TARANAKI.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 148, 2 November 1868, Page 3

TARANAKI.

Wp extract the following from the Taranaki Herald of Oct. 21 : — Happily this province is not olten visited by earthquakes, but wln-n they have vibrate:! our soil, the shocks were of such a slight nature as to be almost imperceptible to many. No damage has been knowu to occur, even to the Rmushing vi a ! bottle, eince 1855, when the Northern Island felt the earthquake throughout, and then the falling of two or three chimneys was the greatest amount of loss sustained We hare, however, to record the visitation of oue of these calamities which, now it is over, scarcely bears contemplating. Sunday, the If th of October, was wet and misirably close. The sky was overcast, and it rained the greater part of the day. Towards evening the weather cleared up slightly, mid the stars shone from the firmament with a ghastly glare. The meteors darted across the 1 eavens in all directions, and the attnos phere had a livid appearance,- resembling the d*wn of day. The day hud been note las one of Saxby's days, " when special atmospheric disturbances were likely to take place," and, true enou«h, we felt it as most of us never again wish to experience. At about 12.9 a.m. on the morning of the 19th October — slightly past the midnight of the >unday— the whole of the inhabitants were roused from their slumbers by a sudden convulsive shake, which was immediately ; followed by * vibration that can only be compared to the oscillation of a railway carriage, listing nearly three minutes. It is almost impossible to describe the feeling. A dead sickening at the stomach, with an indescribable " panic fear," overcame us ; why, we cannot gay. Whether it was from the unaccustomed shaking, together with hearing the glass smashing in our own dwelling, and the sounds of greater noises in other directions of fallen chimneys, we know not ; but we can state that the feeling was general, and that which we experienced wa3 only what many others describe they also felt. The first consideration when the shock had ■topped was to light a candle, and as we glanced from our window we found that most of the inhabitants round about were doing the same thing. Another shoek — not near so severe — then came. We quickly dressed, and

on going into the street, found most of the townfolks astir ; some bringing their families frou the west end of the town to the greater height at the east. Another and another shock followed, and although their violence was not bo preat as tl>e first, yet they were sufficient to frighten the women and children aonsiderably. It was five minutes past one before the pulsation subsided for any tim?, and we did not feel musther till about 2 o'clock. At a quarter past 3, and again five minutes after that ; at half-past 3, and at 4, shocks were felt more or less severe, when they began to get weaker and weaker, convulsing the earth's "surface at intervals during the day and following night. Although much damage has been done, we have to thank the Almighty that no lives have been lost. Messrs Humphries and Son, chemists, had nil their bottles smashed; and through the different fluids mixing, it was doubtful, at one time, whether the place would catch fire or not. However, happily, no other calamity befel us. Mr Hood is a great loser, most of his sto<:k of wines and spirits, which ha had recently bottled, were smashed to atoms, besides his slny windows, crockery, &c, being destroyed. Mr Gilmour has suffered considerably from breakage and goods spoilt. Mr Ctiilaghan has had a large amount of crockery an<! glassware knocked down and broken, an' 3 his oven cracked; but to enumerate all the losßes would occupy pages; there wad not one but wlu> was a sufferer more or less. As for chimneys, there is scarcely one that is not down or considerably camatied; one gentleman's chimney fell in upon him and his wife while in bed; and another, who is an invalid, had his bed shifted fully six inches by the first shock, I and immediately afterwards a large picture fell, which was hanging over his head, und but for the movement of the bedstead must have been instant dentil. In brougham street a stone house fell in, almost burying the wife and child of a soldier named Ue^an. They were, however, providentially rescued from the debris. With regard to the direction the earthquake took, it is difficult to ascertain. Some averring that its oscillation was from east to west; others from north to south. However, we are of opinion that it took no direct route, but that the caverns of the earth through which the gases have generated and exploded were partly east to west, and others were north to couth ; but throughout the town it was decidedly from the former. We should be afraid to sum up the amount which the inhabitants will be losers by this fearful visitation ; £5000, we fear, will not cor«r the loss. It is the first shock of any violence the province has experienced, and we heartily hope it may be the last.