Mid And South Canterbury Lashed By Gales

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31784, 14 September 1968, Page 1

Mid And South Canterbury Lashed By Gales

High winds, which lashed parts of the South Island yesterday blew down trees, blew in windows, interrupted power supplies, and caused fires to spread.

Nor’-west gales, particularly severe in inland parts of the Ashburton county yesterday, felled trees, broke power lines, and caused the spread of at least three fires, which kept volunteer firemen on duty into the evening, according to the Ashburton reporter of “The Press.”

The gale, which reached about 50 miles an hour at times in Ashburton—and considerably stronger inlandbrought down trees across the main highway at Staveley.

Damage in Ashburton was slight, and was mainly confined to broken branches in council reserves, and minor power failures. There was no great disruption of telephone services.

The Ashburton County Engineer (Mr R. L. Lindsay) said last evening that a full assessment could not be made until today, but reports indicated considerable damage to trees.

The Methven Volunteer Fire Brigade, assisted by Ashburton County Council fire-tenders, was called to a fire in a plantation behind the Methven Racecourse, and to a sawmill in Methven.

Firemen remained on duty at the plantation into the evening, although the fire had been brought under control, because of the risk of the wind fanning burnt stumps.

A fire at Alford Station destroyed 1000 bales of hay in a shed, and also burnt trees nearby. The Mount Somers Volunteer Fire Brigade and a county council machine fought this blaze. Firemen there were also on duty last evening, although the fire was under control. Ashburton Electric Power and Gas Board linemen were kept busy throughout yesterday afternoon and evening repairing lines. The worst areas were above Mayfield, where an 11,000-volt line supplying power from Mayfield towards Montalto and Surrey Hills was brought down, and in the Springburn, Staveley, Alford Forest, and Ashburton Forks areas. Lines were also brought down in the Hinds district and Riverside, and there were minor disruptions near Methven. TIMARU GALE

At the Timaru Airport at Levels, a 62 knot maximum gust was registered between 4 p.m. and 4.30 p.m„ trees were damaged in city reserves, some windows were blown in in the business area and oil drums on the foreshore were plucked from the sand and washed out to sea and along Caroline Bay. The Cedric, berthed at Timaru, was blown 10ft to strain her moorings and six gangs of waterside workers had to stop work at 2.30 p.m. because of the hazard. Late this evening a plantation was on fire on the Fairlie side of Cave. The Fairlie and pleasant Point volunteer fire brigades attended and tankers we¥e sent from Pleasant Point and Levels.

Heavy rain began at the Hermitage at 2 p.m. after 24 hours of gales. The Mount Cook National Park chief ranger (Mr D. F.

Beil) said that all climbing and ski-plane activities had been abandoned. There was a power break at 4 p.m. and persons were knocked off their feet by the wind. POWER DISRUPTION Power was disrupted at various parts of South Canterbury. The city electrical engineer (Mr A. J. Sleigh) said two major power cuts occurred during the afternoon. One was in the west end of the city, where power was off three times when wires in the high voltage line short circuited.

The other was in the southeastern area where the roof of a shed was blown across the road and broke off one of the power poles carrying highvoltage lines in South Street. A number of smaller areas were affected by lines becoming tangled by high winds. The Post Office resident engineer (Mr P. B. Keyes) said circuits to the Maungati exchange and Lakes Tekapo and

Pukaki, and about 70 subscribers in Timaru were affected by high winds. Trees blown across the main trunk line south of Timaru delayed the arrival of the express from Invercargill in Christchurch by an hour and 35 minutes. Two trees fell across the line between St Andrews and Pareora, and another fell just north of Pareora. One of the trees was more than 6ft in diameter and a logging contractor had to saw it through before it could be pushed off the line with a bulldozer.

Two goods trains were delayed in Timaru until the express was clear, and in Christchurch a Picton-bound goods train with a carriage attached. had to wait for the express for several passengers who were travelling to Picton.

The express had about 100 passengers. The Maori was not due to sail from Lyttelton last night.