CLEANING UP.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 29, 4 February 1936, Page 9

CLEANING UP.

STORM AFTERMATH. VAST DAMAGE DONE. WORK PROCEEDING SLOWLY. ORCHARDISTS FACE RUIN. Now that the cyclone of the week-end has passed, the whole of the North Island is faced with the task of clearing away wreckage and making repairs. So widespread has been the damage that the task of reconstruction is necessarily slow and services cannot be normal again for some days at least. Local 'body and other officials are busy removing fallen trees and debris from streets, parks and reserves. Yachtsmen are' trying to salvage their boats and to assess damage. Orcliardists are faced with serious losses, some of them almost' with ruin. Trees have been uprooted and crops utterly destroyed. Tho King's wharf power station today carried the whole load of the Auckland and Waitemata Power Boards' districts and it is likely that it will do so to-night as well. Salt spray carried by the wind and caked on the insulators of power lines at Bombay and further south is the trouble and is preventing the transmission of electricity from Arapuni. Telegraph Lines Working. The repair gangs which were at work all over the North Island on telephone and telegraphic lines were augmented yesterday afternoon and all lint,-: were temporarily restored. In some cases there was delay or interruption in communications because of the temporary I naturo of the repairs, and the telegraphic staff, in addition to messages from anxious people about the storm, had to handle the business which had accumulated during the breakdown. Late yesterday afternoon the mam line to Wliangarei failed between Kaipara Flats and Parakakau, owing to a late flood, but communication was restored by another route. The use of the emergency radio stations, whieh maintained contact with Wellington, New Plymouth and Wliangarei, was discontinued yesterday. Work for P. and T.

Very gradually the Post and Telegraph Department is making headway; and communication in a limited way lias now been restored to most places in the Auckland district. All circuits * are not working, but the system is complete enough to keep up communication. Very few parts are now isolated. The service will not be quite normal for some days at least. "This district has been severely affected by breaks of wires and poles in different degrees," said Mr. L. L. Macey, superintending engineer for the Post and Telegraph Department for Auckland district, when' questioned this morning. ■"The principal damage," he added, "has been due to trees and branches blown down. That appears to be the general experience throughout the North Island. It is certainly the worst "smash-up" I Save known and caused by wind, but I Save seen many wires down on occasions in the South Island owing to heavy falls of snow." The worst break in the vicinity of Auckland, he added, was due to a large macrocarpa tree being uprooted and crashing across the main line in Papatoetoe township near the railway station. This broke the whole series of wires giving communication south. The other main road line on that section was subject also to minor faults owing to branches falling at different points. The transmission line near Penrose Jield, in spite of the fact that two strong poles were fractured, the steel suspension holding the wires intact. In the northern section between Auckland and Warkworth, both wires, that via Helensville and the other via Albany ,and Silverdale, were subject to some interruption due to falling tree branches, which also caused considerable damage north of Warkworth. where departmental gangs have made repairs and are to-day still busily engaged. Mr. Macey stated that similar damage had been done in the Waikato district and particularly south of Hamilton, but he was not yet in possession of details. Removing Fallen Trees. The clearing away of fallen trees is . one of the biggest works involved in cleaning up the debris of the storm. Saws and axes, and everything on wheels from motor trucks to trolleys were requisitioned for the job, and in many places this morning gangs of men were still working hard. . In some cases the removal of the frees had to be done carefully to avoid doing damage to buildings against which they had fallen. One big macrocarpa in Onslow Road, Epsom, provided nine lorry loads, and this morning another big tree outside St. Joseph's Convent. Surrey Crescent, was still in process of removal. Some of the finest trees in Albert Park and the Domain were brought down, and it is anticipated that it will take about a week before the Domain has been cleared, even with a tractor and trailer and a gang of men engaged.. .Waterfront Busy. The waterfront yesterday and to-day was a hive of industry, many workmen being engaged in raising sunken small craft, gathering up wreckage and performing general salvage work. Salvage was also carried out on many of the beaches in the harbour. Because the three launches piled up against the Parker-Lamb Timber Company's slipway were still under water on the southern side of the basin, nothing could be done to salvage them yesterday afternoon, but a start was made with the work this morning. The '.Post and Telegraph Department is faced with the task of restoring telegraphic and telephonic communication all over the island. ■ Men have been working night and day since the storm, and as far as Auckland is concerned, by noon to-day it was possible to "get through" to most places in the district. Communication is possible in a limited way, however, • and the circuits are subject to frequent interruption. The position will not be normal again for some days at least.

Desolation in Orchards. It is estimated that fully two-thirds of the crops of fruitgrowers in the Henderson, ~ Oratia and Swanson districts have been destroyed. Some orchards present a scene of desolation, with trees literally torn from the ground, and fruit lying everywhere like pebbles in a river. The outlving districts of Henderson are still inundated with water and the damage will probably run into many thousands of pounds. Some of the orchards on the eastern sicie escaped to a certain extent, but besides feeling the full force of the wind, the western sides of many orchards were also damaged bj

wind burn. Trees were snatched out by the roots, while shelter in the shape of trellis and other conveniences were levelled to the ground. The rain was the heaviest experienced for many years, and fruitgrowers in the district state that they cannot remember a wind with the force that prevailed over the week-end. The most extensive damage was done to fruit trees, but vineyards did not escape the fury of the storm. Pears, plums, apples and peaches lie everywhere in thousands, anil it is considered that there will be a decided shortage as a result of the lieavv losses. Markets for export will be uliort, and fruit prices will probably rise. To add to the general loss, it is probable that the fruit which has beer, left on the trees, being in several cases in a fairlv ripe stage, will be badly affected" by brown rot. This especially applies to nectarines and peaches. Ihe tomato crop is also likely to suffer, for the fruit, swelled by the rain, tends to crack under .the heat of the sun afterwards. The damage at Te Kauwliata is estimated at many hundreds of pounds, though, speaking broadly, the vineyards have not suffered so much. Timber Stacks Topple. Caught by the force of the driving wind, stacks of timber in some dealers' yards were toppled, and flying planks caused some ~eleiiient of danger to buildings and workers. At the Kauri Timber Company's Auckland mill a portion of a roof, about 20ft square, was blown off, but none of the stacks was damaged, and this seemed to be the experience of most of the city yards. At the Morningside Timber Company's yards the roof of the engine room of the new mill was lifted, and employees had a great struggle replacing it while the gale was still blowing. Electric Power Restoration. The chairman of the Auckland Electric Power Board, Mr. W. J. Holdsworth, said that the call for the plant to take over came at midnight, and by 4 a.m. it had started to do so. Great care was needed, as there was so much troubie on different lines. This morning insulators were still being washed to free them of salt as far south as Pokeno, and the trouble is not past yet. Until such time as it is, the King's wharf plant will continue to carry the whole of the load for the Auckland and Waitemata power districts. Hospital in Darkness. It was fortunate that no operations were in progress in the Auckland Hospital yesterday morning when the power suddenly failed. Little inconvenience was caused, because normally most lights are extinguished in the wards, and the nurses had no difficulty in moving about with the aid of torches.