SEVERE FROST.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9155, 12 July 1895, Page 6

SEVERE FROST.

Yesterday the eun shove brightly, but had little effect in thawing the snow, which lay thick on roofs, trees and roads. In the evening there was a slight fall of rain, which was followed b-/ a sharp frost. Tbe thermometer ia Christchurch yesterday morning had registered 16deg of frost, probably the lowest on record here. The heavy frost following on the snowfall temporarily suspended tram traffic, and it was not properly resumed tillyesterday afternoon. Tbe cany tram from Sumner reached town about half-past nine o'clock instead of a few minutes to eight o'clock. The quarter to oeven to Papauui got there at a quarter past eight, and it required four horses attached to one car to do the distance in that time. The Sydenham and Addington trams were not run, and the supply was met with palace cars. The 5 p.m. tram to New Brighton on Wednesday reached as far as Mr Cuffs place, where it left the line, and was not replaced until about 8 p.m. The next through tram from town was at midday On the suburban line the trams were run as far as Dudley creek, the line thence to New Brighton being too heavy lo permit of the journey being completed in reasonable time. The through service was resumed in the afternoon.

The depth of snow on Wednesday was equal to an average of a good 3in in the limits of the Domain Gardens—just such a fall that by its weight and tenaciously clinging to the branches of trees causes great breakages, and is likely to break and iujure to a large extent shrubs of a brittle nature. The rain cauge return from the snowfall was £in only. The total rain fall from the Ist to the 11th inclusive was 4.57 in; the maximum fall in twenty-four hours was 2.15 in, recorded on the sth. Messrs Wheeler and Son, of Cathedral square have secured some capital *' snow pictures, 5 ' ***hich make excellent mementoes of the present wintry weather. Among them are some very good photographs of snowballing at Christ's College. On Wednesday night in the North Canterbury district there was a severe frost on the suow which had fallen, and made the walking difficult and crUpy. Iv large tubs the ice was found to be If in in thickness. At Rangiora a good work had been done directly the snowstorm was over by putting on men to clear the side walks. At Kaiapoi this was not even attempted all day on Thursday, and there was a great deal of grumbling among the townsfolk in consequence. It is said there were men ready to do the work, but what the delay was due to is not explained. At the railway station and on the platform a good clearance was made, but the paths leading to the station were in a wretched state. Communication by road has been very difficult, owing to the snow balling up in the horses' feet. Not only have the young and old had a full period of enjoyment at the game of snowballing, but the Maoris at the Kaiapoi pa appear to have spent two days' real bard work at the game, attacking all and sundry who passed through their domain, and on Thursday afternoon a party of twenty or thirty Maori girls were very busy with the game.

Our Ashburton correspondent writes :— "After a partial melting of the snow at Ashburton on Tuesday an unusually hard frost set in early iv the afternoon, and soon converted the soft snow iuto sheets of ice. Yesterday the weather was fine, but the atmoephere had a keen frosty edge, and except in places freely exposed to the morning sun there was no thaw. It is many years since snow ha 3 lain so long so far down ou the plains. Last evening there was an indication of a further fall of either snow or rain.'"*

The Oamaru Mail says it is estimated on good authority that 200,000 sheep have perished in the Waitaki County during the late severe weather.

Our Amberley correspondent writes :— The weather on Tuesday evening set in with a hard frost, and by ton o'clock all water exposed outside was frozen over, but towards morning it ceased freezing, and between 5 and 6a. m. on Wednesday there was a heavy shower of rain. At seven o'clock it began to snow, continuing till about eleven o'clock, since which time it has cleared up. The ground has a carpet of snow about two inched thick. On Monday night Shaw, a waggoner, had a horse drowned while crossing the Waipara, which has been very high for some days. The Lumsden correspondent of the Southland Times writes :—Owing to tho snow in the high country, stock will have a very hard time of it, and considerable loss must take place unless a thaw speedily sets in. It is bad enough to feed stock in Lumsden jußt now, for the farmers have made up their minds to stick to what straw they have got, aud money is refused for it. A few years ago straw was burned or allowed to rot; later ou 10s a load was paid for it, and yet there is plenty in the district. The continued wet dirty weather is very hard on the farmers, as their work is almost at a standstill, it being next to impossible in many places to plough. For a month past we have scarcely seen the sun or moon.