[?]Iti Levu Is Severely Shaken

Strange Earth Movement Deep Off South Coast

SUVA, Sept. 25.

A T 12.28 p.m. on September 14, at i\ a point 12 miles southwest of Suva (about mid-way between Suva and the big island of Mbenga, >ff the south coast of Viti Levu), md 20 miles below the surface of he earth, something happened.

The experts are vague, but the omething appears to have been a udden subsidence, or adjustment of he earth’s crust. None has claimed hat it was a volcanic eruption.

Whatever it was, it caused the dggest earthquake in the recorded dstory of the south coast of Fiji’s nost important island; and it is till doing it. The shocks are getting ;ss, but the tremors have extended ver a fortnight. The main shock ame at 12.28, and this is what it id: > Violently rocked the south eastern corner of Viti Levu, which was almost precisely the area devastated on January 28, 1952, by the Colony’s worst hurricane; Killed eight persons (five of them were drowned by the tidal wave which followed the quake); Caused several dozen other casu alties (mainly broken limbs and cases of severe shock); Left a trail of unspectacular but often severe damage.

Light and heavier tremors were Jill occurring, ten days after the dtial shocks.

On September 21, soon after the overnor (Sir Ronald Garvey) had ild the Legislative Council that he ould proclaim Suva a city as soon > the necessary proclamation was ■epared, the heaviest tremor of lat day caused a now-familiar eling of tension among Councillors id spectators in the public gallery.

With the centre of the September t earthquake only about 12 miles \ a direct line from Suva, and ith dozens of subsequent tremors aiding up a sense of insecurity, has been a nerve-racking week r thousands of people. pHE major quake occurred at L 12.28 p.m. on Monday, 14th. It was accompanied by a tremend is subterranean rumble and lasted )out half a minute.

Almost immediately after, while rrified people of all four races ?re still pouring into the streets, mammoth tidal wave piled up on e reef at the harbour entrance, id swept up the harbour at emendous speed. It smashed over ie seawalls and flooded the re limed land on which stands the ■and Pacific Hotel, the Cable Office

id other important buildings,

though the wave came in at low iter in the harbour, at many unts it poured inland for more an 30 yards from high tide mark.

It was a moment of real terror,

and the populace charged madly for high ground. The most noticable cases of all-out panic occurred among Indian and European motor ists, who tore through the crowded streets with little regard for the safety of anybody in their path. It was a discreditable business, in marked contrast to the many cases in which the people kept their heads and promptly set about get ting essential services going again.

THROUGHOUT central Suva, roads and footpaths were dam aged—in the wharf area, seriously

—shop windows were smashed, and Innumerable concrete buildings and houses were cracked. Since the quake, two large buildings have been closed.

Morris Hedstrom’s large depart mental store subsided a few inches on the side next to Nubukalou Creek, and that was evacuated.

Several departments have been dis tributed among other buildings, but the drapery and hardware sections are still seeking a new home.

The drapery and footwear shop of Walter Horne and Co., Ltd., was closed for some time, but has been reoccupied.

The building of W. R. Carpenter and Co. (Fiji) Ltd. was damaged by the quake but is being repaired —although the TEAL offices, which

were in that building, have been; transferred to the Union Steam ship Company’s premises.

At the wharves, and at nearby’

Walu Bay, the damage was ex- • tensive. Temporary repairs to thef wharf area will cost the Govern ment about £90,000, on top of heavy outlay for patching up after: the 1952 hurricane.

Oil companies’ installations andi small ships and pleasure-craft were? knocked about by both quake andi tidal wave. The most notable dam age to shipping was to the Burns* Philp trader Yanawai, now beings repaired after a severe bash on thej stern. Tai Natoba and Seniceva were£ dismasted: Komaiwai lost her: whaleboat.

Several private houses, which! were more or less wrecked by the? 1952 hurricane, were again rendered! uninhabitable. One of them, a i newly-built concrete-block house,, owned by Mr. Pat Maybin, between!

Lami and Veisari, collapsed.

Scattered damage occurred! throughout south-eastern Viti Levu...

The CSR mill at Nausori was out? of action for two days, and theres were seven minor casualties—allL caused by hot juices overflowing® from storage tanks.

