QUAKE SHAKES MOST OF NORTH ISLAND

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 434, 6 May 1932, Page 6

QUAKE SHAKES MOST OF NORTH ISLAND

NO SERIOUS DAMAGE CAUSED (' Press Association.-^-Copyright. i NAPIJER, Thurs..---An .earthquake of an intensity probably ■qqual to that of the secondary shakes iast year shook Napier and Hastings severely at 7.55 o.'clock to-night. The police: and hospital '.authorities report no known casualties. The quake cjansed a certain • amq.unt of 'alarm aYid confusfon,' although St'He general [the 'people was remarkably .calm. . ! '.

The streets were quickly; alive with !peoi?le, :the ; majer'ity ( iiMView.'r,f. past j&xperiefices, making: for ■.UtaiHiyen im- , mediately it became .evident that the■qpake.'was one of some severity.' Th audiences, however, did not V<-: .;-, .alarmed and ■ only a small mi.:;;.:- went out. Within ten minutes or so the programmes were resumed aiid those who left the theatres had returned, Choir girls in a Napier church where a service was in progress had .a, rather had scare, the failure of the light adding to their alarm. There were other cases. where women were a Uttle panicky, .more particularly at the -Hastings, .memorial hospital. So . far* it -appears there : has been .no structural ..damage of any kind, ■apart from a plate .glass window broken through the dislodging of goods ,on display. Spine ,damage may have, resulted from goods being .thrown from shelves. though the information available at 10 .p.m. does not indicate that it'has been serious. The telephone exchanges at Napier and Has tings were disorganised, but the service was soon restored. Within a few seconds after the tremor started-the light failed or was cut off, but. was restored in .ten minutes. . Several minor shakes were ! felt after the main one, the last be I iug soon-after 9; p.m. They were: by no means .severe. .-.'.-, Following, is a resume, of informalion received .from the .postmaster by •the Secretary of the Post. and Tele-, graph Department at Wellington-^ A few shop windows were damaged at'Hastings through the contents of 'windows .falling.. No structural dam age occurred. , Woodville, Dannevirke, Waipukurau and WaipaWa report the quake as causing temporary interruption • to electric light services, and no other damage. Te Kuiti and Taumaruum report that -the quake was slight. •Taupo felt a severe shake, but Ham-, fltoa and Rotorua did not experience a shock. No shock was evident .at Auckland. Wanganui felt a fairly severe earthquake accompanied .by j partial power failure. There was no, .damage.,at Gisb.6V.he or Wairoa. Tara-, .dale reports that; a fairly -seveie earthquake brought down- somer-cliinv, treys in the' 1 district 'and shook -stock from .shelves. The electric light failed but was restored .about . M", The telephone exchange staff, had to be trebled at Napier to cope with inquiries received from all over tlw, North island. The news evidently, spread quickly and concern.was prooably greater outside Hawke's Bay thaii within.' :;; : M; ;/7.- ■*' ;- •'•';