A VIOLENT GALE

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 126, 28 May 1920, Page 8

A VIOLENT GALE

CHRISTCHURCH HAS A BAD :.'", . -.. i ,;EXPERIENCE. j—» ■" • ■> •■ •._. (it TELEGRAPH.—PRBSS ASSOCIATION.) CHRISTCHURCH, 27th May. • A tremendous south-westerly gale •wept over the city in the early hours of this morning, damaging trees, Weaking overhead wires, and disturbing .whole households by ite extraordinary violence. A policeman who was on early duty says the gale reminded him of the explosion of a big dump in France. The heaviest gusts tore along the streets -at tremendous speed, and to walk against them was afl but impossible. , . . i . At 2.15 a.miv a break was discovered in the transmission lines of the Lake Coleridge hydro-electric system, and it was 6 a.m. before repairs were effected and the current restored.

•■ Mr. Skey, of the Government Observatory, states that daring the storm the barometer .rose one-tenth of an inch in a few minutes, • and the thermometer seven degrees in three or four minutes. He believes that the gale had a record velocity for these parts. The Government steamer Tutanekai, which left Wellington at 2 p.m. yesterday for Lyttelton in order to bunker !>on her 'way to Oamaru (where she is to "pick "Up thirty hospital patients for Nel"son), 'Struck -the gale at 1.15 a.m. When opposite the Conway River the .vessel «was hit by a westerly gala of hurricane force, which later suddenly veered to,southerly, again 'hitting the vessel severely. Captain Post stated that it was the most severe ' weather he had experienced on the New Zealand -coast.'. ." ..,!Captain. Norton, of the Monowai, (states that this morning's storm was almost cyclonic in its violence for about fifteen minutes; and then eased somewhat, although it continued to blow lard for nearly two - hours.