Wide Damage By Violent Hailstorm At Ashburton

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28477, 6 January 1958, Page 3

Wide Damage By Violent Hailstorm At Ashburton

One of the most violent hailstorms for many years struck Ashburton shortly after 3 p.m. on Saturday, leaving a trail of damage amounting to thousands of pounds to business premises, private homes, and gardens in the town.

Flashes of lightning unusual in their frequency, and terrifying to many residents, were accompanied by loud peals of thunder which shook buildings and houses. There was some interruption to telephone and electric services.

Although the hailstones were not particularly large, the storm, which lasted about a quarter of an hour, was of great intensity. It roared across the town leaving a covering of hail varying in depth from a light coating to five and six inches in some places. The storm was confined in ‘a narrow path across the residential and business areas of Ashburton. It came in from the north, where the hail was thickest, and swept over to the south, stripping gardens and cutting tree leaves, which were left like a carpet of confetti on the ground as it passed Gutters and stormwater channels in the town could not cope with the deluge of water which overflowed on to footpaths and streets. Culverts and bridges were blocked with debris which was washed down the streets. The damage to the inside of houses and shops was caused by heavv rain after the hailstorm overflowing from spoutings and valleys of hip-style roofs blocked and filled by the hail. Water burst through ceilings and flowed in torrents down outer walls, causing damage where windows had been left open. Ceilings Collapse

In some old buildings, plaster ceilings collapsed with the amount of water bursting through them. Stock in business premises suffered considerable damage from the water.

The rain continued until about 6 p.m. yesterday. About three inches fell in the period of 24 hours. The rain was particularly heavy early yesterday afternoon, even forcing cars travelling on the Main South road in the Ashburton area to stop or proceed slowly with lights on, so poor was visibility in the driving showers. Business premises were probably the worst affected by water On Saturday evening, business-

men and shop owners were working to salvage their stock from water which had flowed down inside walls and over stock on shelves and on the floors. In Burnett street, at least six shops were flooded to varying degrees. In one shop, water was flowing out the front door. Displays in windows seemed to be affected to a large extent. Business P remis es in Saunders Buildings, in East street, were flooded after hail had blocked down-pipes and gutters to a depth of 12in, causing the heavy rain to overflow and- break through the ceiling, bringing down large lumps of plaster. This happened in several instances.

In another shop in East street, water was lying to a depth of two inches on the floor. Water streamed down the wall of a stationer’s shop causing considerable damage to stock.

Water flooded through a new piano in another shop. Sewing machines, part of a window display, were soaked, when water broke through the roof of a sewing machine company’s branch office.

Beds in one boarding house in Ashburton were soaked after rain had come through the ceiling. At the Hotel Devon, hailstones had to be shovelled off the floors of some rooms because of open windows. Several rooms in the staff hostel of the Ashburton Licensing Trust could not be used on Saturdaynight. Flooded House Water flowed through the roof of one large two-storey house at Burnett street, flooded upstairs rooms, and ran down the stairway, where the occupier and his wife swept it out the back door. Many other houses and flats in the town were similarly affected. At Allenton, to the north-west of Ashburton, the hail partially flattened the nursery of Mr I. C. Mcllroy. In the vegetable gardentomatoes, silver beet, and potatoes were stripped and bruised. The outer leaves of lettuce were chopped up badly and the hearts bruised. Plants and shrubs in the nursery were also stripped and bruised, and the tops were knocked off smaller plants. In the King brothers market garden in Allens road, Allenton, carrots were badly knocked about and cabbages and cauliflowers cut up. At Catherwood’s Nursery in Belt road on the north-west side of the Ashburton LJomain, hail ; slashed the flower garden to pieces. Mr Catherwood described the chrysanthemums and roses in his garden as being “mulched.”

Trees and shrubs in the nursery had been badly stripped by the vicious hail, and their growth held back for probably a month, he said.

Bedding plants in the Ashburton Domain were stripped to bare stems and ruined. Bushes and shrubs were also mutilated.

Most of the growth in the domain is expected to recover but flower displays have been destroyed in many cases.

To the south-east of Ashburton, towards Wakanui, gardens were also extensively damaged. The foliage of potato crops was stripped by the hail, and other garden crops, such as peas, likewise damaged. Paddocks of seed ryegrass in this area were badlyaffected and seed crops are unlikely to be obtained.