A REMARKABLE STORM.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 155, 3 July 1922, Page 5

A REMARKABLE STORM.

SERIOUS DAMAGE DONE. IN SOUTHERN K.ENG COUNTRY. UTTKU TOWN HALL DESTROY ED. (From Our Own Correspondent.) TAIHAPE, Saturday. At about 1.30 p.m. to-day a storm struck Taihape, and the strong wind made things unpleasant foT a few minutes. The wind was from the north, and the only damage done was the blowing down of an advertising hoarding in the Main S ieet. Utiku, about six miles south of Taihape, fared a great deal worse, as the storm at Taihape came from the north, and at Utiku it apparently met an unprecedentedly strong gale from the south, causing a whirlwind which caused extensive damage. In the line of the storm, which is unprecedented in the history of the district, was the Utiku Hall, which was completely demolished. A little while 'befot -_ the whirlwind struck the hall some workmen were engaged there in the wort of repairing and lining the hall, and the fact that it was completely demolished by the storm is attributed to the fact that the doors were open at the time. At 3.40 this afternoon, the scene presented a pltialble sight, as the whole of the large building had completely collapsed, and all that was left was a mass of wreckage which could not have been more complete if a high explosive shell had struck the building. Some of the sheets of iron were carried across to a group of trees, which were considerably damaged iby the impact, and some distance away was lying a portion of the roof, with the timber supports attached.

Mr. Arthur's store had the roof blown off the part of the building attached to the store as a lean-to and the chimney was blown down. There was a very narrow escape from total destruction (by fire in this 'building, as there was a large fire in the fireplace at the time, and when the* storm made a vent in the building the fire was ecattered around the room, and the utmost exertion was needed to save the building.

At Gibbe Bros.' timber yard great destruction was caused, and the box factory was completely demolished. Thie building was right in the line of the storm, and is now a total wreck, sheets of iron were blown right across the river for a distance of a quarter of a mile, and may be seen lying on the hillside. Some of the iron off the roof of this building struck in its flight a wire stay of the engine smokestack, and the velocity of the wind may be gauged from the \ct that the sheets of corrugated iron were bent double by the force of the impact. In another place a sheet of iron is embedded deeply in the ground end on, and in another the galvanised iron from the roof struck the wires of a fence, causing them to be bent double. The damage done at the box factory is extensive, as the band saw was broken and another saw was badly damaged. Some of the employees were working adjacent to the factory at the time, and they had a very narrow escape, as the vicinity of their labours was fairly 'bombarded by sheets of iron.

Across the river the purchaser of a farm was about to take possession, and had stored his furniture in a shed at the rear of the house. A large tree was blown right across the shed, and considerable damage was done to the furniture. In addition to the damage mentioned, fences were levelled, a number of houses were unroofed, trees were uprooted, and chimneys were 'blown down.