HURRICANE WEATHER.

Evening Post, Volume LX, Issue 103, 29 October 1900, Page 6

HURRICANE WEATHER.

A HEAVY NORTH-WEST GALE. tfBLT THROUGHOUT THE COLONY. WIRES DOWN~EVERY WHERE..

Within the last three months Wellington has knoAvn morfc meteorological, rhangetj than in any corresponding space of time. The latest freak ot the elements has beeu' a nor-wester of over three days' duration and' hurricane force. In tho 24 hours ended afe 9 o'clock on Saturday inrorniug the vrind velocity registered at the Observatory above the Sydney-street cemetery Avas 420 miles. During the succeeding 24 hours the velocity increased, " and at 9 o'clock yesterday morning the 24 hours' register Avas 760 miles. There was something of a lull yesterday morn- . iug, bxit as the day wore on the wind strengthened, and after 820 miles had been recorded, the windgauge was broken. This accident occurred some timo during the night, when the gale Avas at its height. Very little rain fell during last night. The total register for the 29 days of this month Avas 3.37 inches. Tho average rainfall for October, taken over the •jxtsl 50 jcears, is 4.37 inches. The gate' has ptayetl such havoc with the telegraph , Avires in all parts of the colony that there is practically' a suspension of the telegraphic service in Weliingrbii to-day. Tho Department has had to refuse all work for the Sou^h Island, xouth-of Bksnh'rim. Only a single Avire has been workiug between Masterton and the city, and as far as New Plymouth on^ the West Coast — in Avhieh direction only urgent messages have bsen. sent — with the v towns norVh of the places named there has been no communication. The gale Ava« felt with f\iH force at Pefcone. Our corresporKten-t there Arrites . that some iron Ava« stripped from the aooi" of the Victoria Hotel, now in course of erection.; the scaffold planking of an .adjoining building was bloAvn aAvay, leaving the poles swaying} and 1 considerable* coiifusion Avas caused in the timber yard•of Mr. Cook's cooperage, light planks being blown over a 6-ft fence and strewn on the open space near the Maori Cemetery ; •Avail* a large pane of plate glass in Mr. Stutters' s grocery store was bloAvn jn. In the city, dwellers in high places were caused much anxiety aaid inconvenience la.se night, and not a few feared the lifting of the rcofts of their houses. Beyond the bloAving doAvri of fences and ; telephone wires, the uprooting of !»ome trees along the heights, and the blasting of A-ege'tation in every- exposed garden, tho damage done by the galo has been slight. On the level places, also, 'the ■wind took charge of fences and other unstable concerns, but did nob cause the damage that such a gale Avould>be expected to do. Shipping arrangements are entirely upset, and it in .•impossible to forecast accurately the movements of steamers. Several have been bsfrbound for days on the coasts of both Elands, 1 and the interruption of telegrnj)hic eomrrmaication shuts' j£ ■off all advices as to their 1 where-,* ii-bbuts. Yesterday's ' telegrams ' from', Westporfe announced that • there Avas no possibility of the Hawea, Wainui, v Pen«irth, Mana, and other vessels getting out before this afteraoon at the earide^," and it is very doubtful if they AviH. suscceed then. Tho Aveather is no better at Patea, Poxton, or Wanganui, consequently the steamers there are still confined to ' port. ( Mastsrs of incoming vessels report; rougbi ■weather in Cook Strait. The Janet Nicoll took 33 hours to- reach th& port from Lyttelton. Hw late arrival necessitated her sailing for New Plymouth and Greymouih bei.og deferred -until this afternoon. The "ftotomahana and Flora met with very rough Aveather. after passing the Kaikouia's. The T £inemoa and Tv Ko/pu , from the Marlborough Sounds, met th.9 full force of the teraifio blasts .across the Strait. Captain Harvey, of tlie Himitangi, describes tbe wind offCape Palliser as of fearful strength, it being almost impossible to look to windward. No word lias yet come to hand of the arrival of the Omapore, which left Wellingto-u on Thursday for Westport. She has on boa-rd" the West. Coast portion of tho inward San Francisco mail,' and h/xs no doubt gone into shelter. The Pani/t made a start for Blenheim yesterday ;'£ternoon, but had to return to the The Opa.wa and Waverley have becu in port since Saturday aAvaiting a chance to sail. ' There is very little prbspecfc this afternoon of their' doing so. Early yesterday morning the coal-hulk Omega, oAvned by Mr. Chas. Seager, Managing Director of the Wellington Steam Packet Company, broke away from her moorings off the new GlasgoAV Wharf, and went ashore almost opposite Messrs Paull and Roberts's boatshed, Clyde-quay. It is supposed that the chain attached to the mushroom, anchor parted, else the vessel would have brought up before she got to her present position. Fortunately, the Omega, when drifting, cleared half-a-dozen other hulks. She noAv liesoroadside on the beach, and though exposed to the full force of wind and 5 sea is believed to have sustained little damage ko far, the spot Avhere she finally grounded being clear of rocks. No other damjitje is reported in the harbour, Captain Johnson, Harbourmaster, and his staff having made preparations for> the emer-^ tfency. A telegram received from. Westport this afternoon states that there is an exceptionally heavy sea on the . bar, and the sailing 'bf the steamers is postponed until to-morrow. , The Haupiri, which left Picton at 11 p.m. on Saturday night, did -not arrive at IStelson till 11.20 this morning. The weather has improved at Wanganui, and the M&naroa, Huia, und Stormbird got away afynoon to-day. fBY. TEI/EOJtAI'H— MIESS ASSOOI/flttON.i INV'ERCARGILL, 28th October. After an exceptionally dry spring, Southland has had thirty-six • hours of rain, which was urgently needed. Reports yesterday state that the ,Tivers were rising rapidly, and floods Aver.c expected, bub as the rain ceased at "midnight, it is not likely that any danc.age has been done. GREYMOUTH, ?,Bth October. The Grey River is rra? ning strong and; fresh, Avith a very roujr'h bar. "** (Received October '29, 9.11 a,m.) SYDNEY, This Day. Steamer.? arriving from NeAV Zealand report stormy passages.