THE GALE IN BRITAIN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 77, 13 January 1936, Page 5

THE GALE IN BRITAIN.

COASTAL VESSELS ENDANGERED.

MENAI BRIDGE DAMAGED

(United Press Association —Copyright.) LONDON, January 10.

The full severity of the gale was experienced in the Irish Sea, and. on the coast of Wales, where the wind reached 100 miles an hour. Several coastal vessels caught in the storm were in danger. Lifeboats went to the assistance of a small French steamer in distress off Bolthead, Devonshire, but when the sea moderated slightly she was able to rode out the storm and await the arrival of tugs. ...... On land several deaths and injuries were caused by falling trees and masonry. When the gale was at its height in Manchester, the Chief Constable broadcast a wireless warning to the public to remain indoors till the stoim abated. . The Menai suspension bridge, which is the only line of communication for road traffic between the Island of Anglesey and the mainland, had to be closed to traffic because during the gale an axle on which the end of the bridge vests was unseated. Scores of motor-cars, many of them belonging to merchants who had been attending the weekly markets on the island, were loft stranded. It will probably be some days before repairs are made.

Windows were broken in carriages of the London-Manchester express, which fouled the upper branches of an uprooted tree near Stafford. The trunk of the tree fortunately fell short of the line.

A breach in the sea wall at Burnham, Somerset, resulted in flooding in parts of the town. The electricity supply in many parts of North Wales failed during the storm, and towns were in darkness.

Heavy seas broke through the coast walls at resorts on the south coast and in North Devon, and there have been a number of cliff falls. Considerable damage was done to overhead telephone wires, but the trunk lines were not much affected.—British Official Wireless.

THE WEATHER MODERATES.

SECOND NIGHT OF STORM. LONDON, January 12. The second night of storm was experienced over most of the British Isles and this morning reports from flooded areas indicated no improvement, but the weather has now moderated.—British Official Wireless.