STORMY WEATHER

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 112, 13 May 1902, Page 5

STORMY WEATHER

During the past few days a strong wind has been blowing from the westward, and yesterday it increased to a gale, accompanied by a heavy rainfall and occasional hail squalls. Three sailing vessels arrived from Australia .within the past day or two, and their captains all report exceptionally heavy easterly gales. On the 2nd inst. the Jessie Craig, from Melbourne, was within 100 miles of Cape M,aria Van Dieman, but so fierce was the gale which accompanied her throughout the passage that she was blown off the land, and for a whole week she was engaged picking up the ground she had lost by the gale. The brigantine Vision, from Newcastle, also experienced bad weather, but the barque Empreza, from Edithburg, South Australia, had probably the most trying experience of them all. She encountered a succession of heavy easterly gales from the time of leaving the Australian port until making. the New Zealand coast on Saturday last, when the first fair wind was experiencel. The passage occupied 28 days, and ion one occasion she was driven as far as 47 degrees south. The steamer Elingamite, which arrived from Gisborne at 12.30 a.m. to-day, had a rough passage, extending over thirty-two hours. At the East Cape the weather was exceptionally bad, and a strong gale from the south-west, accompanied by a heavy head sea, was encountered thence onwards throughout the night, better weather being met on passing Cape Colville. The Hawea, which also arrived from Gisborne last night, reports similar weather;

In the city the gale did little damage. On the wharves and in- the harbour the force of the wind was very great, but beyond blowing doAvn a portion of the framework of the goods shed in course of construction on the new western tee of Queen-street Wharf no real damape was done. This morning" the wind shifted into the south-west, and several bitterly cold showers of rain fell, whilst the wind was blowing with great force.