UNSEASONABLE STORMS

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 January 1939, Page 7

UNSEASONABLE STORMS

WIDESPREAD DAMAGE OTAGO’S GALE AND FLOODS

[l’Eli I’liEiSS ASSOCIATION.]

DUNEDIN, January 17

A storm presaged by the unprecedentedly low atmospheric pressure on Sunday, broke with full force, this morning, a wind of gale force raging throughout the day, not only in the coastal districts of Otago, hut. also in inland areas. In the city the storm caused surprisingly little structural damage, considering the exceptional force of many of the gusts; but trees, gardens, fences, and electric power and telephone wires in exposed parts of Dunedin were damaged by the storm. In some parts of the city and suburbs, many residents had the misfortune of seeing their gardens completely ruined by the gale, which took heavy toll of all plants, shrubs, and small trees in unprotected situations.

The’ Post and Telegraph Department’s wiremen were busily occupied during the day replacing telephone lines that had been broken by falling branches; but the principal damage to telegraph lines near the city was caused at Highcliff, where a. large macrocarpa tree was blown out by the roots, and fell across the road, bringing with it not. only the telegraph lines, hut also the land lines to the two radio transmitting stations on the Otago peninsula. After a brief interruption, sta-j tion 4YA continued its service byj broadcasting from the auxiliary sta- i tion 4YO, and rebroadcasting throughi the main station. Although no serious interruption occurred in the main electric power supply in the city, many service lines to residences were broken by falling branches, the Taieri and Brighton districts being particularly affected in this manner. The city electrical engineer said, to-night, that, heavy rain fell all day at Waipori to-day, 140 points being registered at the power station between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The wind was of gale force in that locality, but no damage was recorded. The Dunedin City Corporation's gardens and reserves came through the storm with remarkably little damage. The Botanic Gardens, which are well sheltered from south-westerly winds, escaped almost undamaged.

Otago harbour,, seething under the lashing of the gale, appeared literally to smoke, the surface of the water being frequently obscured by clouds of driving spray, which had been whipped from the wave tops by the squalls. Motorists using the low road to Portobello had an unpleasant time, for those sections of the road which faced the full force of the gale were covered with a curtain of spray, and at high tide, the force of the breaking seas was sufficient to lift quantities of stones and debris from the harbour bed and scatter them across the road surface. At several places the seawall protecting the outer margin of the read was broken by the seas, and at one point between Portobello and Broad Bay a. considerable portion of road surface was washed away, leaving just sufficient room for one car to pass at a time. It was feared to-night. that if the gale was still blowing at high water, damage to the road at this point, would be such as to make this section of the highway impassable to-

morrow. Power poles at St. Leonards and Port. Chalmers were broken by the force of the wind, and the lines were down for some time before repairs could be made. One pole in Magnetic Street, came down in the morning, and] the broken cables provided a fireworks display as the current was earthed. The'wind caused a sandstorm which quickly covered the Port Chalme/. s howling green with a thick layer of sand. Protective fences erected on the reclamation area to bind the sand, were covered to their tops. Heavy gusts of wind carried clouds of fine sand well up the main street into nearby houses. Though no damage was done to shipping, it was found necessary to put extra mooring lines on vessels at the wharves, and the macing of wool on the Port Auckland was considerably hampered by the weather. Small craft moored m the haibot.i received a heavy buffeting by the wind cincl wuves. Central Otago districts, where orchardists have their holdings, fortunately escaped the full force of the storm, and inquiries at Cromwell, Alexandra and Roxburgh revealed that although a fairly strong wind had been experienced during the day it had not been of sufficient strength to do anv damage to fruit tiees. The express which left Dunedin M 440 pm for Invercargill was unabk to p?oS'« past Clinton. The tram was held up at that station lor - hours while an inspection was made ot the line, but it was erentually deeded that it would be = “ e r riving shortly after midnight.

