THE RAINS AND GALE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1496, 19 July 1912, Page 5

THE RAINS AND GALE.

FURTHER ACCOUNTS. ARDUOUS TIMES AT SEA. Up till a kto hour Inst night the very unpleasant gale which has prevailed for tho past week showed only email signs of abating. During yesterday morning it appeared as though a change, had come, but it was not long licforo tho rain began to fall again and the weather thereafter was cold ami bleak, showers falling intermittently all day. As indicated yesterday tho conditions at sea on Wednesday night wore so bad that the ferry eteainer Maori was unable to get outside the harbour until i a.m. yesterday. Various steam coasters also received something more than what nautical men call a "dusting." At an early hour this morning the Hauroto arrived from northern ports, after putting up a hard battle against the gale.' At 11 o'clock last night a wireless message was received from her by tho local radio office to the effect that sho was unable <o outer, fljid that she would remain iu tho Strait all night until daylight. Evidently conditions must have brightened, as tho vessel managed to came into port early tjiis morning. Additional evidence of improving weather is furnished by the fact that vessels leaving port last night were reported to have cleared tho Heads eoon after quitting Wellington, wharves. Tho southerly is perhaps tho worst that hag swopt the Hutt Valley for many years. liain lias continued to fall with torrential forco, but the Hutt River has not very considerably incrc.ised in volume. At Alicetown largo areas aro under water, one particular estate resembling a lagoon. Many of the houses in this vicinity wcro surrounded with, water, and ingress and egress is somewhat difficult. Black Creole, Lower Hutt, is running bank high, nnd in Bomo of the outlying areas schoolboy.? are in high, glee using stilts for tho purpose of migration. At Koro Koro; slips on tho road havo taken pkco, and on Mrs. Love's property. Men were engaged in clearing tho debris, and a track wiis made last night. Nothing Liko this storm has ever before struck the hill township with such violence. The Koro Koro creek is running'from bank to bank; but expect for a number of trees that have been levelled to earth, the waterworks property does not appear to have suffered to any oxtent.

THE STEANDED WHALE. The big whale which now lies stranded on. the rocks to the westward of Lyall Bay must have been very dead when the. sea washed the carcass ashore. Owing to the prevalence of a southerly wind, which blows inland from the bay, the location of the great cetacean is not difficult to find, but it now takes a deal of courage and a defective sense of smell to approach the leviathan. Thero is every probability of the. whalo 'proving to bo tho ono wounded by whalers at Kaikoura a week ago. ... ~' .

MAOBI'S TRIP SOUTH. (Bjr Telegraph—Press Association.! ~. Chrlstchurch, July 13. Tho exceptional severity of lie southeast gale on tho coast is clearly shown by the fact that, for tho first tamo in her four and a half years' career in the Wel-lington-Lyttelton ferry service,' the steamer Maori was unablo to get out of Wellington Heads , on her sailing night." There was a tremendous sea running in Cook Strait, and across tho entrance to Wellington Harbour, and tho weather was exceptionally thick and dirty. - Captain Aldwedl therefore, very prudently, decided to anchor inside the Heads for t.ho night, and to put to sea at 4 o'clock this morning. The weather was still very bad in tho Stra.it, but, after getting past Capo Campbell, tho Maori made good- time down the coast, and was signalled at 2 p.m., arriving at the wharf. nJU , iour later. " Advice was received this morning that the Union Company's collier Waipori, which left Westport for Lyttolton on Monday night, is sheltering behind Long Island, in Cook Strait.

WAIRARAPA FLOODS. (By Telcerapli.—Pre6s Association.) Masferton, July 18. The storm still continues, though tho flood-water has receded. A largo area of land is inundated, nnd one or two small bridges washed away. Jinny slips liave occurred on tho roads and a very big ono at Kouuarnnga, which will block traffic on that road for eome days. It is reported'to-day that settlers havelost stock in tho low-lying country through drowning. The train service lias been re-established. The weather is very cold, and the mortality among weak-con-stituted stock is expected to be heavy. Latest reports state that a serious elip has occurred on the road towards the East Coast, and that much stock has been drowned.

HOVE-TO IN TASMAN SEA. (By Teleeriph.—Prase Association.) Auckland, July 18. ' The storm which has been making the weather so unpleasant in the south has been raging; with hurricane force in the Tasman Sea, and, as a result, steamers bound to and from New Zealand across that expanse of ocean are being considerably delayed. Tho big German steamer Hansa Neidenfels, which arrived from Now. York via Sydney this morning after a rather lengthy passage, received a very severe buffeting during tho voyage, from tho New South Wales port to Auckland. At about midnight on Sunday tho wind came up from the north, and, as night approached, it increased in force till by midnight a howling galo, accompanied by tremendous seas, was causing the vessel to roll and pitch in an alarming manner. Although she was in light trim, and standing high out of the water, big seas swept the decks continually, but everything movable had been securely lashed ' down, and no serious damage was done. Tho storm showed no signs of improvement on Holiday, but rather grew verse, nnd, at noon, Captain Jfctz gave thoorder to "heave to." The vessel's head was turned to the wind, and, for tho next three hours, those- on board had a trving experience, but, shortly after three o'clock, the weather moderated sliphtlv, and tho voyage was resumed for Auckland, the Neidenfels arriving this morning without further incident. Captain Mctz does not consider that his vessel met with tho full force of tho storm, and expressed the" opinion that any steamer that got in the thick of it would have a very bad time. STORM WASH AT LTTTELTON. IBy Tolcjrraph.—Prose AssooU.tlon.l Christchurch, July 18. ■Regarding the damage caused to the Lyltolton reclamation works by tho recont storni, the secretary of tho. Harbour. Board states Hint the repair work would extend over a month. Tho cost of replacing those pnvts of the wall which hadbeen broken off would bo about J&iO.

LOSS OF LIFE,

{By Telccraph.—SDeciol Correspondent.! Masterton, July 18. Two drowning fatalities a.re reported from Lower Valley, but tho details to hand are meagre. It appears that a,man named Andrew Broclcrsou was crossing Abbott's Creek, near Fcatherston, on horseback when he was washed away and drowned. The body, wns recovered today, and an inquest held before Hie district coroner, when a verdict of "Found drowned" was returned. A man named Henry Fletcher was crossing the Whakaweirn. Creek, at Pakio, on horseback, when lie also was drowned. Up till this evening his body had not )»en recovered. :