STORMY WEATHER.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 102, 29 April 1912, Page 6

STORMY WEATHER.

A WEEK-END GALE.

Tim pian, of those who had made arranjreniciits to spend their week-end oat vi town uere I.Miily upset by the unsettled weith.-r. (In >atnrday intermittent .-hower.s f.-11. l«it notwithstanding there was a j;i»od deal of sunshine. terday the stroll- wind had worked up t'i a .zale. and $iy\v with almost hiinicane force. At intervals black clonds chased each other across the sky, and hanked up ominously in the north-east. Then a dren:-h!n:r and bitterly-cold rain and -leet shower would follow, and made matter* extremely unpleasant for those who uere unfortunate enough to have to leave the shelter of their roofs. In the harbour there was a nasty joliblp. .in.l the trips across the water were rendered far less enjoyable than is prpner.illy th" r-ase. The Sunday resorts were fur the most part all but deserted, and looked bleak and uninviting. A* the e']V-,-t of the gale, shipping has l>een considerably interfered with. Tha M;-,iui. which arrived yesterday fiom Newca-tle. received a roujrh handling, as al-,> did the Wimmera, which arrived yesterday from Sydney, and the Victoria, which to-day put in a belated appearance froii. fiisbornP. The Waaotahi and Niratiawa are at Opotiki, unable to get out. and the coai-tal steamer Gael is also wealher-biiund at VVaipu. C,n Friday niglii 'he collier Kamona arrived from \\'.--tport after a roagh and--t/)rrav \<)\:<z'\ The liner Banffshire, win "arrived from TokoTnaru Bay oil Saturday, also had a bad time in the r.ii-. oi Plenty. i"he -warship Encounter, although she met the full force of the v;ile after roundinc: the. Kasrt- Cape, came

through the ordeal unscainea. On the Wist (oast the -weather wa3 also on its worst behaviour, and the bar at Munukaii lias been rendered im-pa.--a!)le. The P.arawa v.-as dne to sail from (!ncinni'_M at '-VM p.m. yesterday, but was unable to <lr> =o. To-day the bar is still imipu—aiiilc The l"nion Company's steamers L'ukaki. (oriiina. and Rosamond are .-till r-tbotmd. and are unlikely to get out to-day. A BUILDING WRECKED. (Hr Telegraph.—Press Association.) ' CHRISTCIIURCH. this day. Yesterday morning a store in coursd of erection in Dryden-street, Addington, for the International Harvester Company. was wrecked. be .beams for the I roof had been completed. The whole crashed down, splintering the heavy timlvr. Th« rear brick wall fell back on l!i" residence of Mr. John Cuufthley. headmaster of West Christchurch School, completely wrecking part of the house. The ocAipants were away at church, and no one was injured. Mr. K. K. K haw. the builder of the store, say~ the huildin™ was thorcraghJy secured on >jiunlay. 23 DAYS GALE. riRAR!'- TRYINi; EXPERIENCE. Tempestuous weather was the experience of the New Zealand Shipping C 0."3 steamer Orari. which arrived from London this raorninjr during the la?t- 23 days of her voyage. the (Irari left Ixindon nn March 7, and. apart from th«» fearful weather, ha dan uneventful voyage. After clearin«r the Knjrlish coast, no hnd was sighted till the lighthouse on Cape Maria Van Diemen was pk-kpd up yesterday morning. The only vessel sighted on the long voyage wa- a French four-masted barque, which raced past the Orari with all sail >et b?fore a heavy gale on the afternoon of April 17. The barque was flying the French flag, and was probably the Elfrida bound to Melbourne. On the- morning of April 4 a -trong southwest pale wa< encountered, and from that date till rounding Ca*e Maria yesterday- there was no a'»itement in the storm, l.he high wind veerins , from west to south-west. The decks were almost con'lnuously swept by big -ea=. and everything movable was securely battened down. The Orari proved herself a splendid sea boat, and came through her trying ordeal undamaged. The vessel went to the powder ground on arrival, and will come up to the wharves to-morrow evening.