trains held up. DUNEDIN, January 17. The most southern deluge is the c uv-h o train services, eight cha ns o . , being completely washed out neat , l emg corni • sec tion which i Waipahi. This "as t.iv held up the afternoon ChrmUd uch . Invercargill express. rl ? \ | rived hack at Dunedin at l am and. for those unable to secl^.omnu>d a- i the Department afforded acc- . I tion in a heated carriage, 1‘‘ n ’ ' gers thus parsing me nigh.. Arai ’ £

these were a number journeying so to catch the Maunganm, but as the liner has been specially delayed tint , 11 o’clock to-night, they wnl go south this afternoon, by which time the hue is expected to he traversibl'e. No travellers from south o! Clinton can connect with the steamer express at Lyttelton to-night. Flooding also occurred on the Tapanui-Clinton-Catlins branche.->. . The only power breaks in the. city were through line collapses to private, houses, but power was cut off in seaside districts on the north line, holiday residents being without light or cocking nower till this morning. At the'Waipoi’i power station, the rainfall for 24 hours till 3 tins morning’, was 2-18 points. The Mahinerangi c.aim was nearly two feet over the crest. Telegraph lines to the north were

HAWKE’S BAY GALE.

all clear this morning, but at Waiwera on. the south line, a, pole is in the ccntie of flood waters, with wires entangled, and only one indirect telegraph route to Invercargill is available.

BLOODS IN SOUTHLAND.

INVERCARGILL. January 16,

A violent south-westerly storm lashed Southland to-day, causing extensive flooding and much damage. Communications were destroyed in many country districts, and reports are difficult to obtain.

At Waipahi, 15 miles from Gore, four bouses were evacuated. The water rose six feet above the floor of the houses early in the afternoon. A lorry was negotiating a flooded road successfully, until waves caused by the gales stopped the engine. Within an hour the lorry was completely out of sight. At Pukerau, six houses were evacuated, after the water rose six inches above the floorboards. Southland is now isolated as all possible detours are closed by floods. The midday express from Dunedin arrived two hours late, but the through express from Christchurch could not get past Clinton, where there is four feet, of water over the line. In Invercargill, trees were uprooted, and sheet iron torn from roofs. A girl was blown over in Dee Street, suffering minor injuries. The worst corner in the centre of the city was negotiated by elderly persons holding on to buildings. Because of the rough weather, the Maunganui. which was to have sailed to-night for Melbourne, will now sail to-morrow night, if the gale abates.

HASTINGS. January 16

A velocity of 55 miles ain hour was reached by a gale at Napier and Hastings during the early afternoon. A bus shelter near Napier was torn from its foundations and hurled down a bank. The 40-foot chimney of a Napier laundry wais blown down, crashing on the parapet of a nearby building. The Norfolk pines and seats on the" Napier marine parade were damaged. Ships in the port were delayed, the lighters being unable io get alongside. A severe cut was suffered by aln employee when a glass ventilator crashed’ in a foundry at Port Ahuriri. The air-liner from Napier to Gisborne was delayed because of the wind. Shop-awnings were torn to tatters in Hastings. Many shopkeepers used wood props to ease the strain on their windows.

Farmers suffered severe losses, hay being scattered by the wind over miles of countryside, and hoardings near the Hastings railway station were blown down.

Telegraph and electric power lines were blown down and considerable minor damage done to property by the gale, which affected the whole of 1 lawke's Bay Province. Welcome rain in the ranges prevented the spread of forest tires which threatened to break out afresh on Sunday. Last night jt was reported that all danger of their becoming serious had vanished for the time being. The wind was the strongest recorded in Hawke’s Bay for many years. The loss to farmers and orchardists is likely to be heavy, but until the gaile has blown itself out no accurate summary of the damage can be obtained. Orchardists fear that a large part of the crop has been ruined, pears in particular being seriously affected.

