EARTHQUAKE WARNINGS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17437, 8 April 1931, Page 12

EARTHQUAKE WARNINGS

EX-GISBORNITE’S DEVICE SEVERAL SAFETY APPLIANCES A device claimed to give warnings of earthquakes some time before they are appa rent lo human beings lias been invented by Mr. Sydney G. Hoskins, of ('hl'istehiireb, and formerly of Gisborne. Mr. Hoskins has been living in Christchurch for the past seven years, but was in Gisborne for about five '■oars prior to that. Mrs. N. McKenzie, of < I isborne. is bis sister. Tho invention, which is known as i: improved scientific earthquake detecting and warning device,” is consi meted tii sound tho alarm of an approaching earthquake according to its intensity, while in addition attachments can lie made to turn off the eloelric power for the prevention of tires, and open doors for the purpose of making for speedy exits from buildings. Mr. Hoskins told a Christchurch Bun reporter that the idea occurred to him as a result of the Hawke’s Hay earthquake. He is a piano timer, but out of employment, and be spent all bis spare time in Iho perfecting of the invention, which is now in use. In a small box-like contrivance is a bell, which sounds at the lirst impulse. After tremors have been recorded, Mr. Hoskins lias cheeked the fact from the observatory. Only lateral movements, such as earth tremors, affect iho instrument. Attachments (o the apparatus can be made to open doors of buildings, which would be of great value in factories and schools, and Mr. Hoskins is bringing the invention before the notice of the Education Department. As some of the tremors are only of a minor nature, Mr. Hoskins indicated that the device can be set to sound warnings only of those earthquakes of certain severity and presaging something worse. When the matter was referred to Mr. H. F. Skey, director of the Christchurch Magnetic Observatory, reference was made to other inventions of similar type, blit which bad not come into general use. There was no reason, however, that such an instrument should not come into general use if perfected, he said. Warnings given by such instruments were necessarily very short, but if the warning was as brief as only lOsec it would be of value. On one occasion the machine bad recorded an earthquake just before the seismograph at the observatory bad noted it, but further tests would be advisable before it came into general use.