New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-08-03
NEW-ZEALAND.
EARTHQUAKE IN THE VALLEY OF THE
HUT.
Extract from private letter:

Extract nom private letter;
"VALLEY or TIE HUrT, March. 1855.
DEAR A.: In c. 90 my wife le Ter giving an
account # he earhqutk,s should not reach You, |
Intend to let you know something about IN IN. can
not learn that more violent ones have been expert
encod IN any par. Of the worii Dung ihis century
and had this purt # The island been densey populated
and the houses built those in Europe are The loss Of
life ould have been fearful. On Tuesday the % Of
January last had Engaged % visit neighbor four
teen miles Of bus tie electric appearance OF the air
eLd tie very lowering CLOUDS INSIDE me anticipate bad
weather, which might have detained me from home
and so | refused 30 o. Irovdentieiy, il would ap
pear for the larle BRICK chimney Of 10y fTenls only
stlinsroom fell into II, and 10 one IL the room could
have escaped
We were sitting a.ound our table with a
friend wien, at 9! O'Clock at night without the
usual rumblng notice which earthquake gene
r6iiy give Us, the shOcS commenced The house
waved 70 and fro, rocked and jumped a. you
might feIcy ship would when she strikes o. rock.
Tie hehis were dashed OF The tGblo. books. glass,
Chne &C.. on the shelves round the room came down,
together with tie chimney, part OF which iel inside
and mixed with tie ruins o! The furniture, &c. Our
ff nd umr ed out Of the window and chung 20 post
outside, but thrown down then and Obliged 20 lie
on The ground. rushed 10 Ofen the door Tor iear We
should al be Gmmed In, with no means Of taking the
T, miy ont OF the house but il some time beore
could oren IT, and then only by watching the wayins
OF the Louse: and when the door was opened, and
let 60 my hold Of il, was thrown down, eId could
Lot use on my legs til the shock was over, which
utmost 10 get up ;or the purpose o. bringing out the
family. No house bat ore built with posts let into the
ground. and wooden houses, pat together Ike a box
az he houses IN this country are but-coud have Ou.-
lived such rattrr. Ours, though somewhat out Of
the perpendicular not down the root, however, IS
entnely dis'odgcd and must be put on again before
Winter. With wages az ss. day, hardly know how
We shall accomplish IT, and get bedding and other
stores for in addition TO the earthquake, day or two
at or we had FIRE which burned down our tent IN
which we were obliged 70 live, aud everything in Il.
Every in this valley lived IN tents Tor some weeks,
as the shocks have continued up 10 the present time,
but have beSn severe a. The hrst. ms part
for many squere miles il rent in every direction cracks
in-Le ground Of many feet Ia length, and from lew
hts 10 sever feet deep exist very .ge spaces
az short intervals from each other. Our h0rssuack
% the riyer-vAich s about half mile Oii-has more
than twenty such across IL, Twelve OF which opened
and slut with violence during the shock and threw
irg bushes. | saw The water. cracks, sand
and mud which were thrown Up the morning
after. and glad / was that no fssure hsd
opered nearer 10 our house than 200 yards,
or il must lave come down on Us. Flssures opened
In two Latye varies % ny knowledge, and nearly
smO.bored The inmates With water. beside bringing
their light buildings down on them. Five natives
however were killed In house n THIS valley, and
ore man only In Wellington, - miles OF. There,
since the last Shocks SIX yeGrs ago, they nave
built WHIST Trey ina gine 10 b esrthQ lekepooi wood
"a house,. and though some q them ere much dam
agei and much property destroyed, only one or two
Gfe down. All tie brilk and mortar Ones, however
and al the chmLeys dOgn, although hey 90 not
epuear 20 have feifihe shock 20 much e. We did Wei
III zion has however been raised BY TIE Erst shock
two feet IN perpendicular gb aud some ncle- sin-e
by the slg-t subsol cent ones We suppose thar We
ite former loE-waieT marx wac, u s no" hishwstsr
marx H