Disaster

Some small estimate of the devastation wrought by the Murchison earthquake can be obtained from this picture taken by Mr F. N. Jones. It shows one of two houses which were engulfed by a tremendous land slide in the Matakitaki Valley, just outside Murchison. It was estimated that 160,000,000 yards of hillside were moved in this landslide. The building in the foreground of this picture is the second storey of a house occupied by Mr Morel. The bottom storey was swept away.

Pictures From The Past

A section of the vast crowd which assembled at the church steps on May 10, 1920, to welcome H.R.H. the Prince of Wales.

In these days of jet aircraft and rockets, this picture has great historical importance. It shows the first aircraft ever to fly to Nelson, an Avro 504K piloted by Captain Nelson Fowler and containing as passenger, Mr Tom Newman, passing over the Nelson Post Office on November 11, 1921 - just 40 years ago today. The aircraft landed at Stoke just opposite the Turf Hotel. This feat is commemorated by a plaque at the spot in stoke.

Old Tahuna, with some tussocks growing on a foreshore which does not appear to be in any danger of erosion. A race meeting is in progress. (All pics by F. N. Jones)

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The Nelson Photo News

No 13 : November 11, 1961

Disaster