STORMY VISITOR.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 89, 16 April 1910, Page 6

STORMY VISITOR.

FROM ANTARCTICA. DAMAGE IX THE SOUTH. | .So far as Wellington is concerned, the habit of the present Ant.in lie storm is to work hard by day aud have a spell over-night, but while this city has enjoyed comparative lulls, the wild winds h»vo been very busy elsewhere in the hours of darkness. While Wellington has slept, fierce soutberlies have almost knocked at the gate after much "breaking and entering" in the south. This tempest, which is afflicting the whole of New Zealand, has come straight up from the far south, though the northerly gale in Wellington has led people here to imagine that the trouble has come from the north. The barometer has been very erratic — quickly up and down— everywhere, and northerly and southerly gales have alternated rapidly in various parts. In the far south the air has been very cold, and plenty of snow has whitened the higher country. There were no signs at mid-d*y that the storm would expend its energy within the next day or two. This morning, communication with Chrifitchurch was re-established on one wire, but it was working badly, and the Telegraph Office announced that work would be heavily delayed. DAMAGE IX CHRISTCHURCH. The gale was north-west at Chri-t-chtrrch yesterday, and worked some havoc. "Apparently most of its baneful effects, in the city at any rate, havo been felt in the gardens, avenues, and plantations," says the Star. '"Many enthusiastic amateur gardeners went out this morning to find somo of their choice varieties laid low and trampled upon under the storm's heavy and ruthless feet. Trees have suffered, but, as far js can be ascertained, not as severely as might be expected from the noise and fury made by the storm in tho night. The willows along the banks of tho Avon havo had their branches lopped off in all directions." In Lin wood (a suburb of Christchurch) a new house, nearing completion, had several sheets of iron blown from the roof, and the gusts"* smashed several windows. The Waimokariri River was in very high flood yesterday morning, and the fords were not passable. Passengers from the West Coast were compelled to remain on at the Bealey. MATAUUA IN FLOOD. C*Y TKUEQEUra— PU3S AStOCUnOM.] GORE, 15th April. There was a heavy gale lost night, and snow fell on the surrounding ranges. Sleet showers have fallen today, and it is bitterly cold. The Upper Mataura is reported to be in flood. A COACH BLOWN OVER. [BY TELEGRAPH— PUSS ASSOCIATION.] NAPIER, 15th April, j A gale was experienced in this district to-day. Tho coach, on the way to Pohui, was blown over at a place called Windy Gap. The driver and passengers escaped without injury, though one of the horses was hurt. The coach was slightly damaged, but righted and continued oa its journey. [bx nxEQ-ura— special to tdr post.) OTAKI, This Day. A wind gale was prevalent here yesterday, and for some time it continued with unabated fury. Old fences, etc., were levelled to the ground. It vrsa the heaviest wind experienced here for some considerable time. REPORTS FROM THE SOUTH. TIMARU, 15th April. A heavy gale blew here last night. The brick wall of the Farmers' Cooperative Association's building, which was recently destroyed by lire, was blown down, and damago was done to gardens. Some boats in the harbour broke away from their moorings, but escaped without damage. OAMARU, 15th April. During the night the wind blow with hurricane force from the northwest, but without much damage resulting. Subsequently the wind veered to the south-west, and was followed by cold rain. This morning the hills surrounding the town wero covered with snow. DUNEDIN, This day. A gale raged for several hours durtoff the night, and there was a light fall of snow this rooming. INVERCARGILL, 15th April. Very heavy rain, with snow and hail, has been falling here since midnight. The rivers all over Southland are rising fast, particularly the Waiau, Oreti, and Mataura. There are no signs of th& weather clearing. [ATI the telegrams from the South Island were delayed in transmission, ow- [ ing to the wires being blown down.] [II TELEGRAPH — SPECIAL TO THE POST.J MASTERTON, This Day. A heavy nor'-westerly gale, with rain, raged here yesterday. Many fences aud treea were blown down. DAMAGE AT RICCARTON RACECOURSE. The severity of the gale was strikingly exemplified at Riccarton Racecourse, where part of the roof of the members' stand, which is above the people's stand, was torn away (reports the Christchurch Star). The portion of the roof destroyed was that projecting beyond the walls of the building in front aud on the western side. It was not structurally a part of the main roof, but was carried on a number of latticed girders projecting liko eaves from the top of the pillars bearing the main roof. Stringers composed of timber about lOin by 4in ran along tho outer edge of the roof, and were held in sockets at the ends of the girders, the space between the stringer and the wall being covered with curved corrugated iron. The wind getting under the surface thus presented apparently lifted the stringers out of the sockets, splitting and splintering several of them in the process, and then hurled the whole mass of debris over the main roof into the yard behind the stand, which was this morning littered with broken beams and crumpled masses of corrugated iron. Some of the beams were carried quite a hundred feet from the building, and fragments of roofing iron were carried an even greater distance.

In the course of his annual report prerented last evening, the secretary of tha Petone Main School Committee congratulated members on the satisfactory state of the past yearn work and the finances, the year finishing with a credit balance of £13 11s. During the year £7 10s had been expended on library books and improvements to the grounds. Eulogistic references were made in the report to the services of Mr. J. Home, the late headmaster. Anniversary services in connection with the Brooklyn Presbyterian Sundaj-johool will be-bfifd io-moirovr.