SLIGHT DAMAGE DONE AT WAIKARI.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18787, 17 June 1929, Page 10

SLIGHT DAMAGE DONE AT WAIKARI.

CRACKS APPEAR IN WALLS OF HOSPITAL.

The earthquake was fairly severe it Waikari, but the damage was not extensive. The hospital, which was badly damaged by a ’quake some years ago, came through the ordeal without great harm. Cracks appeared in the plaster of the walls, but there was no collapse. In some of the houses clocks fell from the mantelpieces, and slight damage was caused by falls of crockery in residences and stores. THE “SIGN OF THE TAKAHE.” “The ’quake was felt very severely at ‘The Sign of the Takahe.’ ” said Mr H. G. Ell, speaking from the hills. “I felt proud of the way the stone building withstood the shake. Not a stone was displaced, and no damage was done. The hanging pictures and fittings on the wall swayed with the motion of the shock, but a careful inspection revealed no damage. WAIPARA. The ’quake lasted a minute and a half at Waipara, but damage was slight. A certain amount of loss was caused by the breakage of crockery and other brittle goods in houses and stores. No really serious damage was reported. No Damage at Cheviot. At Cheviot the earthquake was apparentlv about the same severity as in Christchurch. The duration was about a minute and a half. “It was not as bad as the 1923 earthquake,” a reporter was told, “ but pretty nearly.” As far as could be ascertained no damage had been done in the district. Hawarden Feels the Shock. A “White Star” service bus driver who came through from Hanmer this morning said that he did not see many signs of damage in North Canterbury.

At Hawarden he was told that the district had suffered very gravely, but he had no time to gather more information.

At the Waikari Hotel a number of glasses and bottles were smashed. The publican saved the whisky by rushing to the shelves and holding the bottles up with his arms.

“I’ll bet that Ilanmer has been shaken all to pieces,” added the driver. “We had a bad local ’quake there a little while ago, although there wasn’t anything in the papers about it. It was bad enough to cross the telegraph wires.”

MOLTEN METAL FLOWS IN THE STEREO ROOM.

It was washing morning this morning. and hundreds of housewives were bending over their tubs when the shock occurred. Some were nearly precipitated into their washing and In many instances water was thrown out all over them.

In the stereotyping department of the “Star,” however, it was molten lead and not warm water and soapsuds that was flying about. About half a ton of the molten metal surged in a great wave from the cauldron, and agile stereo men skipped in all directions to avoid injury. Earthquake time is a time of excitement in the lives of stereo men.