MONDAY'S STORM.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 9992, 23 March 1898, Page 5

MONDAY'S STORM.

SERIOUS DAMAGE IN THE COUNTRY DISTRICTS. Oar Ashburtott correspondent writes with reference to Monday's storm :—Towards 6 o'clock in the evening the wind increased to a violent gale, bringing with it • a heavy downpour of rain. The storm raged with great violence in the Mount Somers district in the afternoon, unroofing buildings, tearing up trees by the roots, and blowing down grain stacks. The Anama railway station was blown clean away and Completely smashed up. The - Cavendish station was also damaged. A lot of damage was done to buildings at Winchmore, and Mr Stitthadthe greater part of one stack of wheat shifted bodily and blown completely over. At Chatmosa and in parts of the Wakanui district some of the newly ploughed and newly sown paddocks were completely stripped. Yesterday morning tWo large water spouts were seen at sea at- the Waterton and Wakanui sea beach districts. A gentleman who returned yesterday from a holiday spent in the Otford district was out in the nor'-wester of Monday afternoon, and on the assurance of his companion, who has lived thirty-five years in the locality, he says the gale was the fiercest experienced there during that time. It started about two o'clock in the afternoon and was most severely felt between Woodstock and View Hill. It was nearly impossible for vehicles to get along, and those who were so unfortunate as to be caught in them by the storm needed to balance them to avoid a capsize. Considerable damage waa done to stacks, fences, and telegraph posts, and roofs were blown off stables and other jmildings in Oxford. At West Oxford "'Paget 1 - Hotel was damaged, stack* were levelled to the ground, and shingle and dirt were blown about with great force. It was reported that at East Oxford the gale actually blew a railway truck off the line.