CITY UNDER SNOW

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 267, 6 August 1932, Page 12

CITY UNDER SNOW

Big Falls at Christchurch DEPTH OF TWO INCHES Streets Cleared by Gangs FEARS FOR EARLY LAMBS Special to The Dominion. Christchurch, August 5. Snow to a depth of two inches and more was lying i" the clu^ hu . , S streets and on the housetops this morning. The fall began shortly;after midnight, and continued untn 11 a.m., when there was a break oi sunshine. Intermittent fa ’ ls ’ blned with rain and sleet, throughout the day all over the South Island. The weather was boisterous in the early hours of thi morning, and heavy rain fell on West Coast. The ferry steamer Maori arrived at Lyttelton four hours late, after one of the roughest trips of her ca s® snowfall was confined to the eastern part of Canterbury. The hills of Banks Peninsula in particular were c^ and it was reported that In parts ttyfe snow lay right down to the waters edge* In parts of thePenlnsula the roa^ w ® r | from two to three feet under snow, buf the service cars were able to get th N°one h ‘of the city’s services was interrupted to any great extent by the snow, though some motorists had trouble and wet insulators causedla delay of ten minutes on the Lyttelton line. Neither local nor distance telephone lines were interrupted. Footpaths in the city and suburban streets were cleared by shovel gangs of men from the City Council’s staff and by relief workers. The street sweeping machines worked well, and by a comparatively early hour had cleared sufficient portions of the main thoroughfares to enable people to pass over dryshod. There was practically no flooding of storm-water drains. i For most of last evening the temperature ranged about freezing point, and the manimum was 31.2 degrees. The temperature seemed to rise in the morning. While the snow fell in the exposed country districts the temperatures were much lower, and farmers .with early lambs had fears for their stock because of the dryness of the winter so far. The snow, however/ will be welcomed by many farmers as there will be some benefit to newly top-dressed pastures. The severity of the snowstorm on Banks Peninsula may cause mortality among stock, but if the thaw comes 'soon, as it promises already, losses should .not be serious. In some of the lower valleys of the Peninsula there are dairy farming settlements. For these the temporary loss of feed may be an embarrassment. The storm has come, too early to- affect lambs. In the sheltered areas some farmers who make a practice of securing early lambs for market have young lambs now, but the general body of lambing Is not due for some weeks yet. COLDEST SNAP I//'/- ■ ' Conditions in Wellington PENETRATING WIND Wellington experienced perhaps the coldest snap of the year yesterday, when bitterly cold southerly weather prevailed. Such conditions were not confined to Wellington alone, for reports from the South Island, and at least the southern portion of the'North, Indicate that a visitation 'of wintry weather on a particularly severe scale. Cold conditions commenced on Thursday, when a southerly wind sprang up at about 4 p.m. The gusty wind soon increased in force and was extremely cold. A few flakes of snow were observed to fall in the city about 8.30 a.m. The temperature was unpleasantly low all through the day, and last night was cold and clear. Hills surrounding Upper Hutt were thinly covered with snow, but the ranges at the back were completely enveloped in a thick, white mantle. The country in the vicinity of Mt. Egmont received a very heavy fall of snow, and a Press Association telegram states that the townships of Stratford and Eltham were picturesquely covered with a white mantle in early morning. Ski-ing was Indulged in by one party in Eltham. SHIPPING DELAYED . Heavy Southerly at Sea The heavy southerly gale which sprang up on Thursday afternoon has been responsible for delaying shipping all round the coast. ' The New Zealand Shipping 1 Company’s motor-liner Rangitata, which was due at Wellington late on Thursday night, met the full force of the gale, and did not arrive in the stream until 7.45 a.m. yesterday. The Japanese motor-ship Brisbane Maru left the wharf at 5 p.m. on Thursday for Auckland, but after going a short way ddwn the harbour turned back, and anchored in the stream. She left again at 8 a.m. yesterday for Auckland. The motor-ship Port Waikato left the wharf at 11 p.m. on Thursday for Tauranga, but she too was forced to put back. She left here again yesterday afternoon and cleared the Heads, where a very heavy sea was running. The Tamahine had a rough trip to Pictdn, arriving there about half an hour late, while the Huddart-Parker steamer Zealandia, which left during the afternoon for Sydney, would also feel the full force of the gale. The Union Company’s big coastal steamer Waipiata was to have left yesterday for Auckland, but her departure has been postponed until six o’clock this morning. The C. & D. Line steamer Port Brisbane was delayed "at Gisborne yesterday, the Union Company’s Komata was bar-bound at Greymouth, and several vessels were reported to be sheltering between Lyttelton and Dunedin.