WIDE STORM AREA

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21908, 8 October 1936, Page 17

WIDE STORM AREA

WHOLE OF AUSTRALIA AFFECTED

FIERCE BUSH FIRE IN NEW SOUTH WALES

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SYDNEY, September 18, A storm covering approximately 6,000,000 square miles—twice the area of Australia and more than a tenth 01 the world's total land surface— swept the whole of this continent on Monday and part of Tuesday. It brought a raging gale over parts of New South Wales, South Australia, anT Tasmania, Melbourne being near the centre of the storm. Air and shipping serviceswere disorganised, roofs were torn from buildings, and the glass of broken windows in Sydney showered pedestrians. Holyman’s DHB6 airliner Loila wasforced 15 miles out to sea on a flight from Melbourne to Sydney and arrived at Mascot 40 minutes late after one of the stormiest passages on record. The Douglas aeroplane, Bungana, after taxing 4 hours 10 minutes, instead of two and a hall hours, to cross Bass Strait from Hobart to Melbourne, was unable to return, and was driven back in a roaring gale to Essendon. Damage in Sydney In Sydney, where the gale reached a velocity of 57 miles an hour, windows crashed, fences were blown down, sheds were unroofed and shipping was troubled cm the harbour. A woman was knocked unconscious by flying iron, and gravely injured. The Woy Woy district, a holiday and week-end resort about 50 miles north of Sydney, had perhaps the most exciting of the storm experiences. Residents had to wage an eight-hour fight to subdue a bush fire which swept down on the township of Ettalong on Monday afternoon; and, for a time, threatened to destroy it The fire, which was fanned by the fierce gale, was checked only by the desperate resistance of a force of nearly 300 fire-fighters, representing every available able-bodied man in Woy Woy. Ocean Beach, and Ettalong Men fiercely beat out grass fires whil their own clothes were burning. Chil dren wielded boughs much bigger thar themselves. Bands of women movec motor-cars and other heavy objects tr points of safety. Brawny fire-fighter black from bead to foot from smoke ate and enjoyed great lumps of icecream, which they held in their hands. No one was seriously hurt, but scarcely anyone escaped uninjured. Fire-fighters lost hair and eyebrows, and some were burned slightly about the face and bands.'Six week-end cottages were destroyed, although more than 100 had been menaced.

Blinding duststorms raged in the inland districts; high seas lashed the coast, and driving rain fell in parts of the southern areas. Gales raged over the Tasman Sea, and. a warning to shipping was broadcast. Sydney was encircled by bush fires; outbreaks occurred in practically every suburb Fences were torn down, trees up rooted, and small buildings unroofed Two people were injured in the metropolitan area. Telegraph lines were blown down, and the trunk telephone service was interrupted. Gales swept the south coast, unroofing buildings, damaging houses, destroying fruit trees, and flattening fences.