PREVIOUS EARTHQUAKES

Taranaki Daily News, 6 February 1931, Page 8

PREVIOUS EARTHQUAKES

SOUTH ISLAND RECORDS CHEVIOT AND MURCHISON SHAKES VERY FEW SERIOUS VISITATIONS. Past experience has shown that the central portion of New Zealand, from Taranaki and the east coast to Christchurch and Westport, is the most liable to earthquakes, and several well-marked geological fault lines have been located hi this area. In the record of previous earthquakes, from 1848 until this week’s disaster, the most serious, judged from loss of life and damage to property, was that on the West Coast of the South Island in June, 1929. The. first earthquake of any severity after European occupation ' occurred in October, 1848. It was felt from Taranaki to Marlborough, but Wellington, then a very new town,- suffered most severely. Three persons were killed and only four brick buildings escaped damage. Consternation was spread among the new. settlers, for whom it was a most unnerving experience. ■ Wellington was the centre of another earthquake in February, 1855, when portions of the coastline were raised and the Government offices were destroyed. Te Aro Flat, now in the heart pf Wellington, was converted from a, swamp into dry land. In 1868, Wellington was again shaken and Christchurch had its first experience in 1881. On September 1, 18'88, Christchurch suffered a much more severe, shake, portion of the Christchurch Cathedral spire being dislodged. TERROR-STRICKEN CHEVIOT. One of the worst visitations was that at Cheviot on November 16, 1901. A series of severe shocks occurred over a period of two days, and the townspeople were reduced to a state of terror. A small child was smothered in the ruins of a home, and few houses were left habitable. Damage to buildings, roads and bridges was estimated at £20,000. In Christchurch itself the cathedral spire again suffered, being cracked in two places. , Three to four years later there were severe ’quakes in the Wellington province. An earthquake in Westland on February 13, 1913, caused heavy falls of rock 'in the Buller Gorge and damage to buildings in Westport. Considerable damage resulted from an earthquake which was felt in North Canterbury on Christmas Day, 1922. Again there was general panic at • Cheviot, where landslips occurred. ‘ Other centres, including Christchurch, were the scenes of much damage to property. . At the time a cricket match was in progress between A.'C. McLaren’s English team and, a Canterbury eleven. It was a new experience for the overseas players, who stopped the game and watched the shaking chimneys nearby. THE MURCHISON EARTHQUAKE.

Little damage was done by shocks felt until 1929. There was' a slight visitation at Morrinsville on December 12, 1926. An earthquake caused heavy falls of rock in Arthur’s Pass in March, 1929, and in May shocks were felt from Napier to Wanganui. The Westland and Nelson earthquake of 1929 is still fresh in the minds of people. On the morning of June 17, heavy shocks w’ere recorded in both the North and South Islands, and they caused severe damage in Westport, Greymouth, Nelson and the intervening district. The death roll totalled 17, many of whom were trapped in houses. All communication was blocked with the west coast towns affected and residents went through terrifying experiences in their rush for safety. In Murchison alone, 10 deaths occurred, and the township was quickly deserted. INSURANCE POLICIES. POSITION OF COMPANIES. SPECIAL COVER REQUIRED. Many firms and nearly all houseowners in Napier will have to face the prospect of a total loss of their property, as insurance companies are excluded. from all liability unless a special policy has been taken out covering earthquakes and fire following an 'earthquake. A leading insurance authority states that after the great San Francisco earthquake insurance companies adopted- a clause excluding them from all liability, under ,an ordinary fire contract, for fire following an earthquake or any convulsion of nature. “It is very much the exception for firms or private persons to take out policies covering damage caused by earthquakes or fire following an earthquake,” he said. WHOLE HILLSIDES SLIP AWAY RAILWAY WORKER KILLED. SHATTERED COUNTRYSIDE. < Gisborne, Feb. 4. - A story of. & shattered countryside and a nerve-wracking experience is told by Mr. ,C.-A-. Lawn, who returned from Mohaka to-day. He said there were large slips on most of the hills, while the rivers and streams were . dammed up. At the Mohaka railway bridge, a workman was buried under tons of debris. ( Another, who received severe head injuries, was taken to the Wairoa hospital. Mr. Lawn was working with a survey party on the top of a razorback bushclad ridge, when the whole hill moved. The two sides slipped away from under them, leaving- the bewildered party standing precariously on the top of the ridge, looking down at the native bush that only a moment before had surrounded them.

One of the party overbalanced and fell down with the clip, but he was unhurt.

The ground continued to quiver and shake severely every few minutes for upwards of half an ‘hour, during which time the party crawled over the neighbouring ridge to reach the camp. Everywhere hills were shattered and crumbly, with clouds of dust rising in every direction. Every ridge appeared to, have suffered from slips. Nearly every creek was*, blocked up and -he Waihua River was dammed for a distance of a quarter of a-mile. A strange fact was, however, that where streams were still running, they appeared to contain about 50 per cent, more water than before tlie earthquake.

News from the Mohaka railway viaduct stated that men were working in huge cylinders of the bridge and they deemed it wiser to stay' where they were until the worst was over, rather than risk coming out while shaking was so severe. They later evacuated the cylinders, little the worse for their experience. At Hangaroa 35 acres of oozing mud springs are reported.