was felt this afternoon. The residents spent a busy day removing damaged chimneys and making their houses habitable. In the business area the losses will ex.ceed £3OOO.

WEST COAST DISTRICTS MINOR DAMAGE REPORTED SLIPS ON COUNTRY ROADS (Pes United Press Association.) WANGANUI, March 6. Apparently very. alarming reports concerning the earthquake damage at Wanganui were circulated in other parts of the Dominion. The reports were greatly exaggerated, although the shake was .one of the most severe felt here for many years. It lasted for approximately three minutes (followed by other lesser shakes) and effected more damage than on the occasion of the Murchison and Napiev shakes. , The most serious damage occurred at the woollen mills and the Rutland Hotel. Fortunately nobody was injured. The Rutland Hotel boarders got a shock when the parapet overlooking Ridgway street crashed through the balcony, bringing down the telephone and electric wires. The parapet of Ross and Glendining's building on Taupo quay fell to the footpath. Several plate-glass windows were damaged, and several hundred pounds of damage was done at the Renown Stores. About 25ft of the brick, chimnev stack of the Wanganui Woollen Mills collapsed, portion falling through the boiler room, putting the economise™ out of action, liie walls of the boiler room building were also badly unsprung, and the mills are not working to-day. »«■ • - v^„ There was no damage at Messrs Kempthorne and Prosser's large fertiliser works The top of the old brick stack at the casein works came down. There were a number of sups on tne county roads in the interior, blocking the traffic. The' colleges escaped damage. The boarders were quietly taken out of the premises. . Thousands of tons of spoil have been brought down in the Makfirikiri Valley. * WANGANUI, March 6.

structural damage was done to the brick walls, and a portion of the high gable was dislodged. A big elip occurred at the junction of the Makirikiri Valley road and the main road, but the latter is open. The Wanganui River road, which was of more recent construction, has subsided in places, and there are a few small slips, but the service cars and cream lorries were able to get through. A small slip occurred on the Parapara road, in the Raetihi district, but this was soon cleared, and the road is open. While the earthquake was in progress in Wanganui a taxi driver had an exciting experience. When returning from Upokongaro with' some friends a portion of the face on the roadside fell as the car was passing and struck the rear of the vehicle. Some damage was done to the car, but no one was hurt. STRATFORD, March 6. A severe shake of earthquake was felt last night, but no damage ia reported. The official record showß that the total period of oscillation was 27 minutes. HAWERA, March 6. The earthquake occasioned widespread minor damage at Hawera, the main shock beine worse than any felt during the Napier and Murchison disasters. No one, however, was injured. The individual property losses suffered, mostly by shopkeepers, would be covered by small amounts. Confusion was caused by the shock .in several stores, goods being strewn across the floors. The most severe effects were cracked shop windows in the premises of Harrop's, Ltd., drapers, and H. N. Lester, fancy goods, and a cracked wall at the rear of Burgess and Fraser's wholesale store. A dance was in progress in the Winter Show building, and the shock caused some excitement, young women fainting, and a number made a hasty exit. There was, however, no panic, which was possibly prevented by the presence of mind of the orchestra, which continued playing, and the majority resumed dancing.

SEW PLYMOUTH, March 6. The earthquake was felt heavily at New Plymouth at 11.48 p.m., but as the motion was a rolling one, lacking jerks, only slight damage was done. The town clock was stopped and a few chimneys were shaken down. Most sleepers were awakened, and some hurried from their houses. _____

