Rabaul's Worst Earthquake

Exaggerated Radio Reports Cause Irritation in New Guinea

From Our Own Correspondent

sion upon a resident of Rabaul. In fact, we rather pride ourselves on our sangfroid where seismic activity is con cerned, Rllf , . nnn

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themselves^hm^Hedlv l

an ?L ha ? a earthquakei m hv- JJJf toe Hill T£ e Man W o V,«v, lo ?t?- S aft€r s f ls " nf cf™ ? eglst ; ered a fhnt? InrTnn^h^A 81 Forel scale—and nnwfnp enough to a ma J or calamity 0 anyone.

Fortunately for Rabaul, the epicentre was some distance away—it was reck oned as 20 to 30 miles distant, Later in the day, it was discovered that the greatest damage had been done out along the North Coast Road and in the vicinity of the Government Experi mental Station at Keravat, with the neighbouring plantations of Tavilo, Rau

lawat and Kabaira all in the picture so far as material damage was concerned.

Fissures which opened up in the Methodist Mission property at Vuna kambi were 40 feet deep, and chains long; native houses had crumpled, up like cards; the mission hospital wa's a wreck, and much damage was done to medical supplies. Sister Beale, who awoke out of a dream in which her ship was being torpedoed, suddenly found that a water-tank near her bedroom window had sprung a leak; but, nothing daunted, she made her way (at times on hands and knees) to the door, and hurriedly went to the houses of her native charges—the ground meanwhile rising and swelling and, at times, open ing up in large fissures.

Houses at all surrounding plantations were tossed from their piles, and the amount of crockery damaged is tremen dous.

Roadways in this area, and continuing on up to the Toma highlands, have fallen in, and in one or two places whole hill sides have tumbled down. At one place, the natives reported that there had been a great subsidence, and a lake had formed; on closer inspection, however, it was found that, owing to a large land slide, the river had become blocked and a lake formed.

Out at the Baining, a 100-ton rock came careering down the mountainside, and lodged in the middle of a road; and natives from the Massawa (Baining) dis trict had fears of a subsidence, many of them fleeing to the upper heights.

Copra kilns and houses, both European and native, were severely damaged in the Baining area.

The shock was severely felt at Pondo, over on the west coast of the Gazelle Peninsula. In central New Britain, around Gasmata, the shock was not so severe. New Ireland, Manus and Madang scarcely had any indication of it. Sala maua and Wau experienced merely a small tremor.

The vulcanological observatory recorded that most of the earlier shocks were tec tonic, and therefore not of local vol canic origin; all of which was pleasing for the Rabaul people, who, incidentally, now seem to conneqt everything seismic with Matupi and Vulcan volcanoes, and what happened to them in May, 1937.

Detailed reports show no loss of life, except a small native baby.

The estimated cost of replacement of the buildings damaged is, roughly, £20,000.

During the past week the authorities have issued a daily bulletin, based on the observations made by the local vul canologist, and these have been posted in conspicuous places and have been instrumental in allaying many of the fears which naturally arise at such a time. It was found that the majority of the tremors recorded were not of local origin. Also, it must be remembered that the seismograph is a most delicate instrument, recording many more tremors than are felt by human beings.

Rabaul residents, and others in the outlying district of the Gazelle Penin sula, were just settling down to the idea that all was over, and that it was just one more quria (native name for earth quake) to add to the list, when, from over the air in Sydney, came a state ment attributed to Dr. W. G. Woolnough

(Geological Adviser to the Common wealth, who has recently retired and who, in company with Dr. Stehn, made a geological survey of Rabaul shortly after the eruption in 1937). By the time the broadcast report had passed from one mouth to another, the statements were most alarming: Rabaul was about to be wiped off the face of the earth by the biggest ’quake ever; far greater than that of Krakatau in 1883.

With that thought in their minds, local residents wondered just what the posi tion was—especially in view of the fairly reassuring reports coming from the local observatory. Apparently it was not so much what the learned geologist said, as what people said he said—and the little bit more tacked on to it for luck.

Another instance of alarming reports was illustrated on January 24, when the announcer from VLQ7, on the 6.30 a.m. session, gave it out that the intensity and frequency of the tremors were “increasing”. The actual message which was transmitted from here by the press correspondent was that they were “decreasing”. I know, because I was the correspondent.

Statements of this kind may make sen sational reading for a disinterested pub lic in Australia, but they are not good for Australians who have relations and friends here.

Incidentally, our women-folk here have quite enough to put up with, without false statements like these coming over the air. It makes one wonder how much of truth is in the news distributed from some of our broadcasting stations.