THUNDERBOLT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 186, 8 August 1935, Page 8

THUNDERBOLT.

NEAR WHAKATANE.

POWER LINES BROKEN.

DAMAGE BY LIGHTNING.

MILKING PLANTS AFFECTED.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent)

WHAKATANE, this day.

Houses were struck by a thunderbolt and lightning at Eewarau, Opouriao Valley, at mid-day yesterday. The ground was shaken violently by a heavy blast of thunder. Communication was s'mt off. The Whakatane River is in Hood, and telephones are disorganised as the result of fuses being blown out.

In the exchange oflice all fuses were blown out and electric switches shattered. The lids of main switches in three cowsheds were also smashed open by lightning. The line was cut and a switch cover blown through a wall at Mr. Kelly's residence, while an earth wire explosion shattered the side of the house. Wireless sets, electric etoves and other electrical equipment were damaged and milking plant damaged, and cows are being milked by hand. Mr. Kelly has 120 cows to milk, which is almost an impossible task without considerable help. The telephone service is badly interrupted along the line, especially at the homes of Messrs. Middlemas, Reeves, Tibberts, Davies. Kelly and their sharemilkers.

The stall of the Bay of Plenty Power Board left this morning to do repair work. As the roads are flooded, they had to walk five miles across the hills and use pack-horses. They expect to complete the work to-night.

At Otakiri three or four transformers are out of action as the result of an intense local cyclonic disturbance. On Messrs. Lovell Bios', property at Awakeri a large tree was uprooted and crashed into a power pole, which it broke. Eight telephone lines were broken, also the toll line. Three or four large wattles were uprooted.