CHRISTMAS NIGHT DOWNFALL.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 306, 26 December 1924, Page 3

CHRISTMAS NIGHT DOWNFALL.

QUEEN STREET INUNDATED. OVER AN INCH OF RAIN. SQUALLY WINDS YESTERDAY. Queen Street seldom has such a wash- . ing on Christmas night as it had last . night. A few people who saw it at daylight saw a flood for several chains above the Customs Street intersection and along the side streets. The pavement and the footpaths were in places completely inundated, and the only visible objects in the roadway were the safety zones. The drizzling rain this morning kept the. streets wet and slippery and the verandahs dripping, and in places it was evident that some water had found its way down into the cellars; but none of the shops that were open had suffered any damage on this account. The change in the weather was not unexpected. Christmas Eve was almost perfect in the city; but yesterday the wind got round to the east, and blew in squalls that must have been felt strongly by the yachts sailing in the ocean race's to Russell and Tauranga. As it was northerly for a time, the Russell boats would find themselves against a head wind; but those bound for Tauranga would get the full benefit of this after rounding Cape Colville, and it would carry them smartly over the latter part of the course. The wind was fresh in the city, and had a velocity of 200 miles for "the 24 hours ending at 9 a.m. to-day; but had abated considerably during "the nighl. Rain began shortly before midnight, and m the early hours of the morning increased to a heavy downpour, with occasional thunder. About 5 o'clock the downfall was at its height, and the flood water mains in the city were temporarily unable to cope with it. Bowling greens and the Stanley Street tennis lawns were flooded for a time, and the r opening of matches arranged for this morning had to be postponed. In the case of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Championships the commencement was abandoned to-day, and the first round will now begin to-morrow morning. The Auckland Racing Club's carnival was opened at Ellerslie, but many minor holiday arrangements and picnics were cancelled. At Albert Park, where the official observations are taken by Captain McLeay (Government Observer), the rainfall for the 24 hours ending at 0 a.m o° n "i ay r Was I ' l7in ' mfl king a total of d.92in for December, as compared with 2.S2in. which is the average fall for the month. Reports from country districts show that tho rain has been general. At Cambridge an easterly gale was experienced last night, with torrential rain, and a telegraphic message to-day stated that it was still raining heavily A motorist who came through last ni"ht from Waihi. via Pokeno, reports, however, that he made the trip without difficulty in six hours, requiring chain grips for short stretches only. As his route did not lie over the Rangiriris he was unable to furnish particulars of their condition; but as no information has been received by Auckland taxi drivers the position is regarded as satisfactory. The taxi people keep themselves inormed upon the state of the road between Bangiriri and Mercer; and as a number of Auckland motorists contemplate leaving for the Waikato and Rotorua to-morrow, they will be interested tf> know that a prominent taxi man advises keeping to the Rangiriri route and avoiding Glen Murray, which is twenty miles further and also ' slippery in wet weather. He considers that, without any heavy rain to-day, the Rangiriris should be quite negotiable. ° i