Bathurst Free Press and Mining Journal (NSW : 1851 - 1862; 1872; 1882; 1885 - 1897; 1899 - 1904), Monday 22 September 1902, page 2


The Earthquake in South Australia.

FUBTHER DETAILS.

Adelaide, Saturday Afternoon.

As already wired, the most severe and general earthquake ever experienced in South Australia, paused a great sensation throughout the State last night, shaking Adelaide and

suburbs to their very foundations, and doing damage in various parts of the State. People were awakened from their sleep by a Bharp shook, about half-paBt 6 o'olook, yesterday morning, but tbe earth tremor at night was very violent. About five minutes past 8, without the slightest warning,, there came a' roar and a rattle, as of tho noise of heavy cannonading in the distance,- aocom~ panied by tremendous convulsions, whioh shook buildings and struok terror into the people who madly rushed 'into the open air, and as far from the buildings as possible. Ohim* neys tottered and fell, ceilings oame down, olooks stopped, lights we're extinguished, ail the bells in tbe fire brigade station rang simultaneously, but it was, of course, a falso alarm of fire, and there were several miraoulous escapes from injury through falling debris. The . Troubridge light, in the .Gulf nf Rfj. Vinoent. wsn/t nnmplntnly out, and the lighthouse caught fire, the whole of the refleotors and machinery being demolished, leaving only the light house tower standing. People hurried out of the theatres, women shrieked and fainted on the spot, there wap, in faot, a stampede from every plaoe of amusement in the oity, and the tote shops were quickly emptied. There was unprecedented exoitement everywhere. Manyohuroh choirs were rehearsing for the Sunday serviceB. The vocalists in one ohuroh were singing a hymn in whioh ooourred the line, ' Through storm, through earthquake, and through fire.' When they came to this very line, and repeated it, a strange rumble was heard, and the Bingers went into musical shrieks, and rushed out of the.building. At another ohuroh Sunday sohool obildren were practising for an anniversary, and singing, ' Marching to Oanaan.' when

the shook occurred. The glass globes attaohed to tbe gas jets were thrown down and smashed, and the children made for the open air. The tailor who had a wonderful escape is Mr. T. J. . Patterson, shirttnaker, occupying the flats above the restaurant, in the oity. He was sitting in the topBtorey, working a buttonholing maohine, when suddenly the chimney oraahed through the skylight above him. There was enough debris to have killed a dozen men if it had only found its marki but the shattered; glass and loose bricks and mortar fell all around the shirt., maker, and never touched a hair of his head. The top fiat, however, is a sorry wreak, and illustrates the tremor in one of its most deBtruotive aspeots. Sir Charles Todd timed the shook aa .lasting, roughly, twenty seoonds ; but people generally agree that the terrible vibration continued for quite a minute in Adelaide, if not longer. There was praotioally a double shook, with about the spaoe of a second intervening.

ttreat consternation was caused in the country, where the night shook, was even longer in some plaoes than in Adelaide ; but beyond terrific shaking of house? and crooking of some, falling ohimneys, and smashing the orookery, there is no material damage so far reported. Captain Downie, of the steamer Time, whioh arrived from Newcastle this morning, states that .when passing Willoughby. last night, the vessel reoeived a severe shook, and the impression on board was that the oraffc had struok«againBt a whale or bulky piece of floating wreokage. There were no earth tremoura at Mount Gamble, where' there' is an extinct slumbering voloano. -