THE EARTHQUAKE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16465, 29 June 1921, Page 8

THE EARTHQUAKE.

NEAREST SHAKE TO CITY. QUARTER OF AN HOUR’S WAVES. This morning’s earthquake was remarkable for two things—firstly, that \ the cause of the shock was probably ! nearer to Christchurch than in any previous earthquake, and secondly, that the tremor was of unusually long duration, the main quake lasting for fully fifteen seconds, while the waves were passing for fifteen minutes afterwards. : The earthquake was tirst felt in Christchurch at I.So a.m. It was so distinct and lasted so long that it awakened the majority of citizens. Several persons who timed it said that »t lasted about fifteen seconds. The tremor was preceded by a rumbling noise which has been described as sinu lur to a load of shingle being tipped gradually some distance away. The oscillation was very pronounced in the “ Star” office, where the electric light globes were set swinging for a long time. The telegraph operators felt a very severe shock, and they reported that the earthquake was felt very sharply in Blenheim and also more faintly in Dunedin and Wellington. The fact that the earthquake was felt most distinctly in Christchurch and Blenheim supports the belief that the cause may have been in the Kaikoura ranges, midway between the Mvo centresNo damage was done by the earthquake in any direction. The Christchurch Cathedral, which lias twice had its spire shifted by similar occurrences, is now proof against such tremors, as far as the spire 13 concerned, for the uppor portion is now of wood. There were no evidences of any unusual occurrence at tho Cathedra] to-day. Probably the tremor was not sharp enough to have any effect. The tower rock* u good deal in a strong wind, and oven when tho cwt tenor bell is tolling tho steeple rocks quite perceptibly, and a glass of water placed 011 the platform above the belfry. ; gives immediate evidence of the I movement. Therefore it would re- ! quiro a very unusual shock to do any damage. No damage was reported in tho telegraph office or on any of the lines. The automatic and manual telephone exchanges wore unaffected. The master clock in the Town Clerk’s office stopped at 1-37 a.m., thus affecting the electrical clocks at the Clock Tower and at tho Post Office. Tho docks at the Addington Post Office ami at Canterbury College also stopped at Men workine in the refrigerating chamber at Kaiapoi received their first warning of the earthquake when ico fell from the freezing pipes. Stacks of carcases swased for a time i but no damage resulted. A severe earthquake shock was felt \ at Lyttelton at 1.3 u this morning, the , direction being from north to south. Most people were wakened by the shock, and the rattling windows. Many ■ thought that there was a storm ragintz. The shock lasted about twenty seconds and was the severest for many years. Members of the crews of several vessels in the harbour also felt the shock. No do mage is reported. Many women and j children v received a great fright. The master of tho Mararoa stated that his officers and watch had not noticed anything unusual at that hour at sea. RECORDED AT OBSERVATORY. MAY HAVE ORIGINATED TN THE KAIKOURAS. Mr H. F- Skes’, director of the Mag-->jtir Observatory in the Ch; istchureh Public Gardens, has obtained on tho instruments ip the observatory, a good photographic record of the earthquake. These show that the waves were passing in Christchurch for about fifteen minutes. The cause, Mr Skcy states, probably is not within sixty miles of Christchurch, but it is one of the nearest recorded at the Christchurch Observatory. Ho expresses an opinion that the origin may have been near the Kaikoura Mountains, but there is nothing to confirm this except that a fairly large number of earthquakes have originated in that neighbourhood. Mr Skey has a record of a somewhat simiiar earthquake about 5 a.m. on November 2, 1915, which may have had the same origin. The Christchurch Obsorvatorv, Mr Skey explains, would be greatly improved if a Milne-Shaw boom was installed. WINDOWS AND CHIMNEYS BROKEN. PANIC AT HASTINCS AND NAPIER. £P*b Pbxw Annoctation.l HASTINGS, dune 29. An earthquake, which lasted seventy, five seconds, was felt at 1.30 a.m. Heveral chimneys came down, plateglass ■shop windows were_smashed, and crockery and bottles in shops and hotels were broken. No serious damage, however, is reported. Women became hysterical, and people rushed into the ttroets in their night attire. Napier, jun*y 29. A severe earthquake, lasting sixty seconds was experienced at 1.30 this morning. Buildings swayed to an alarming degree, scared residents rushin" into the open DAMAGE IN GISBORNE. TP** Pnv* j AnncTjirinpi.] GISBORN2S, June 2. The quake damage raa confined to the fall of about fifteen chimneys about the town, and the shaking of the walls of the Loan and Mercantile Office building, in which several fractures are showing. SHOCKS elsewhere. (Special to the “ Star.”) CHEVIOT, June 29. An earthquake occurred at 1.35 this morning. The shock was somewhat prolonged, hut not severe, and no damage was done. HANMER SPRINGS, June 29. A sharp and prolonged earthquake shock was felt at 1.30 a.m. No damage is reported. LITTLE Ri * -a»R, June 29. A violent shock of earthquake was felt here at half past one this morning, the direction being north to south and* the duration about one minute. No damage is reported. [P*R Paws Association. 1 HOKITIKA, .June 29. A sharp earthquake shock lasting for aeverii seconds was experienced at 1.40 P fthi* morningJune 29. |w a earthquake of a pronounced charl&renter occurred here about 1.45 a.m. toll The tremors lasted twenty another slighter shock followKTr ’it was the first seismological BsEturbance here for a lengthy period, f N 0 serious damage is reported. [ BLENHEIM, June 27. |K A sharp earthquake ol several

