The Earthquake in the Amuri
by Professor HUTTON

Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury 6 Sep 1888

The earthquake that took place on Saturday, the 1st September,
1888, was felt from Invercargill in the south to New Plymouth
and Masterton in the north, a distance of about six hundred
miles, but was most severe in the neighbourhood of the Hanmer
Plains, which are nearer to the northern limit of the disturbed
area than to its southern limit by about fifty miles.

The shock commenced soon after 4am, with a rumbling noise and
slight shakes for a second or two, followed by the main shock,
lasting from forty to sixty seconds, or even more in some
places.

It was followed within the next quarter of an hour by two much
smaller shocks, while other slight ones occurred continually
until 5 or 6am, these slighter shocks being only felt in the
Amuri, at Boatman's, Reefton, and Westport. All Saturday,
Sunday and Monday the ground at the Hanmer Plains was quivering.
At Westport small earthquakes occurred almost every day for a
fortnight.

At the time of the shock it wanted just five days to the new
moon. The weather was fine and cold, a sharp frost being felt
at Hanmer Plains... the shock appears to have been quite
unconnected with the weather or with the position of the moon.

Damage to Buildings

Amberley
No damage reported.

Ashburton
The roof of the Borough School was split, and the plaster
shaken down.

Balmoral
No damage reported.

Boatman's
No damage done.

Christchurch

Culverden
At the station three or four chimney-pots fell. At the township
no damage is reported.

Ferry Hotel, Upper Waiau-ua
This is an old cob building, but it was not much damaged.

Glynn Wye - The manager's house, a wooden building, was
pushed several degrees out of the perpendicular to the east,
and the chimneys were thrown down. The men's cottage, also wood,
was shifted bodily 15in. to the north. The woolshed was also
much damaged. Two circular holes about 4ft. in diameter and
several feet deep are said to have been formed near Glynn Wye.

Greymouth
Several old and badly-built chimneys fell. They seemed, from the
indications on the mortar, to have been screwed off from the
north-east towards the south, in some instances showing signs of
quite a third of the arc between the two points mentioned. The
greater portion of the bricks fell on the southern sides of the
chimneys. The tall brick chimney of the engine-house of the
hydraulic cranes was uninjured, as also was the Catholic church.
A good deal of glass and crockery was thrown down and broken. In
the teacher's house at Dunganville the shool-register was thrown
a considerable distance a little south of west. The shock is
stated to have been more severely felt in the inland districts.
There was no sea-wave.

Highfield
Three chimneys fell. An outside one was completely wrecked; the
two inside ones were broken off at the roof. They fell in three
different directions.

Hokitika
Chimneys were thrown down in the Odd Fellows' Hall and Police
Camp, and several others were cracked. There was no sea-wave.

Hopefield - Chimneys thrown down and roof twisted out
of shape. A large fissure was reported at the back of the house
at Hopefield.

Hot Springs
No damage was done; but the only chimney is low, and of concrete.

Jack's Pass Hotel
No damage done, and very little breakage of glass.

Jollie's Pass Hotel
No damage done, and very little breakage of glass.

Jones, Waiau Station Woolshed and house badly damaged.
Men's cob hut destroyed.

Kaikoura
One or two chimneys were thrown down, and others were cracked.

Leslie Hills
A stone building. The walls were cracked in various directions,
and the five chimneys fell, the north-west portion being the
most damaged. The old building with cob walls, in very good
condition, stood better than the stone. The men's hut, ten
chains from the house, and built of cob, received no damage -
even an old chimney, partly cob and partly brick, was not
injured.

Lyell
No damage was done.

Lyndon
A chimney was thrown down.

Lyttelton
No damage was done. The water in the harbour was not disturbed.

Maruia Plains
The Reefton Guardian says that it is reported that the
effects of the earthquake were of a very serious nature at
Walker's station, in the Maruia, but I have not been able to
learn anything more about it.

Montrose
The tops of two chimneys fell.

Nelson
No damage done. A few bricks are said to have been dislodged
from the top of a chimney, but this has not been confirmed.

Otira Gorge
At the accomodation house at the entrance to the Otira Gorge the
shock was felt very severely. Stones and rocks rolled down the
mountainside in great numbers, striking each other and leaving
long trains of fire behind them - a phenomenon which has been
observed before in landslips.

Rangiora
A few bricks were thrown from the top of a chimney. Some crockery
was thrown down and broken.

Reefton
No chimneys suffered, but some glass and crockery was thrown
from shelves and broken. The shock was severely felt by miners
in the Progress Mine: the timbers creaked, and strange noises
issued from the ground.

St. James' 
Chimney-tops fell on earthquake of the 28th September; but it is 
thought that they were cracked through by the shock of the 1st 
September, but did not then fall.

St. Helen's
The tree chimneys were thrown down. They fell in different
directions. Hams were thrown off hooks, as also was a birdcage.

Tekoa
A brick house. The upper portions of the walls fell, it is
thought because they were not so well built as the lower
portions. At Tekoa Station, on the Mandanus River, numerous
and large blocks of rock fell from the cliffs, making a great
noise.

Totara Flat District
A miner, from the Totara Flat District, between Greymouth and
Reefton, reports that a number of trees on both sides of his
claim were thrown down; and this was probably due to slips.

Waiau Township
Several chimneys were thrown down, and a granite monument in
the cemetery was overturned. It was a pyramid standing on a
granite base. The pyramid only was overthrown.

Waikari
Two chimneys were overthrown.

Westport
No chimneys were thrown down, but two in course of erection were
cracked. No damage was done to the lighthouse at Cape Foulwind.
There was no sea-wave.

Woodbank
Partly brick and partly wood. The brick portion, which was very
old, had two walls thrown down. The wooden building was not much
damaged, but shifted bodily two and a half inches to the east.
The chimney fell to the west. A concrete chimney between the
two parts of the house was broken off at the roof, and the upper
portion was thrown upwards and fell to the east. A cob hut has
the south-west corner knocked out; the west end would have
fallen, but was held up.