SWEPT BY GALE

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 256, 13 July 1926, Page 10

SWEPT BY GALE

BOISTEROUS WEEK-END IN AUCKLAND telegraph and telephone LINES DOWN SHIPPING HELD UP “Dominion” Special. Auckland, July 12. A heavy easterly gale swept Auckland during the week-end. The storm reached hurricane force during Saturday night, being followed yesterday by boisterous conditions, which developed into a fierce rainstorm during the afternoon and evening. There was a certain amount of damage in the city, and in one or two areas there was some dislocation of electric light services. The force of the storm may be gauged from the fact that several large steel girders used in construction work, which were temporarily erected in the vard of Seagar Brothers in Sturdee Street, were blown dow.n. Some of these girders, which are large solid beams used as the framework of ferro concrete buildings, fell on a motor-car in the yard, smashing the front lefthand portion, but missing the engine, while the hood saved the body to a very large extent. The flagstaff on the ferry buildings, which lias weathered many serious storms, w.as also blown out of position. The principal damage on the waterfront was at the railway embankment under construction on the eastern side of Judge’s Bav and on that portion which juts out into Hobson Bay. The stone facing has not yet been placed on these portions, and on Saturday night the seas, lashed by the gale, undermined the embankment in several places and caused washouts. Considerable damage was done last evening at Cheltenham beach, where the full force of the gale was felt. In many places sand was washed out and fences along ihe frontages of properties adjoining the beach were undermined, while 'erosion took place along the edge of some of the sections. Damage was also done to several boats stored above hifh water-mark. There was some damage among pleasure craft in the harbour, but the fact that most, of the boats are hauled up for the winter minimised the loss. Damage reported in the city includes the breaking in of a window of a grocer’s shop in Karangahape .Road, and the blowing down of the veranda of a grocery store in Great North Road. The staff of the Auckland Electric Power Board was kept hard at work from 2 o’clock yesterday morning attending to a number of minor breaks in the power lines, chiefly in the suottrbs. . . „. . Telephone communication with lintiri was cut off yesterday afternoon thiough a break in the wires, so that until repairs can be earned out no vessels can be signalled until oh North Head. The wind ab* brought down several telephone wires oil Queen’s Wharf. These were replaced, but had to be repaired again last evening after being blown down the second time. Shipping Dislocated. Almost complete dislocation to shipping was caused, both in port and oil the coast, and the full effects of the storm were felt by coastal and overseas steamers, many of which had particularly stormy passages. The gale swept across the harbour with ittle sign of abatement during the whole ot tlic week-end. However, ample warning that a storm was approaching was given on Saturday, and all vessels were securely tied up before it broke A particularly severe buffeting was experienced all day yesterday by the steamer Canadian Challenger which was to have arrived from Halifax early in the afternoon. She was overtaken bv the gale when some distance off the Great Barrier, and heavy squalls and high seas made it impracticable for her to proceed. The steamer was hove-to in the morning, but intimated by wneless last evening that conditions were a little improved. Telegraph Wires Down. The most serious disorganisation of North Island telegraph and telephone services for nine years occurred yesterdav as a result of the bo.sterous weather. The damage to overhead lines both north and south of Auckland, on Saturday night, limited communication yesterday afternoon to intermediate telegraph, offices be ‘T*n Auckland and Hamilton and Auckland and Warkworth. Fitful telegraph communication was only established with Wellington after every circ " lt . lad b Y h " tried. The interruption of the south ern communications was due to breaks at Cambridge and Te Awaniutu. At Cambridge a tree was blown across ti c cables and a complete break resulted. Of the four normal routes to Hamilton, onlv one could be worked 3 Ins served for both telegraph and telephone communications, . and was °P era^ d wi tl some congestion, in spite ot Ig. week-end demands. , The Makora, which left Devonport at 6 o’clock last night, and Stalllev Bay 610 had a full complement of pas sengers A minute or two after leaving Stanlev wharf her rudder gave wav and she drifted for over half an hour. until Captain Scott, with splendid seamanship, manoeuvred her itntd hr- cot her moored safely at Queen • Wharf Here the passengers were landed. During her drift the Maker passed near a dangerous reef at the deepest part of .the harbour not far from Stanlev Point. Many of th. pas sengers realised the great danger that thev were in, and prepared themselves for'any emergency. DELUGE AT THAMES BI TELEGKAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION. Thames, July 12. A storm of cyclonic severity visited Thames at the week-end. The rainfall for the 48 hours to 10 o clock tins morning was 6.65 inches. w - TArfl t a The electric power from Hororata was cut off, causing a dislocation in md'penecs and chimneys throughput the district have suffered severely. NIUE ISLAND SERVICE hinemoa delayed. Evidently the cyclone which is being experienced on the Queensland coast is also being felt far out at sea, as Sir Maui Poniare, Minister in. charge of Cook Islands, received a wireless message yesterday morning from the steamer Hinemoa that the vessel, which left I Auckland on Tuesday last for Niue Is- | land, has been hove to for 24 hours m 1 the face of a heavy gale-