second*’ .? • ’-u was experienced at 1.32 !'• luo.-.iinfi. Beyond bricks being dislodged in .several chimneys, no damage is reported. AKAUOA, June 29. A severe, prolonged earthquake occurred hire at 1.31 this morning, the direction apparentlv being west to east. AUCKLAND, June 29. An earthquake was felt at Auckland at 1.30. It was \-cry light and was felt by few people. Passengers on the main trunk felt a shake while the train was at a station. WELLINGTON. Juno 29. Reports from all parts of the Dominion record an earthquake of exceptional severity this morning. NELSON, June 29 A long and rather sharp shock of earthquake was felt hero at about 1.30 this morning. Some persons say they saw a flash and heard a rumbling. TLMARU; June 29. A slight shock (,f earthquake was felt at 1.30 a.m. No damage is reportedW AIM ATE, June 29. An earthquake shock was felt at 1.30 this morning. No damage was done. O AMARU, June 29There was a sharp earthquake here about 1.30 this morning. DUNEDIN, June 29. An earthquake tremor, lasting for a few seconds, was felt hare at 1.30 this morning. No damage is reported. PREVIOUS LOCAL EARTHQUAKES. Havoc was wrought by an earthqmuvo winch occurred eany on the morning of November 16, 1901. Great destruction was done at Cheviot, the .vi Kenzie township was wrecked, many peopie were injured and a child was killed by a falling house. The spire of tho Anglican Cathedral presented after the shake something of the appearance of the leaning tower of Pisa. There was not r. brick building or chimney left standing at Cheviot. M Kenzie was described as ” simply a collection of wrecked houses with the debris of chimneys scattered about.” The earthquake was preceded by a rumbling noise. Tho big earthquake which broke off the «pire- of the Anglican Cathedral occurred on September 1 3388. and was then the most destructive New Zealand earthquake since the arrival of tho Canterbury* Pilgrims. Describin'* the damn"® to the Cathedral the “Lvttelton Times” said:— “In the first place, what everyone feared would happen some day has actually happened. The spire of the Cathedral has come to grief. Its tapering. graceful outline, a landmark for every dweller on the plains within thirtv miles, and a beacon for the mariner crossing Pegasus Bav. no longer cuts the sky. Twentv-six feet of the upper snire have »dven wav. and the melancholy appearance of the wreck strikes every eye. . . . Fortunately, the rest of the building haw suffered no damage.” Describing the earthquake a member of the staff of tho i ‘ Lyttelton Times ” said he heard a rumbling ns he was walking home, and set off at a smart pace towards town As he neared Cathedral Square, he heard a noise lika the rushing of wind among tiees, tho ground quivered Tinder his Coet, and a. chimney cracked. The Cathedral spire quivered for a few seconds, then the top seemed to melt away, and came down with a roar to tho ground. Almost simultaneously a wild, discordant clangour of bells burst fiom the tower. Possibly this shock was even then not the severest felt in Christchurch. One of the most vivid memories in the minds of early settlers who experienced the alarming shake on the morning of July 5. 