THE EARTHQUAKE WAVE AT THE CHATHAMS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 93, 31 August 1868, Page 3

THE EARTHQUAKE WAVE AT THE CHATHAMS.

Tho following appcai'H in thin morning's Ihhuo of tho Lt/ticlton Times .•— On (ho morning oi! Iho Ifilhof thin month tho tolumltt wore vlnUcd by Ihi-co tidal wavcfi, between tlio hours of 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. I wan myiioif Bleeping inland, and thoroforo saw nothing until tho following diiyi but i h/ivo hcon furnlHhod with all partloularH from tho mifllororß, and have heard from nil Iho Rottlomontfl, ho I can give a full account of all that him happened. Tho Hottlomont of Tupunga, which Is ultuated on tho north hKIo oil tho Wand, wrw tho part that nuflloral moHt, tho whole pah and two or thrco while HcttleJ'H' liouhoh being entirely doHlroycd and Hwepl Into tho Hoa, Nothing but wand and kelp now cover the hIIo where tho pah Mood; drayH wore mnanhod, and mioh wav tbo foroo of tho wuven that a grlndttlono oroelod at tlio pnli, which I am told by Mr EnM weighed 7 (o 8 «wt ; wan hurled a eonHUlorablo dlxtaneo, and one hoiuui belonging (;o the «amo gentlemen wav carried away bodily and deported In tho bunh, The InfiabUaiitfl. montly Maorln, ivro left entirely dottlttnto, Tho flvHt wave came Into tholr houaen, and they liiKlantly fled on to higher ground) shortly aftor, thin' wan followed by a hocouu, then a third, which wufi by far tho most dcHli'uotlvo, All they .potwoHHod wan carried away by tho drawback, and tho wind being o/Fhlioi'o. nearly everything wo,nt to «ea, Tlio Maoris had sold all Uulr cattlo and horfl«H, and had the wived monoy to go to Taranalcl { but owing to the lomi of tho DcHp-ilch, they • had not loft, ho that those residing at Tupunga arc wltho\»t a penny or clotbcs to cover them, only escaping with a blanket or ajialr of trowHoiu Ifarther along ihoeoiuii, dlntant four mllcn from Tnpnnga, and facing i the wcrttward, wafl tho rcHldencoof Oajilaln : Anderaon, who had a narrow escape with lilh wife and child, TTIh man-Hoi'Viml, Iwiiirlng • tho flrwt wave about lilh hut, ran In to Capt, Andorflon, and awoke him in time to mako hi» cflcapo an tho next two wavcri Nwept lilh hou«o away, T havo wlnco been told ho ha« been more fortunate than othont in recovering many thlugw that were wiwhcd ashore in tho May. Hero a Maori trying to Havo Capt. Andorflon'H boat wan carried out to Hca by tho drawback, and drowned. .'Further along tho western whore) dintniit flvo mlloH from Capt, Andoroon'n Mr Tlioh, Hay rcfildcd, 'I lilh gcuUeman, together with , a Mr Amory, who was vlfliting Mr I lay, had a narrow escape. Mr. Hay i ban lout everything ho had. Tho only ■ thingd ho had recovered wero his i watch and an axo, hi» Ijo\jhc being I invept clean away, and tho trecH In front j wore (mapped In two. All tho whllo pojiulai lion at tblH end of tho Inland are Htaylng at i Mongonut, at tho ranidonco oil Mr HnjHt, who , \\m kindly glvon them Hholtor till they rci build thiilr houHCH, The MaorlH have gone to 1 their old pah at Mongouul, which In Hitualed i on a high rocky hill. ) The Inhabitant of Waltangl wero tlio next i graitcut HufforcrH, Mr HcamiHh'rt aecommoI dill lon houHOiftgoocl-HlHcdhoiiHO with Iron roof, I wa« lifted o/r the pIICH, The water entered i Hoveral dwelllngH, and pooplo narrowly I OHcapcd. A Mr Hoi wood CHcapcd with i lilh children out;- of a window tho ' water being kneo deep In tho liouho, , A quantity of Government HtorcH, ooiiHlHllng , of flour, Hugar, boatH, limber, fenccH, &c. woro carried away by tho drawback ana

landed on Waitangl beach. The Waltangl river, no doubt, saved this flctllomonl In ft groat meanurc, the water mulling np the river, and Inundating »* ''"'go Jlai of. considerable extent, • The newrt from tho Kiwt nldo <>C the inland Ih not so bud ; Homo valuable boats being destroyed at Owonga, and a ivraorl hut or two washed away, whllo Kalngaroa Hccms to Imvo OHcapcd better than any other holllcmont. I have only heard of the hrn of one boat there, The. day previous and th« same night were vorvflno, a llßht southerly wind blowing i but tbo no.vt day we had a from breczo from the B.W. Tho lllfleman wiw lying at Port Ilutt at tbo time, but OHcanod uninjured. At this place largo flpavH were lmvlod np high and dry In tho flax, Tho waves came in hllcntly and without a break, I cannot jwecrtain the aupposert height of tho waves, but as they receded they left roelM bare which had never before been Hoen, Tarn told that where the vessels lay at anchor at Wallangl, was nearly dry. About 10 minutes elapsed between each wave, ♦