THE STORM CENTRE WAIRARAPA DISTRICT PLIGHT OF PAHIATUA FULL SEVERITY OF SHOCK j (Peb United Press Association.) PAHIATUA, March 6. A terrifying earthquake, lasting for nearly two minutes, shortly before midnight, was the worst in the district's history. In the business area, the damage runs to thousands of pounds. Many firms are affected. Chimneys are down all over the country, and the effect of the shock is apparent in hundreds of homes. Numerous other shakes occurred at intervals, and the whole district was plunged into darkness by the disruption of the electric power lines. The telephone lines are also partly down along either side of the main street. '.-... . , , , At the outset the communication north of Pahiatua was cut off, and only with the greatest difficulty was outside news gleaned. . There was one tragic occurrence Andrew Pringle, a leading business .man, who had been seriously ill, was making a hurried exit Jrom his residence when he heard a crash, and collapsed and died. Communication with Makuri was cut off. Makuri seems to have fared worse than any other district. The Makuri Gorge is hopelessly blocked and must remain so for some time. A gang of men has been sent to start clearing away the obstructions. .. ■ ... , Taking two men with him with spades and axes, Mr Rutherford set out in a_car from Makdri this morning over the Pon gafoa road to Rakaunui on the Makuri side of the Pongaroa Hill. They encountered frequent obstructions. There were great cracks in the road, some running parallel with the roadside as much as a chain in length, and others criss-crossing in various directions. In some spots the road has dropped, two feet, and the men just managed to get through. Further on they saw nothing so severe as that at Makuri. • ■'■, ; . . On the Wangaehu road, a back road leading into Masterton, there were al?o a few fissures. In the Makuri township the approach to the bridge has droppfj very considerably, but traffic could still get across. The homesteads out there are badly wrecked inside. Everything movable seemed to have been h'urled to the ground and everything breakable was broken. In the residence of his father. Mr U. n. Rutherford, there were six chimneys ami Mr Rutherford, junior, said he doubted if there were two bricks left together intact. The very wallpapers had been torn and cracked. A small creek at the back of the bouse went suddenly dry. Other homes, particularly those of Mi C B. Tylee and Mr J. P. Tylee, met with a similar fate. In Fisher's Hotel nearlv every bottle was broken. '■■.:■■ ... Hearing a noise at the telephone in his house, Mr Rutherford examined the receiver and it cracked as he up .One end was nearly red-hot. Mr Rutheiford suspected that a power line was responsible, so he promptly cut the telephone wire, just outside the house with a pair ot insulated cutters. < - v - , In Pahiatua itself nearly 20 business premises were unable to open their doors for trading this morning. The earthquake, which lasted nearly two minutes, can scarcely have been much less in

severity to the Napier shake, and only the absence of large brick buildings prevented destruction of a more wholesale nature. As it is, the damage to shops and private homes is,enormous, and it will be a very long time before the town regains its normal appearance. Except for the southern hall of the town and one or two of the country areas, the whole district was plunged in darkness by the disruption of the electric power and telephone lines, which are partly doWn along each side of the main street. As a result, many telephone subscribers are disconnected, and all communicntidn by wire north of Pahiatua is impossible. The main street this morning presented a desolate spectacle, with many buildings in complete ruin, drooping verandas, and bricks, mortar, and plate glass strewn over a wide radius of pavement and street. It was a blessing that the earthquake jccurred at night when the shops were closed. Had it come during business hours the loss of life might have been grave, since many of the falling shop fronts would probably have served a* a trap for those assistants and customers who would have been making for the street.

No preliminary rumble or warning tremble preceded the shock, and driving rain fell during the shake and for a full hour afterwards. In the grip of the earthquake buildings swayed deliriously, but, fortunately, there was ho outbreak of fire. A few minutes after midnight the firebell clanged violently, but the alarm was merely to summon all the brigadesmen and volunteers for picket duty outside the ruined premises. Under police supervision, rope barricades were erected across certain parts of the town, as the brick frontages had crashed in places far out into street, making the roadwaydangerous for traffic in the darkness. With assistance, the shopkeepers whose premises had suffered removed as much as possible of their most perishable goods to the neighbouring shops. Though tragedy appeared to be ever imminent the situation was not .without its humorous side. One elderly man, an hotel guest, grabbed a pair of trousers, and in trying to don them in the dark pushed both feet through one trouser leg. Securely imprisoned, he struggled desperately to extricate himself from his predicament until finally a boarder in a neighbouring room came to his assistance. Mr Horace Lowe, a night watchman, had a startling experience. "I was trying the door of the theatre," he said, "when the earthquake came with a bang. I turned to step off the pavement from uuder the veranda, but, as I stepped down, the street seemed to sink away, and I was thrown full length out into the roadway. Scrambling on hands and knees out into the middle of the street I tried to stand up, but went down again, so I lay there powerless even to stand. The road was undulating, and the buildings oa each side of the street swayed

Although nothing has -occurred in the interior of the freezing works at lmlay to prevent operations aa usual, some

and creaked in eerie fashion. One building rocked about like a cork in water before it finally settled down intact." Mr Lowe said that when the shake was at its height the sky was tinged a bluish green—a phenomena which was also noticed by others. . The Mayor has forwarded a message to the Prime Minister and also to Mr Ransom stating that funds are urgently required to provide labour to restore the damage. The Farmers' Union this afternoon resolved unanimously that strong representations should be made to the Government asking the Public Works Department to take control of the reconstruction of the chimneys destroyed and suggesting that each home should be provided with one chimney and the restoration of its water service. MASTERTON AND CARTERTON (Per United Press Association.) MASTERTON, March 0. Considerable minor damage was done throughout the district by the earthquake last night, chimneys being down and cracks opening in the roads. At 9.3 this morning another slight but pronounced shake was felt. A number of Queen -i street business premises suffered fairly extensive damage, and in places the-footpaths were littered with broken glass arid fragments of brickwork. In Queen street over 80 plate-glass* windows were broken. Buildings were badly cracked in ft number of instances, while in the rear pprtions of a number of premises the brickwork came away. A portion of the rear part of the Opera House came down, while the Post Office clock is damaged, and there are cracks in the walls.

