STORM’S MISCHIEF

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 257, 26 July 1930, Page 10

STORM’S MISCHIEF

Excitement on Petone Beach LIGHTNING KILLS HORSE The storm on Thursday night caused some excitement In Petone, two Incident* being of special note. The coastal steamer Teee waa at the Petone wharf, having been engaged in unloading timber. When the sudden gale came up, and the Tees began to strain at her moorings, the position was felt to be very precarious indeed. The crew was summoned on board and all night long the siren was kept sounding, which attracted large crowds to the beach to see what the trouble was. Every instant people were expecting ropes to break and the vessel to be forced upon the beach. It was scarcely possible for the vessel to leave the moorings, as unfortunately the stern was toward the gale, and it would have been necessary to back out against the full force of the storm. The ropes held, so that the Tees weathered the storm safely. Horse Killed by Lightning. A horse, while being driven In a cart up the Koro Koro Road, was struck by lightning and killed. The driver of the horse, a young man, named Nicholson, was unharmed. He stated afterward that he noticed bright lights playing round the horse’s hoofs, and then without any warning it dropped dead. Residents nearby removed the carcass off the road. Motorist”* Experience. Numbers of people said yesterday that the storm was one of the most sudden and severe they, have known for years. A motorist said that spray from the sea was driven right across the road on the way to Eastbourne, and, approaching Windy Point, he could scarcely see his way along, despite his powerful headlights.

The same motorist said he had just come outside of a building to see to his car when Be seemed to be struck full in the face by the most vivid sheet lightning he had ever seen. Snow was lying on the eastern hills yesterday at a lower level than has been seen on them for a number of years.