A Lost Earthquake

X>EOBLE with New Guinea interests A opened their newspapers on the morning of September 21 in fear and trembling—they expected details of a dis aster. Newspapers on the previous even ing had contained a report from the Ob servatory at Sydney to the effect that two shocks of earthquake of extreme violence had occurred during the day, and had been located —according to the reading of the instruments—as in the northern part of New Guinea. The earth tremors had been so extreme that they threw the re cording instruments out of gear. The newspapers said that the disturbances were more severe than anything re corded for several years. However, some one had miscalculated somewhere, be cause at the moment of this writing New Guinea stands undamaged where it did, and not even a modest Rabaul guria has been reported.

Mr. C. F. Bales has been appointed to take charge of operations of East Reefs Consolidated, N.L., at Vanua Levu, Fiji, in succession to Mr. G. H. McMeeking, who resigned, Mr. Bales arrived in Suva by the Monterey on September 24.