Early Wellington
Earthquake Report
Earthquake Report
Submitted by the examining Board, comprising Messrs. T. B. Collinson (Capt., R.N.), Robert Park, C.E., and H. St. Hill, R.M.—extracts from New Zealand Reports. Presented to the Houses, by command of Her Majesty. July, 1849.
Quakes on October 16th, 1hr. 30min. a.m.; 17th, at 4 p.m.; 19th at 5 a.m.; and 24th. at 2 p.m., 1848.
Estimate of damage £15,000, including £3,500 Colonial Government, and £1,000 Ordnance Department.
Owner or Occupier. | Description of Buildings. | Estimate of Damage. |
The Terrace. | ||
Mr. King | House, part clay, one storey | Brick facing down, walls shattered. |
Mr. Cridland | House, part clay, one storey. | Walls shattered, partly down. |
Mr. Sharp | House, part clay, one storey. | Damaged. |
Mr. Bethune | Two storied brick house. Verandah in front. | Walls cracked; now under repair. |
Rev. J. O'Reilly | Two storied clay house, thick walls, well built. | One gable much shaken. |
Mr. R. R. Strang | One storey, clay and brick foundations. | Brick work fallen out at front, walls shattered; to repair with wood. |
Willis Street. | ||
Mr. Catchpool | Three storied brick flour mill. | Shaken all over. |
Mr. Wilkinson | Two storied clay house. | Front wall shaken out. |
Mr. Crowther | Two storied brick house. | Gables down, side walls out. |
Manners Street. | ||
Mr. Rhodes | Two storied store, brick. | Entirely down; site being cleared. |
Wesleyan Chapel | Large brick building. | All down; site being cleared. |
Hickson and Ridgway | Two storied store, brick. | Both gables out, walls shaken. |
Mr. Waitt | Wooden store. | Brick gables thrown out. |
Mr. Allen | Commercial room, one storey. | Brick partly fallen, much shattered. |
Public House | One storey, brick, wood frame | Scarcely damaged. |
Bethune and Hunter's | Store, weatherboard. | Slightly damaged by shifting stock. |
Mr. Fitzherbert | Store, one storey, brick. | S.E. and N.W. ends thrown down. |
Ordnance | Stores, three storied, 13½ brick. | Gables out, north wall cracked. |
Mr. Loxley | Brick store. | Gables much cracked. |
Union Bank of Australia | One storey, wood. | Brick work of safe much shaken. |
Mr. Langdon | One storey brick building. | Ends and sides down. |
Mr. Hansard | Two storied brick building. | Completely shattered. |
Mr. Squib | One storey, clay and board. | Completely shattered. |
Mr. Moore | Two storied house, part brick. | Bricks shaken out of frame, wood work only remains. |
Owner or Occupier. | Description of Buildings. | Estimate of Damage. |
Sutton Row (Quin Street). | ||
Mr. Gerard | Clay house, two storied. | One gable and part of side fallen down. |
Military Hospital | Several one storied buildings; clay and detached. | All shattered. |
Mr. Quin | Several clay houses. | All more or less shattered. |
Mr. Villars | Several small houses; some clay, other brick. | Parts fallen. |
Dixon Street. | ||
Mr. Howe | Two storied, brick and wood. | A gable down and the rest shaken. |
Mr. Stoddart | One storied brick building. | Gable down. |
Mr. Blyth | Two storied building, clay. | Much shaken, one gable down. |
The Beach (Lambton Quay). | ||
Smith and Wallace | Store, one storey, brick. | Front thrown out, corner open, S.E. |
Mr. Plimmer | Offices, Colonal Government; two storied, brick. | Front out and arches cracked; to put a verandah to the lower storey next the street, and tie the front wall of the upper storey with iron bars and take down the parapet. |
Mr. Flyger | Store, two storied, brick. | Gables started. |
Mr. Christian | Store, one storey. | Front arches cracked. |
Mr. Swinburne | House, two storied, brick. | Front arches cracked. |
Mr. Hart | Store, one storey, brick and wood. | Front arches cracked. |
Mr. Armstrong | House, one storey, brick. | Front thrown out a little. |
Mr. Inglis | Store, one storey, brick. | Very little damage. |
Mr. Johnson | Store, one storey, brick. | Sides out, gable and roof damaged. |
Mr. Geo. Young | House, two storey, 9in. brick. | N. end and S. Wall cracked. |
Mr. Tonks | House, two storied. | Front and rear gable cracked. |
Mr. Grace | House, two storied. | House cracked from top to bottom. |
Mr. Taine | Store, one storey, brick and wood. | Rear wall cracked over the window; now pulled down. |
Mr. Alzdorf | One storey, brick and clay. | Brickwork cracked. |
Mr. Levien | Store, one storey, brick front. | Thrown forward to S.E. |
Mr. Stafford | One storied brick building. | Front cracked. |
Mr. Cook | One storied brick building. | Cracked at E. corner; to be pulled down. |
Throndon Flat. | ||
Mr. Hornbrook | Store, one storied, brick, clay and wattled. | Front and rear fallen out; to be repaired with wood. |
Dr. Fitzgerald | One storied, wattled and board. | Cracked on all sides. |
Major Richmond | One storied, wattled and board. | Brick work cracked. |
Colonial Gov. Hospital | Two storied—hollow. Brick wall, 14in. thick. | S.E. gable out and front upper storey also, walls cracked on all sides. |
N.Z. Co.'s Buildings | One storey, brick and wood. | Sides thrown out; walls repaired. |
Mr. Clifford | One storey, brick and wood. | N.E. gable cracked. |