At Lami, the sea-wall was de stroyed by the tidal wave, and great} boulders strewn over the lawns oft twenty houses close to the fore shore. The breakwater at Laucalae Bay airport had gaps smashed in ift by the wave or the earthquake. Aft Nukulau, the water carried awa yi projecting wooden structures. Threes waves, six feet high, swept across Makaluva and the people on th© island had to climb for shelter. Alii the buildings on the island ar© severely damaged. At Naitonitoni.i the water was two feet deep on th© lawn of the District Officer’s houses The Fijian village of Nukui, atn the tip of the Rewa Delta, wasj virtually destroyed. The villagers' lost all their possessions when th©j tidal wave swept in at a point where there is no barrier reef; but there were no casualties.

Worst sufferers of all were thei Fijians of the Nakasaleka group ot( villages, at the north-eastern cornenj of Kadavu. Here the wave reached* a height of 15 ft as it tore into: the narrow bay. More than 40J houses were destroyed and two: elderly men were drowned, despite} courageous efforts to save them.

Government relief supplies were: rushed promptly to both Nukui anebj Nakasaleka.

Other fatal casualties were amj elderly Fijian man who was caughtr in a landslide in the Namosi area if a Chinese, killed by falling masonry: near the Samabula Sikh Temples near Suva; an Indian infant girll: drowned at Nasese, Suva; and s part-European (Mr. Willie WendtKj who, with his seven-years-010l nephew, was drowned when ther fishing-punt in which they werer

crossing Suva Harbour was over whelmed by the tidal wave. The eighth fatality was a young Indian girl who died of injuries three days after the earthquake.

Many landslides were brought down in the high mountain country as far away as the headwaters of the Navua and Waidina Rivers.

Severe damage is confined to the south-eastern part of Viti Levu.

Nadi and Lautoka, Nadarivatu, Levuka, Kadavu, Lab a s a and Taveuni all reported sharp shocks but nothing approaching the in tensity of the one in Suva and no serious damage. At the far end of Vanua Levu, the radio operator at Udu Point reported tersely, “No earthquake here.” rE centre of the disturbance was fixed during an aerial survey on September 18 by the Senior Government Geologist (Dr. W.

Skiba), and Mr. H. Wellman, a New Zealand expert on tectonic (non volcanic) eathquakes, who has come to Fiji to make investigations in collaboration with Dr. Skiba.

The quake’s epicentre was close to the picturesque Fijian village of Veivatuloa, which narrowly escaped destru9tion when hillsideik came down in two huge landslides.

The experts stated that the dis turbance had originated about 20 miles underground and that the area most affected was within a radius of 20 miles—from Veivatulia.

They are now inquiring into the full range of intensity of the up heaval.

Out at sea some miles from Veivatuloa (southwest of Suva), the crew of the Fijian cutter Adi Tirisa had a terrifying experience, at the time of the first big quake. Three giant sea-spouts boiled high into the air, one of them carrying part

of the wrecked hulk Woodburn (which sank outside the reef after breaking away when being towed ?“* by severalyears ton-like hull of 6 the' n thrown up on the reef. entrance. On the western side huge boulders were thrown up and S 3 6 the reef “ ke SmaU xw r « ™ ...

R Y 6 . pm * the day of the blg ** quake (which was recorded by New Zealand seismographs as a

major shake) cower and telenhnnp services had been restored in P most parts of Suva E^uiomlntatThe Vanawai Cable Office was damaged by both *w6odblrn ?ablel fe“din| V southTrom Fiji wre broken The cable shin evenm S- Radio ZJV, which was put out of acti, JS by - the P ower fa “ ure ' was ? n air , again within half an hour broadcasting from the Post and Tele g ra Ph Department’s central transmitting station at Tamavua, on the hills near Suva. (Over)

£2,000,000 For New Port

SPEAKING in the Legislative Council chamber on September 21, the Governor of Fiji (Sir Ronald Garvey) indicated that earthquake damage to the present Suva wharves would cost about £90,000 to repair, as a temporary measure. It was proposed to press ahead with the new port at the re claimed Walu Bay Area, north of the present wharves. The plan, now before the Secretary of State for the Colonies, will involve an outlay of over £2,000,000 and will provide for fruit storage and re frigeration buildings. The plan also involves the removal of oil company installations from the town area to Walu Bay.