Many years back, it was around 1969 I think, Jean and my self took our Mk1 Imp over the Chapmans Peak Drive route to the Sunset Drive In cinema on the other side.
I was reminded of this just now, Jeans cel phone bleeped, the same road is now closed due to rain, its not that heavy but rock falls may be expected?
That night at the drive in movie the car started to rock, I got out to see who was doing it?
No one seen, we were experiencing a real earthquake.
The drive back home and over the same Chapmans Peak Drive was what I may call " spirited' with fallen rocks on the road and I had to dodge them to find my way back through.
We made it just fine of course.
The picture is the same car and parked at the top of Chapmans Peak Drive, we have a home now on the far side of the bay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulbagh
The quake was no small event as the words below tell us.
The 1969 earthquake remains the most destructive earthquake in South African history. The earthquake occurred in the Tulbagh area and measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, stronger than that of the 1809 Cape Town earthquake which destroyed a local Milnerton farm.
Monday, 29 September 1969
At about 10:04pm on 29 September 1969, the Boland farming towns of Tulbagh, Wolseley and Ceres experienced the most destructive earthquake in South African history. The epicentre of the earthquake was situated in Saron, a region near Tulbagh. The earthquake measured a sizable 6.3 on the Richter’s scale, with reports of tremors experienced in the broader Cape region.
Earthquakes in the area were relatively unheard of before then. Because of a general lack of knowledge about earthquakes at the time, precautionary measures and disaster management were not in place.[iii] As a result the Tulbagh earthquake resulted in nine human casualties and several injuries.
In addition many homes in the town were rendered uninhabitable. The earthquake wreaked destruction on the older, more historically significant, buildings in the area. One of the greatest casualties in terms of heritage was the La Rhone farm house, built in 1785, which was unfortunately damaged beyond repair.
An Earthquake on Chappies
- African Imp
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An Earthquake on Chappies
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- African Imp
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Re: An Earthquake on Chappies
We have a follow up to the above earthquake, as one other Imp Club member also remembers the same event.
Thanks to Rob, I just happen to have a picture of him that was taken on the ship Tugela and dated back in 1969, the harbour is Cape Towns.
Rob was then the Second Engineer Officer on that ship
Roy,
I read your above posting on the Forum.
I recall the event very clearly: 29 September 1969, a few minutes after 10 pm.
At the time I was working at my desk in the dayroom of my ship, m.v. “TUGELA” (4,500 tons deadweight) berthed alongside at No. 1 South Arm, Table Bay Harbour. I was the ship’s Second Engineer Officer at the time, and 21 years of age. Cargo work had ceased for the day some hours earlier and the ship was quiet apart from the soft hiss of the air-conditioning and steady thrum of the diesel generators in the engine room below.
Feeling the ship suddenly shake quite violently and suspecting that a tug or trawler manoeuvring nearby might have made contact with our vessel, I looked out of my window. I saw no craft nearby but the swinging hooks of our ship’s jibbed-up idle deck cranes confirmed that I had not imagined things. Then I noticed that the hooks of all the idle wharf-side cranes were also swinging two and fro. They don’t do that even during a strong south-east gale. Other members of the ship’s staff were awakened by the shaking and we went out on deck for a look-see. Crews of other ships along the quay were seen to be doing the same.
We figured that it was an earth-tremor that we experienced and this was confirmed a short while later when we called up Port Control on Ch. 12 and tuned into the local radio broadcast station.
Thanks to Rob, I just happen to have a picture of him that was taken on the ship Tugela and dated back in 1969, the harbour is Cape Towns.
Rob was then the Second Engineer Officer on that ship
Roy,
I read your above posting on the Forum.
I recall the event very clearly: 29 September 1969, a few minutes after 10 pm.
At the time I was working at my desk in the dayroom of my ship, m.v. “TUGELA” (4,500 tons deadweight) berthed alongside at No. 1 South Arm, Table Bay Harbour. I was the ship’s Second Engineer Officer at the time, and 21 years of age. Cargo work had ceased for the day some hours earlier and the ship was quiet apart from the soft hiss of the air-conditioning and steady thrum of the diesel generators in the engine room below.
Feeling the ship suddenly shake quite violently and suspecting that a tug or trawler manoeuvring nearby might have made contact with our vessel, I looked out of my window. I saw no craft nearby but the swinging hooks of our ship’s jibbed-up idle deck cranes confirmed that I had not imagined things. Then I noticed that the hooks of all the idle wharf-side cranes were also swinging two and fro. They don’t do that even during a strong south-east gale. Other members of the ship’s staff were awakened by the shaking and we went out on deck for a look-see. Crews of other ships along the quay were seen to be doing the same.
We figured that it was an earth-tremor that we experienced and this was confirmed a short while later when we called up Port Control on Ch. 12 and tuned into the local radio broadcast station.
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- colimp66
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Re: An Earthquake on Chappies
Fascinating....
Shouldn't this story loosely linked to an Imp be in the Memory Lane section of the forum?
Readers cars section is for restorations is it not?
Col.
Shouldn't this story loosely linked to an Imp be in the Memory Lane section of the forum?
Readers cars section is for restorations is it not?
Col.
- Lars Hagermark
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Re: An Earthquake on Chappies
I agree with you Col.colimp66 wrote:Fascinating....
Shouldn't this story loosely linked to an Imp be in the Memory Lane section of the forum?
Readers cars section is for restorations is it not?
Col.
Or even better in a personal blog with some other host.
Roy, I think you have one such. Why not use that rather than filling the forums limited space? After all, a thread like this is not very relevant for the forum context.
Just my thoughts.
Lars
- Bobbycham
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Re: An Earthquake on Chappies
Can only agree Col , while there are some beautiful scenic pictures loaded by African Imp, there are more appropriate places to show this type of feature (HINT HINT)
No insult intended.
Bob
No insult intended.
Bob
I am the most responsible person around, if anything goes wrong ,"l am responsible"
- Dave ' Linwood ' Lane
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Re: An Earthquake on Chappies
I must agree with the above comments - this thread is for restoration and not for what has become a personal blog - whilst the scenery is nice this is not the place for it as the forum has very limited capacity for photo hosting
Formally known as " Noddy "
- Lars Hagermark
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Re: An Earthquake on Chappies
Forgot to say: If you post a text-only post with a link to the new entry in your personal blog we'll still be able to read and see.Lars Hagermark wrote:...
Roy, I think you have one such. Why not use that rather than filling the forums limited space? After all, a thread like this is not very relevant for the forum context.
Just my thoughts.
Lars
You could do that with the last 12-18 months of 'A Californian drying out in South Africa' too.
Kind of win-win I'd say.