AT ITS WORST.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 104, 4 May 1936, Page 9

AT ITS WORST.

DAMAGE ON WEST COAST. HAVOC AT HOKITIKA. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) GJREYMOUTH, Sunday. The West Coast on Friday night and yesterday morning experienced the most severe south-westerly gale for a lengthy period. The barometer on Friday evening was remarkably low at 2S.B7in, and from six o'clock the gale increased, reaching hurricane force occasionally along the whole of the western coastline.

Hokitika, where there was a continual roar of breaking buildings for several hours, suffered severely. A shop front was blown out in Revell Street, a hotel verandah collapsed, while £ large boarding house verandah in Weld Street was also carried away. The Presbyterian Hall in Sewell Street was damaged and many chimneys and radio poles suffered. Several large trees on Cass Square were levelled, one interfering with the electric wires and cutting off the current ,while other trees uprooted near Hokitika broke the power lines. Sheds were unroofed in localities adjacent to Hokitika.

Other towns all report a most boisterous visitation. Greymouth was partially deprived of electrical current, and numerous radio masts were levelled. Both telegraph and power board linesmen were busy yesterday restoring disorganised circuits. The collapse of a power pole near Blaketown cut off the power there until 10 a.m. There were also interruptions to power in Cobden and North Beach. _ Telephone and telegraphic lines were blown down throughout the district and all communication with outside centres was interrupted from 1.30 until 9 a.m. yesterday. Several roofs in Blackball were blown off and fences and verandahs were demolished. , Numerous windows were broken in Runanga. The storm had subsided by daylight on Saturday and the weather was fine until showers recurred this evening.