A WEEK OF HORROR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17059, 14 June 1926, Page 2

A WEEK OF HORROR.

EARTHQUAKES AT SOLOMONS.

THIRTY-FIVE SHUCKS IN SEVEN

♦•AWFUL VIOLENCE BEYOND WORDS."

An interesting report of the recent earthquakes in the Solomon Islands Ins come from the general secretary of the Melauosian Mission. Major H. S. Robinson, who is at present visiting these Pacific Islands. The writer of the report i> the Rev. Dr. Fox, of the Mblanesian Mission station at i'awa, on iHe islam! of Cgi. Dr. Fox states: ••The oe.nhqtmke started on Monday, April 12, and continued for ion days. During the first seven days there were ,".."i brief shocks and many Tremors, bill none were so terrible as the first one. The awful violence of that !•"' seconds is beyond words. "It was a dark night and raining. There was a great roaring, the houses danced like Dervishes, n mil tree on the top of the hilLwns thrown to the bottom, and my house was instantly in flames. At Pawa all the tanks, brimful of water, were thrown to the. ground and completely smashed. The back vorandah collapsed to matchwood, and a side of the back room was wrenched out. Martin was down there, with the work boys, and on running out they were all thrown to the ground. Inside, the big bookcase and the large table met and scrapped in the midlo of the floor, and cupboards and cases played battledore and shuttlecock. In the hospital four boys wove on beds and were all thrown to the middle ofitlie room and there met the medicine cupboard. Everything breakable broke. •

'QUAKES EVERY FEW MINUTES.

''Then came quiet and we put out the tire in my house with wet sacks. All night the island quivered and earthquakes came every three or four minutes, till 2 a.m. On Tuesday they came af longer intervals, and so till Thursday at 7.30, when the next big one arrived. This upset everyone, and teachers and boys all went to their gardens for the night, and I was left alone on Taesara. No'house was safe, so 1 spread my cape on the grass and lay there smoking- -all night. Big shakes came up every hajf-hour with a roar. You could see the hills swinging as you swing your arm, and could hear the hi]lsi.des falling. The hill by Abel's garden fell into the gully, and great fissures opened everywhere. Butchart's house turned over at an angle of 45 degrees.- My own place came through unhurt, thanks to your good wiring. In .some houses main posts were wrenched out, A fissure opened across the floor of George's house. Some of these fissures are 50 yards long. Fissures opened on the reef on both sides of the point. Many native houses fell, also the stone church at Tnwarodo. HUGE TIDAL WAVE.

"At Bio there was a huge wave leaving lot? of fish. At Langaula the tanks fell, but the houses stood, although the native houses went right over. At Three Sisters it was worse. The "house-was lifted up and dropped on to the posis, which went right through the floor. It was milder at Waiai, and after the great shock there, were only tremors, hot the week of horror we had. On Friday I went down and slept in : Rudgard?s house, and that night there were only six'earthquakes, and though the rocking of t]ie house awoke me, I did pot have to leave ithe building. It .was my fir:it ehor.t slec-p for that week. "From the lie of the •fissures I am of opinion thai the shocks came from the north-east, and am confirmed in this by the more extensive damage done at the Three listers. Islands. The long-drawn-out waiting, always expecting a. worse .shock, tried all our nerves badly. At the big shake I did think that Ugi was going, ami all of us with it. All through it all 1 would have given much for a companion'."