Independent Chapel | One storey, brick and wood. | N. corner thrown out. |
Mr. Cooper | Two storey, small room, badly built. | Cracked at junction of part, and arches over windows.page 150 |
Te Aro. | ||
Mr. Vincent | One storey, part clay. | One side wall of clay out of gable. |
Mr. Plimmer | One storey clay house. | Nearly all brick work down. |
Mr. Lowe | One storey, clay, thick walls. | Both gables down. |
Mr. Hendry | One storey, clay. | All clay work disturbed. |
Mr. Hawkins | One storey, clay. | Parts fallen. |
Mr. Foster | One storey, clay. | Front wall and gable shattered. |
Mr. Penny | Two storey, brick. | Front and back wall out, etc. |
Mr. Gooder | Two storey, brick. | Completely shattered, partly down. |
Mr. Hutfield | One storey, brick. | Much shaken, walls cracked. |
Mr. Masters | One storey, clay. | One side wall down. |
Mr. Mudgway | One storey, clay. | Greater part down. |
Mr. Bennett | One storey, clay. | Greater part down. |
Mr. May | One storey, clay. | Walls much rent, building not in the throughfare. |
Mr. Ashdown | One storey, building, clay. | Slightly damaged. |
Mr. Mills | One storey, building, clay. | In ruins. |
Mr. Ford | One storey, building, clay. | In ruins. |
Mount Cook. | ||
Colonial Government Gaol | Two storied brick building, 18in. walls, boundary wall 9ft. high. | N. and S. gables thrown out, walls cracked in both stories, side walls cracked. |
Powder Magazine, H. M. Government | Powder Magazine; one storey brick building; wall 3ft., large buttresses all round, 15 arches covered with solid masonry. | Small magazine cracked in each gable and separated from boundary wall, wall cracked in the stone foundations on the north side. |
Porirua Barracks | Two storied building; wall 2ft. thick, of rubble masonry and brick quoins to all openings, divided by four partitions, octagonal towers at the S.E. and N.W. angles. | Main wall E. side much cracked, stone and brickwork separated from top and bottom at every junction, most of the arches cracked and the partition on the upper storey, also S.E. tower much shaken. |
Kaiwharawhara. | ||
Kaiwharawhara | Public House. | Slight cracks in Walls. |
Major Baker | Two storied brick building with an attic and cellar, several bond timbers divided into several small rooms; slate roof. | Recommended that the interior be lined in wood, and that three planks be fixed perpendicularly, about 4ft. apart, on the outside, connected by horizontal string pieces and tied to the roof and floor timbers inside, and that the bond timbers, which are decayed, be replaced with sound timber. |
NOTE.—All these buildings were repaired in wood.
Extracted from Burnand's collection, “N.Z. Journal,” 1848, Alexander Turnbull Library.
A meeting was held at the Britannia Saloon, Lambton Quay, on the 1st December, 1848, which, the “Spectator,” of the 2nd, states was “Most numerously and respectfully attended,” the room being crowded with settlers. On the motion of Mr. W. Hickson, seconded by Mr. R. Waitt, the Rev. R. Cole was requested to take the chair. The object of the meeting was to receive the address of sympathy from the inhabitants of Auckland, and to afford the inhabitants of Wellington an opportunity of giving expression to feelings so generously and so justly excited.
Mr. Hort, J.P., in moving the first resolution, said it was a matter of congratulation to himself that he had not left this Colony until he had witnessed such an expression of sympathy from Auckland. “The public of Auckland had, with the utmost promptness subscribed for the relief of those rendered destitute by the earthquake and they were met to consider whether they could avail themselves of this assistance.” The Revs. S. Ironside, J. J. P. O'Reilly, J. Inglis, Dr. Featherston and Messrs. Carpenter and Stokes spoke to the meeting. Mr. Fox said:
“If they accepted the sum of money subscribed by the Auckland people (£500), every person hearing of it at Home would believe that the town is in ruins. They would not believe that when the ‘Subraon’ left, she had only forty-five passengers. They would not believe that when that vessel was unfortunately wrecked, most of those passengers made up their mind not to go away. If any distress existed, then let a subscription be raised amongst ourselves. (Great cheers.) He, on behalf of the New Zealand Company, would head the list with what he was sure would be called a liberal subscription, and on his own private account, with what he could afford.” (Cheers.)
Dr. Featherston urged those present, as the money was raised under the influence of grossly exaggerated statements as to the extent of the injury the settlement had sustained, as men of honour, to return the money, accompanied with the same thanks as if they had been compelled to accept it. He could not believe that they would degrade the Colony by accepting money subscribed under such misapprehension.”
Mr. Carpenter moved “That this meeting instruct the Committee to accept the funds so kindly subscribed by our fellow colonists at Auckland.”
The amendment was seconded by Mr. Roots. Three hands went up for the amendment, and the original resolution was carried unanimously amidst applause.