A SEVERE EARTHQUAKE SHOCK.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 316, 25 June 1889, Page 3

A SEVERE EARTHQUAKE SHOCK.

THE WORST EVER EXPERIENCED IN GISBORNE. Gisborne has had each an immunity from anything in the way of severe earthquakes that when one does occur the severity of the shock is judged by those which have been previously experienced in this place, and thus an earthquake which would be thought of small consequence in some other places is fn Gisborne magnified by the alarm of those who have felt it. But yesterday afternoon, at twenty-five minutes past one, there occurred in Gisborne the severest shook which which has been experienced here by the oldest inhabitant. People rushed from their dwelling houses or places of business and. Gladstone road soon presented an animated appearance, and before the vibrations had ceased knots of people were congregated in the street; many nervous persons had got a great fright, while others pretended to be very jocular on the subject. Those, however, who were near

MB ADAIR’S BUILDING had not much cause to be jocular, for one of the balls which ornament the top of the facings of the building came down with a crash, and for a moment it was thought that something more serious would happen. The young ladies employed on the premises, many of whom work upstairs, sauntered out without alarm, but Mr Adair, who was known to be inside, did not appear, and for a few minutes there was some apprehension as to whether anything serious had befallen him, no one for a moment thinking that anyone who could get out of it would stop in the building. It appeared shortly alter that Mr Adair had stopped in the, office of bis own accord, —.An after examination of the building proved the severity of the shock, On the outside could be seen cracks extending along the side facing Lowe Street, but an inspection of the interior was rather assuring than otherwise. The parapet, which faces Lowe Street, was certainly out of place, and something will have to be done with it, but though it was evident the building had got a good shaking, there appeared to be nothing to indicate the reports that were current. Messrs Finneran and Skeet are to make an inspection of it this morning, but beyond the probability that the earthquake will be an expensive matter for Mr Adair, in the way of repairs, there does not seem to be any justification for alarm. Possibly the parapet may have to be taken down, but that depends upon the report that Is made. The Borough Inspector, we suppose, Will also make a general inspection to-day, and report to the Council to-night. THE OTHEB LARGE BUILDINGS. f Of the other brick buildings no really serious damage is reported. In the Union Bank building a good deal of the plaster has been cracked and displaced, but so far it is not known whether any serious damage has occurred. An examination, with a view to ascertaining what repairs are needed, is to be made to day. The Bank of New Zealand (which is divided from Mr Adair's by a right Of way) has not been affected ; it is much more compact than the other concrete buildings. The Loan and Mercantile Company’s building has not suffered much, but in the Union S.S. Company’s office the plaster is cracked, and the same thing occurred in Mr DeLautour's offices, upstairs. Mr Whinny's building, now in course of erection, did not suffer in the least. The wooden buildings were not affected so far as their stability is concerned, but they had a great shaking up. The vibrations were in the wrong durdion to make much havoc among the bottles and glasses in the public houses. In Mr Townley’s large building there were a - few vases broken, and in other places sundry articles of a fragile description were damaged. In the Postoffice building the apparatus was knocked about slightly, and the big clock giopped a minute after the first vibration.

