A WHIRLWIND IN OTAGO.

Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 37, 14 February 1885, Page 1 (Supplement)

A WHIRLWIND IN OTAGO.

regarding the recent whirlwind iv the Waitaki, the Mail says :— The whirlwind which passed over Hilderthorpe on Tuesday last was bomewhat erratic iv its course. From what can be gathered from those who were about at the time, it seems that the wind was pretty strong from the west and the whirl doubtless originated some distance up the Waitaki, but, so far, we have not heard of anyone observing it further west than Mr. A. Walker's, whose homestead is some four miles inland from the coast, and a little to the south of Hilderthorpe. Mr. Walker was in the house, and hearing a great noise he looked out, and saw that a quantity of straw had been blown off the top of a stack a short distance away, and that it was being whirled about in the air. Afterwards, upon looking round, he feutid that a number of his ornamental trees were uprooted and strewn about, and he could also see the course the whirlwind had taken through his bailey, a strip of which was laid level throughout the length of tho paddock. The next place at which it was observed was Mr. Herald's, about two miles east of Mr. Walker's. A son of Mr. Herald's, hearing a loud noise in the distance, went into his house for a glass, with which to ascertain the cause, but before he could get out again the noise had died away. Some young men who were standing about a quarter of a mile north of Mr. George Dennisou's, saw the whirl coming eastward, and takiug a singularly variable course. They watched it pass over Mr. lJennison's, and then observed it rise, but they were unable to see what effect it had produced. Arriving at the lesidcuce of Mr. George Dennison, who occupies an acre of ground near Hilderthoipe railway siding, it came over his gorse fence, and levelled four or live healthy pinus insignis trees, which have stems at least six inches through. One of these trees it snapped off and carried away, depositing it in a field of oats about a quarter of a mile distant. In the garden the whirlwind seems to have behaved in a most extraordinary manner. It first took one direction and then another. Un the northern boundary of the garden a large pinus insignis, with a stem 16 iuches in diameter, was snapped off short and thrown to the ground, while a hive of bees standing in the path which the whirlwind was takiug when it first entered the garden, was left intact. From here the wind took a northerly course, this time coming low on the ground, and levelling fruit trees, fences, potatoes, and everything; in its way. Resuming an easterly direction, Mr. Deuuison's blacksmith's shop was iv the way, and its iron roof was completely torn off sheet by sheet and carried away, some of it for two miles, in au easterly direction. Two windmills standing in Mr. Dennisou's yard are very much damaged. The tail of the fan of ono is turned right up, the 1^ inch iron pipe to which it is attached being bent double. This mill, however, strange to say, is left standing, while the other one, which was erected a little to the north, is entirely lifted out of the earth and the fan broken away and deposited afc the other side of the shop. The whirlwind must have carried with it heavy substances for in one place a tolerably strong wirefence is laid down. Crossing the main road and railway the next obstacles in the course were two threshing mills and an engine belonging to Messrs. Duncan and Craig, and the force of the whirlwind may bo judged by the manner in which these two machines fared, one being turned completely over with wheels upwards, and the other being thrown over on its side. These machines, each of which weighs about four tons, were being put in repair for the season's thrashing, and were to be sent up to the Kurow to make a start on next Monday. A large amount of damage has been done to them, which will take days to repair. It is remarkable that an engine, which stood only about four yards from the machines, was not affected in the least, and that eveu the oil can was nob moved. Mr. Dennison's house also, which is situated only a few yards from the shop, wa3 not affected. But Mrs. Dennison heard the noise, and experienced a slight movement like that of an earthquake. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Mr. Dennison was working at his forge, and, finding the roof going off, he laid down. Mr. Craig was working at the threshing machines, and his first impulse was to take shelter behind one of them, but, finding that it commenced to move, he left it, intending to go into the railway shed. The wind, however, was too strong for him, and he was forced to lie down and take hold of the tussocks. Mr. Dennison's son, who had also been overtakeu between the machine and the workshop, sought shelter in the railway shed, but expecting that this would be blown away, he ran out and laid down under the ballast which forms the railway platform at Hilderthorpe. A branch of a tree from Mr. Dennison's garden was imbedded in the soil on the railway line to a depth of about 16 inches, and several of the sheets of iron off the workshop are not to be seen anywhere. The whirlwind, after passing over here, appears to have ascended, as, after levelling a quantity of oats growing on the eastern side of the railway line, no further damage appears to have been done, A person who was btanding a quarter of a mile north of Mr. Dennison's saw the whirlwind coming along in a zig-zag course, and after it had passed over Mr. l'ennison's, he says it appeared to rise. Another person saw the phenomenon from the Boundary Creek Hotel, and describes it as appearing to Ke connected with a cloud, the suspended column taking first one and then another direction. It is fortunate that the express train going north and the one coming south did not come in contact with the whirl, as, had they done so, there is little doubt that therewould have been a tale of woe to chronicle. The train going north had passed about an hour

previously, iunl the one^fctus >sout|i did not pass for thro^qtfjif&rs biSvfc hour afterwards. After parang dvetj Hilderthorpe', the whiil dons.not api pear to have been wrticed^bJduubt-' less it did rise, as\^e have 'already suggested, and spenct^ts, fury ou&£o seaward. Mr. Denmson will beVa considerable loser,, as, in addition to the roof being toru off his workshop, the windmills have been very much damaged, the fans being broken into fragments and the ironwoik bent in all directions. The station hut was also moved somo few inches out of its place, and the roof uioro or less damaged.