UNABATED FURY

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 293, 11 December 1929, Page 7

UNABATED FURY

STORM IN BRITAIN HEAVY TOLL OF LIVES. Thames Steadily Rising In Flood. MISSING SHIPS REPORTED. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 12 noon.) RUGBY, December 10. A renewal of the southerly gales, caused by a very deep depression approaching from the Atlantic, is, according to the weather forecast, likely to be. severe on the south-west coast of Britain. Meanwhile, although a heavy swell has been running, ah interval in the violence of the gale has enabled many ships to mend their steering gear and continue their voyages or to make for ports when damage was serious. The steamer Tyne Bridge, for instance, has repaired her steering gear and cancelled a call, for assistance and is returning to Falmouth to land one dead and two injured men. Since yesterday the Thames has risen nearly one foot at Wolseley, and the rate of flow during the last 24 hours was 9,000,000,000 gallons as compared with the average flow of 2,000,000,000 for .this time of the year. The authorities have established a special watch on the river so that adequate warning can be given if danger arises of the floods breaking through the. embankments in ; London. • There is no. immediate fear of this happening, but floods in the upper Thames Valley are higher than when it : occurred last year, and more rain is | forecast. ; ■', • ■\- '.At Reading, which is almost surrounded by water, the river is 26 inches ( above normal and at Maidenhead four feet above normal. Minor damage has been done to pro- , "perty in south coast towns. Scores of , •buildings along the cliffs at Bourne- ] mouth have suffered and six chimney ] stacks collapsed in one gust. Colliery { work i 3 stopped in the Forest of Dean. Stirring Rescue. The story of a stirring double rescue i Was told by the officers of the French * salvage tug Iroise, 663 tons, of St. Nazaire, which put to sea on December e 5 in search of the steamer Helen, g which was reported to be in distress l south of Ushant. The Helen's hold was found to be full s bf water and-her engines.out of com- i mission. The Iroise passed a cable on|< board,-but it broke. . It

While making for Brest in the darkless 1 the Helen drifted rapidly toward the Armen Rocks and began to sink. The Iroise': picked up the crew, with the exception of one officer. :. She had scarcely. finished the rescue when she received an S.O.S. call from tjie; Danish cargo ship Galdanay which jshe succeeded in bringing safely to port. The Iroise now set out again in reply to signals from the British steamers A1ba,,,860 tons, and 4360 .tori's, "of/West Hartlepool, and the Italian vessel Senatore D'Ali, 4317 tons, of < Trabani.. Several vessels were disabled owing W damage to their steering gear, and summoned assistance from tugs. During the'; day vessels in distress in the English' Channel have also received assistance from great ocean liners. *' The British steamer Britannic, which "was- adriifc- yesterday off Pembrokeshire, was towed by ; a trawler, which stood by her. for some hours before a cable could be; passed owing to the gale.