IN AND AROUND HASTINGS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 7976, 30 January 1897, Page 3

IN AND AROUND HASTINGS.

WINDOWS BLOWN IN.

GEEAT DESTRUCTION OF TREES

RAILWAY TRAFFIC INTERRUPTED.

[OWN COEBESPOWIiKN_J

We have for along timebeenbemoaningtbe want of rain, and now it has come in quantities to satisfy the most ardent, and brought the wind with it. Last night was the roughest night for many years. It blew great guns, and the heavy rain filled the tanks rapidly, this last to the great satisfaction of tho owners. Mho roads are strewn with great branohes, blown from the trees, espeoially along Havelook and Karamu roads, and in many cases'the treea themselves were broken.

The actual extent of the damage oannot at present be estimated, but it will be very great, chiefly to tha grain crops and the fruit treea. ibis ia serious from a business point of. view, but sad havoc has been done in the flower gardens, most of the contents of which are levelled to the ground. About 9 o'olook this morning, the shop window of Mr Bobertson, watohmaker, of Market street, was blown in, and had to be boarded up. Mrs Roberts's three-storey boarding house suffered severely. It is in rather an exposed position, and several of the windows were blown in.

Naturally early enquiries were made at the post ofHoo, when it was found that Hastings was absolutely cut off from telegraphic commonioatiou —for the first time in my recollection. Therefore, it was useless to try the telephones, but several people did, with the result that thero was no answering ring. The next point of interest was the railway station. Here the officials were as muoh in the dark about the trains aa the ordinary residents. All they knew was that neither the 9.50 from Waipukurau, nor the train from Napier, due at tho same time, had put in an appearance. However, about three-quarters of an hour late, the south train (steamed out of the fog, and pulled up at the platform. The few passengers in it ware beai.ged with questions as to tho state of the lice, and the oause of delay. These causes would havo been disastrous in the dark, but were soon disposed of by daylight. Tho first serious obstacle was a large pine tree near Pukehou, which had beoa blown down and was lying across the line. All attempts to move it were useless, aud it had to be sawn in two before the train could pass. A number of smaller obstructions were negotiated before arriving at Paki Paki, when it was found that the line waa co strewn with debris of trees, &c, that tha siding had to be utilised to bring the train along. Shortly after leaving Paki Paki a bump was felt. The train had run into a small slip. It was a bit startling ot first, but no harm was done. At Hastings this train had to wait for the one from Napier, whioh had been obliged to clear away obstruction en toute, bat started off immediately the train steamed in, in the midst of a terrifio gale and storm. The tree, on either side bore evidence of the fury of the storm. Ho obstacle waa enoountered until after leaving Farndon station before arriving at the bridge. Here two augry snorts of the engine, and the sudden stoppage of the traiu, told that eomething waa up. This was that a gust of wind had bent over a big tree right iv front of the engine. The railway people set to work with axes, and in oourse of time we were on tho flat country past the bridge, whenoe all was plain sailing to Napier, whioh most of us were glad to reaoh.

The water at the three bridges was not unusually high, but it was rough and dirty. Tha telegraph post and wires by tho side of tho line appeared all right, so the obstruction would be somewhere between Olive and Hastings on the north side, and thero are no poles down iv Bight of Hastings on either side, although the large compound telegraph poßts from the railway oroatiag to the poet office were rootling dangerously at times. On tho journey to Napier tie carriages rocked ominously. No ono was sorry when all the bridges were negotiated, aud in faot it waa, as a gentleman remarked, quite a record trip.