Some 4 parts of the residential area escaped damage, while in others chimneys collapsed, and household articles were scattered in all directions.

At Te Oreore, Waneaehu, and towards the east coast, the damage is fairly heavy, chimneys being down in ail directions. In some areas the conditions were made worse by the electric light failing. Many of the shops in Masterton are a scene of destruction owing to the goods being violently flung down. In one street in Masterton there are over 10 -chimneys down.

The country districts northward of Masterton appear to have suffered most severely. Practically all the chimneys are down, and the water tanks have been wrenched off their stands. Several homesteads are reported to be almost ruined, the contents being strewn around in indescribable confusion.

Cracks appeared on the roads in some places, and several extensive slips occurred on the hillsides, but the highways are not blocked. Railway communication northwards was restored late 'this afternoon. The telephone lines in the Wangaehu Valley are being' restored, and it is hoped that the work will be finished to-morrow.

CARTERTON, March 6. The most severe earthquake experienced in Carterton since 1904 occurred at 11.49 last night. It commenced lightly and worked up to great intensity. The movement at first was slightly undulating, and then rotary and up and down, with a general movement west to east, which w unusual in this district, the general direction being from' south-east to northwest. ' ■'"" •v > ■;.•■■•'.;•'' ■

Goods in several of the shops were thrown from the shelves, A number of chimneys in private houses were damaged, but no serious losses are reported.

Greytown, Featherston, and Martinborough suffered from fallen chimneys. Mrs Len Greathead, of Greytown, who had been suffering from heart trouble for some time past, collapsed during the terrifying experience and died at 3 o'clock., '• < The whole district came through the ordeal very well indeed. The worst damage besides chimneys was to the hot-water cisterns, the water being thrown out and epoiling the ceiling papers.

EAST COAST DISTRICT DANNEVIRKE BADLY SHAKEN WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION HASTINGS AND NAPIER ESCAPE (Pes United Pbess Association.) DANNEVIRKE, March 6. From 12 minutes to midnight Dannevirke and the surrounding districts spent an anxious night, due to a series of earthquakes varying in intensity. The first shock was the worst, and was very severe. It lasted a long time, the movement being very violent and the noise in the buildings very alarming. 'v . Many residents temporarily vacated their homes. Fortunately no one so far as is known suffered injury. It was fortunate that the shake occurred when the streets were practically deserted; otherwise the probabilities are that there would have been narrow escapes, if not fatalities. An early-morning survey of the town disclosed widespread structural damage, though comparatively not severe. The parapet of the Evening News building, which successfully withstood the earthquake of February, 1931, crashed into the parapet of the Be Luxe Dance Hall in Gordon street, and came down through the balcony, littering the footpath. Part of the parapet of the National Bank fell on the garden seat in Post Office square, smashing it to pieces. This is a popular rendezvous during the daytime. The De Luxe Picture Theatre suffered some damage to the> parapets at the back portion, and buildings in the business portion of the main thoroughfare suffered in various ways, some being cracked, some apparently slightly tilted, attd others haying windows Tbroken. Many articles in various places were thrown from the shelves, and the contents littered the floors. ■ The building which seems to have suffered most seriously is the Town Hall, a large brick building, which is badly cracked along the front near the entrance door and on the northern corner. Ihe parapet of Girhard's butcher's shop came away, and brought the veranda down with if. The brick belfrey on the top of Knox Church shows signs of damage, and may prove to be unsafe. After the Napier disaster of 1931, many of the parapets on business buildings were removed, and other safety measures taken. This no doubt considerably minimised the damage in the business area. Many chimneys are down in various parts of the town, particularly along the Terrace, though it is noticeable that most of them are old ones which survived the previous visitation. Reports from surrounding settlements show that the main dainage was to chimneys, many of which were razed. The main shock apparently came from an east-south-westerly direction, and about the middle there was a fairly violent bump. About seven or eight shakes followed before daylight, but were not nearly so alarming as the central oiie. The Commercial Bank of Australia's premises, a brick building in High street, suffered heavy damage. The rear part of the south wall collapsed, the roof smashing in the ceiling of the manager's office and sending a pile of debris on to the office table. Gas fittings were wrenched off and hang at fantastic angles. No structural damage of any consequence occurred at the Post Office. , , ~ At the Public Hospital all the chimneys are damaged, one falling through the roof of an outside building. The patients behaved admirably. _ Reports from all places in the coastal area show that chimneys are down in all direCtl ° nS ' WAIPUKURAU, March 6. A severe earthquake was experienced in the Waipukurau district about 11.45 last night. It was of fairly lengthy duration, with a swaying motion, but there was an absence of jolting, which was characteristic of the 1931 earthquake, consequently there was no damage. The people were considerably alarmed, however. There was another shake of lesser severity 10 minutes later, and also minor tremors, one notably at 5 o'clock. The Porangahau area suffered damage. A number of chimneys are down and others are cracked. Tanks unset and burst, and crockery was broken. P HASTINGS, March 6.

