EXPLOSION UNDER SEA

Taranaki Daily News, 15 July 1929, Page 11

EXPLOSION UNDER SEA

I WATER AND SMOKE SHOOT UP - FAREWELL SPIT DISTURBANCE; MORE EARTHQUAKES ON COAST By Telegraph.—Trees Association. Wellington, Last Night. “A heavy explosion occurred at sea at 2.15 p.m. on Saturday about one and a-half miles north-west of Fareweii Spit,” states advice received by the P. and T. Department from the postmaster at Collingwood. A huge column of water and black smoke shot into the air and then travelled very rapidly. in the direction of French Pass, passing close to the lighthouse. No damage was caused to°the lighthouse. Over the week-end the weather been very bad, states a Westport message. There has been a series of electrical storms with several shakes hi the midst of them, the worst ones hap pening during the. night. The position so far as Seddonville is concerned is unaltered. An examination of the big dam formed by the eartii quake shows it was 75 feet high and about 2'5 feet of the top came avvav. leaving a bank of 50 feet still standing. When the flood broke through part of the big dam it carried away minor dams down the river, except one about a mile above the township. Men are leaving at 7 a.m. to-morrow to cut a track up to the big dam and explosives will be taken up to bla-sl away the dams when the river is low. Mr. C. F. Schadick, engineer to the county council, who has returned from Karamea, reports that the inland road is wiped out and will never be used again. He estimates the cost of county ( restoration work in and about Karamea j at £20,000. Except for one family, Coibyvale has been completely evacuated. (

SEISMOLOGIST INVESTIGATES.

VALUABLE INFORMATION HOPED.

Wellington, July 13.

One of the impressions gained by Dr. C. E. Adams, Government seismologist, from his visit to the'earthquake affected area was that Westport and Nelson were about equally hard hit by the earthquake. In some of the structures damaged by the earthquake it seemed to him as if the possibility of a big shake had been ignored by those responsible

for the buildings. _ Architects, Dr. Adams suggested, would be well advised to be more in

touch with geologists, more co-opera-tion all round being desirable. He said one of the most amazing features was the twisting without breaking of the railway lines. Dr. Adams was unable to substantiate the story of the sea bottom being lifted near Karamea as he was not able to visit that district.

Experiments now being made, he said, in the timing of shocks and observations at Westport, Greymouth, Hokitika and elsewhere are co-ordinated for this purpose. Some valuable information, it was hoped, would be deduced from these experiments which were being entered into with zest by the officers of the Post and Telegraph Department. The most fruitful source of investiga-

tion at present,. Dr. Adams thought, would be that done-by geologists, especially when the Karamea district was investigated.

FUND OPENED IN LONDON. EXCELLENT RESPONSE RECEIVED. By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received July 14, 5.5 p.m. London, July 13. The High Commissioner for New Zealand (Sir James Parr) has opened a fund at the request of London New Zealanders to alleviate distress in the earthquake areas. There have been excellent responses and a splendid total is indicated.