1309, was the hideous fear that was exhibited by animals. Nor was it easy to forget the waving of tre-es, the uncanny wave-like motion of the hedges, or the twisted, fractured chimin* ws that were to bo seen in many quarters of tho townBIG FOREIGN EARTHQUAKES. The ‘Great Neapolitan Earthquake” occurred on nuceuibur jo, j.ooq and was loilowod by numerous uiter-3.uow.KS wuicn continued for several moutiis. It was ion in a greater or less degree over all ltaiy soutn of •Aiideg latitude, and has been regarded as ranking third in order of severity among the recorded earthquakes of Europe. More tnan 12,3UU lives were lost. The Charlestown earthquake, wmeh occurred on August 31, l»8b, more or less seriously damaged almost eve r> building in Charlestown, America, and many lives were lo.st. Numerous fissures in tho ground were caused in the vieinitv and many of them discharged water, sometimes mixed with sand and silt, which was thrown up in jets, rising in some cases to a height of twenty feet. A gigantic disaster, known as the “Great Indian Earthquake.” occurred on Juno 12. 1897. The shocks, though most severe in the Assam province, were felt over a largo part of India and far bevond its boundaries. 'J he mischief was most severe in the neighbourhood of Shillong, where the stonework of bridges, churches and other buildings was levelled to the ground. Eight years later India was visited by another earthquake—the Kangsh earthquake. Though less intense, it resulted in the loss of 20 009 lives. It occurred on April 4 1905. It is estimated that it was felt over an area of about 1.625.000 square miles. The California earthquake of 19015 occurred on April 18. and was the most disastrous ever recorded in America. It and the subsequent fire wrought terrible destruction in and around San Francisco. Most of the loss ol property in San Francisco was due to the fire, which was bevond control because of the destruction of the system of water supply. Tho Messina earthquake occurred on December 28. 1908. It practioallv destroyed Messina and Re"<rio. The sea floor cf the Strait of Messina probablv suffered great disturbance. resulting in remarkable movements of water. Such earthquakes as are felt in Great Britain from time to time may generallv be traced to the formation o? faults, rather than to incidents in the growth of old faults. The East Anglian earthquake of April 22 1881. was the most disastrous that had occurred in the British Isles for centuries.

NATURE OF EARTHQUAKES.

Earthquakes are more frequent in some countries than one might suppose. In Japan. for example, between ISBS and 1592 no fewer than 8331 were recorded—more than 1000 a year. The conclusion, if tl>e wellmarked earthquake districts are picked out and given an' earthquake frequency per unit are one-third of that in Japan, is that considerable areas of the planet are shaken on the average overv half-hour. Generally speaking, earthquakes are most frequent along the steeper flextures of the earth’s surface, and in those regions where there is geological evidence that slow secular movements in the earth’s cru6t are possibly yet in progrees. It is on the faces or near the bottom of the slopes running eastward from the highlands of Japan and westward from the Andean ridges down into the Pacific that seismic efforts are most frequent. A typical earthquake usually commences with minute clastic vibrations, tin periods of which vary

between 1-5 and 1-20 of a second. These are recorded bv seismogi aphs, and are noticed by certain of the lower animals like pheasants, which before the occurrence of movement perceptible to human beings scream in alarm. A disastrous shock may unnerve a whole community of human beings, but effects of tins nature differ in a marked degree with different nationalities.