HUMOROUS AND OTHEB INCIDENTS. The shock although so serious was not without its humors, It happened to be lunch time in the hotels. Some persons cleared immediately, preferring to save their lives at the expense of the inner man ; others stuck manfully to their post until the clattering of the dishes and the oscillation of the house reminded them that discretion was the better part of valor. One old toper drinking at a bar, clung to his glass with desperation, and drained it before he thought of safety, afterwards remarking ; “ He was bound to drink it; he might never get another ? ” A young man sitting in the lower story heard what he thought was the falling of the chimney, and left with a run. Subsequent investigation proved that his alarm was needless. A maid of all work had been arranging the upstairs fire, and in her terror dropped the scuttle of eoals and fled. One remarkable fact was that in the street every man asked the other: “Did you feel the earthquake ? ” as if that wasn’t what brought him there I While the shake was on several persons emerged from Adair’s buildings, to each of whom the crowd shouted to “ look cut,” no matter which way they turned, much to their confusion and terror, as they imagined the building would be on their heads before they could “ look put," It was wonderful how few people were frightened, yet the majority of them had rushed into the street; but that must have been to see if other people' were frightened. A junior clerk in Mr DeLautour’s service was in front of the building when he felt the movement beneath him. He looked up and thought he saw the whole structure coming down i he immediately gave a start to get on the road, and missing his footing, was gently landed on hie back. Almost the same experience fell to the lot of a youth who was crossing the Turanganui bridge. He became aware that something was radically wrong, and made a dash for terra firma, but found himself biting the planks. This soon roused him again, and putting on a crack sprint pace Mil trace of him was thereafter lost. Two pedestrians, a lady and a gentleman, were crossing the Taruberu footbridge, and it swayed to and fro •• like a thing of life.” The lady screamed, and thought the worst bad Spins. The school children 6»vc some astonishlog stories to tell, and their versions differ greatly in the telling, but they seem generally agieed in the opinion that they •• thought it was the end of the world.” One young lady, a pupil teacher, fainted and had to go home. An employee in Messrs Hatton and Score's batcher’s shop was standing on some steps shspipg the bars from which tfea meat -ig hung ; he felt the steps move from under him, and his next experience was that of lying across the steps on the floor. Another person in the same line of business, was in his cart at the time, and be says he had to hold on to the cart—no doubt to keep the cart upright. At Messrs Common, Shelton and 00.1 s store some bags of flour burst. At the garbor Board's cement shed some eastings were thrown down, and those who were in the shed thought Kaiti hill was going to topple over.

When the finule fell from the parapet of Mr Adair’s building a lady who was passing by at the time had a very narrow escape from being struck by it. The shock was felt with more or less severity in different parts of the country, The vibrations were from west to east. The severest shock previously felt in Gisborne occurred about seven years ago. On the Whataupoko, yesterday, bricks were displaced from some of the chimneys and the water in the tanks was very much disturbed. IS RUAPEHU IN A STATE OF ACTIVITY ? Mr Arundel, of the Waihau Lakes, states that since the reported activity of Ruapehu there have been continuous earth tremors at his place. BAs there have lately been many assertions made affirming that Ruapehu hasrecontly been in a state of activity, the following letter from the Wanganui Herald will be interesting ;— pir,—-Ever since the eruption at Tarawera some people have imagined that they have seen steam coming out of Ruapehu, and those who live farthest away see it the plainest. I have often noticed In yours and other papers the assertion that steam was seen coming out of Ruapehu by a resident in Marton or some other place farther away, but what I saw in the Herald of June lai puts all other reports in tha shade, for that parly saw it coming SSt in fee alar puaa or volumes one eftsr the 3&W Bs lost &s possible. Now, I have been

on the look-out for steam from that mountain ever since the eruption, but I have never seen it, and I don’t think that people in Wanganui or Rangitikei could see it as plain as we could here. I will try and explain what I think they see and mistake for steam. On a clear frosty moonlight night or early in the morning when the frost is hard and the sky clear you can see a very thin vapor like a cloud come out from the side of the mountain in the gullies and slowly mount to the top of the mountain, and I think seeing that from a long distance your correspondent thinks it is steam; but if you are situated where you can see Ngaruhoe and Ruapehu, then you will see the difference between the steam of the two mountains, or what is supposed to be steam and what is steam. Then there is another cause: when the snow is soft and it is blowing a gale of wind away up there, it sends the snow flying about everywhere, and I dare say that looks like steam at a long distance. I have been round about the mountain for some years now, and I think if there was steam I should have seen it before now.—l am, &0., TCusrEIW, Kerioi, June 5.

IFBOII OUB OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Napier, last night. The shock of earthquake experienced in Gisborne this afternr on was not felt here. [Our other corresponds its make no mention of the disturbance; the vibration appeared to be from the west to seaward in the east.]