month since the big earthquake in which a tremor has been recorded. NAPIER, March 6. Last night's earthquake did no damage in Napier. The motion was slow, an_ the period of the movement about 30 seconds. OTHER DISTRICTS NO DAMAGE IN AUCKLAND. (Pes United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, March 6. The earthquake was practically unnoticed at Auckland. The ferry clock stopped at 11.50 p.m. Reports from the country districts state that the earthquake had an undulating motion, and was widely felt. There was no serious alarm, and no damage is reported anywhere. HAMILTON, March 6. One of the-most severe and prolonged shocks for many years was experienced in the Waikato district at 11.49 last evening. Many residents were wakened by the noise of windows and fixtures rattling. No material damage is reported. Reports from Arapuni state that a severe shock was felt. The dam and power house and falls were inspected to-day, but no damage is evident. GISBORNE, March 8. Tinoroto, which has been a centre of seismic activity in this district, experienced a gentle swaying motion. Residents report that a loud, booming noise was heard at intervals, similar to that observed during the 1931 shakes. THE SOUTH ISLAND PRACTICALLY UNAFFECTED. (Peb United Press Association.) NELSON, March 6. A prolonged shock, with circular motion, was felt at Nelson. No damage was done. The* post office clock stopped. BLENHEIM, March 6.

The earthquake was felt here at 11.47. It was a very prolonged but gentle motion that stopped the town clock and caused a short circuit on the hydro-electric transmission system, plunging the province into darkness for a-quarter of an hour. No damage is reported. ASHBURTON, March 6. Most people got a surprise this morning when they found that the town clock had stopped, and learned that all clocks in jewellers' shops had stopped at 11.50 P " m " TIMARU, March 0. An earthquake was experienced at 11.50 last night. No damage is reported, but it stopped the recently-erected town clock, which, however, is undamaged. ' BUILDING REGULATIONS ENFORCEMENT OB UNIFORMITY. (Peb United Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH; March 6, That the s Government possesses power which it intends to use to draw np mpdei building regulations for all cities likely to be affected by earthquakes was made clear by Dr Marsden, director of the Department of Scientific-Research, in a telephone conversation with j a reporter to-day. . ': ... ■■>■ ; ■:' He said a committee of the New Zealand Standards Institute was engaged drawing up a set of model regulations which it was'hoped to have completed in about four months. On the committee Were architects, engineers, surveyors, builders, anfci representatives of locai bodies, and the Prime Minister had given an assurance that if the members reached a fairly unanimous agreement model regulations would be applied to all cities and boroughs in areas liable to earthquake* throughout the Dominion;. The work of drawing the regulations was complex and difficult, said Dr Marsden. Already investigations were bemp made by a geologist to discover what lessons could be learned from the earthquake on Monday night for the benefit of the committee. . ,'■•,', _1 ■ . - The Prime Minister (Mr Forbes} said the intention of the Government wae that local bodies would be given the responsibility, without Government supervision, of administering the building regulations to minimise the risks from earthquakes The Government would not reconsider its decision not to proceed with the' Building Construction Bill. The supervision of buildings in construction and the administration of the regulations were felt to be purely matters for the local bodies, and the. Government believed that the local bodies were capable of doing the work. RELIEF IN AUSTRALIA (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegrapb-rCopyrtfJit) SYDNEY, March 8. (Received March <5, at 11.50 p.m.) Considerable relief is felt in Australia over the fact that the earthquake effects in New Zealand were only minor, having regard to the, violent records of the seismographs reported here last night. Mr L. J. Schmitt, the New Zealand Trade Commissioner in Australia, received the following brief message to-day from the Dominion Government, which he published:—"The earthquake last night was generally in the southern portion of the North Island. There was a' certain amount of minor damage to property, but nobody was injured."

The earthquake was felt with considerable intensity here, but no damage is reported. The people, nevertheless, were somewhat alarmed. The seismograph shows that the first shake lasted four minutes, and another lasting three minutes followed 10 minutes later. The seismograph had not recorded even a slight tremor for seven weeks previously. Ther» has not been a