Trees were blown down in various parts of the province, in many cases capsing interruptions to telephone, telegraph, and power services. A dust, storm sweeping down the Esk Valley caused great hardship to the- settlers. Further north, in the back country, between Gisborne and Wairoa, fires are burning and the airliners on the Gisborne-Napier service were forced to fly through dense clouds of smoke.

Forty-mile an hour gusts of wind swept Hastings in the week-end, leaving behind a trail of minor damage in all directions. Fences were levelled, branches of twigs from trees scattered over the roads and gardens, flowers battered, and wireless masts broken off. The wind showed signs c-f abating late to-night.

CROP LOSSES. HASTINGS, January 17. At least 50 per cent, loss of uncut seed crops resulted through the gale a't Hastings yesterday, according to estimates made this morning, and although the wind is now less severe, it is still causing considerable damage to crops. Cut crops throughout the district were piled on fences, and most of the seed lost, and ripened uncut crops also lost, a quantity of seed. The orchards suffered, despite the wind shelter belts, anti ripening Grarensteins suffered extensively, also Delicious. Peaches’ losses were heavy.

Breaks in the power circuit, caused by tailing trees over a considerable portion of the reticulated area, are now almost completely restored, and the telephone services are normal. The Power Board is determined that decisive action must be taken regarding trees over lines, which caused most of the damage yesterday, at considerable cost.

NEW PLYMOUTH SHIPPING. NEW PLYMOUTH, January 16. ; The Poizella, which could not discharge at Wanganui, came on to New ■ Plymouth. i Heavy seas pounded the Taranaki coast all day to-day, and the ships in • port heaved in the big swell. Three ships had to lie off the harbour tonight. They were the Holmlea, and ■ the Orari, which spent Sunday night ■ also off port. The Holmlea arrived at 1 New Plymouth 48 hours out from Wel■lington at 6 p.m., and entered port be!tween the wharves, but was sent out jlo sea again. Captain Barker, master ■ of tile vessel, look the ship out into the harbour ami attempted Io make her fast, but she dragged her anchor. ? Once again he camo into the wharf, but was ordered to sea again. The evessel dragged her anchors about 400

yards off the wharf. No apparent damage bad been done to the Tlolmlea. The Holmglon, which was berthed at New Plymouth on Monday night, was thrown about so much that she reduced her fenders to matchwood, and strained her mooring ropes. Two ropes on the barque, Kommodore Johnsen, broke.

WANGANUI DISTRICT.

WANGANUI, January > i

Damage caused by yesterday’s cyclonic storm was mostly confined to power and telephone reticulations. The Power Board’s lines throughout, the district. suffered severely. Fuses were blown out by lightning, and the gale tore down power lines and damaged poles over a. wide area. The city was plunged into darkness for 15 minutes, through a flash of lightning blowingout a fuse. In many country districts, farmers wore unable to use the milking machines yesterday morning or night. It is expected that several days will elapse before the service is back to normal, much repair work to broken and twisted lines, shattered insulators and fuses being necessary.

Lightning struck an area in the college estate. A blinding flash wrecked wireless aerials, struck power and telephone lines. The aerial and top guy wires on one wireless mast were burnt to fragments. Black marks on the side of the house bear evidence of the intense heat. A neighbour’s wireless set was smashed, lightning bringing down the aerial. The noise accompanying the explosion was terrific. The air above homes in the vicinity was filled with shooting flames. The houses all appeared ablaze. A mass of sand, five feet high, was driven along Castlecliff beach, toward, the breakwater. Thousands of tons, on the move, presented an. amazing sight. It looked like swirling black smoke, as it was lifted in columns by the hurricane and swept along the beach. Tremendous seas pounded the beach and moles, but no damage is reported to the latter.

The storm is still raging, though abating somewhat.

BOATMEN’S ORDEAL

TAUMARUNUI, January 17. Three young men, E. T. Mallasch (Wanganui). JR. McNeil (Wanganui), and S. Anderson (Halcombe) had an unpleasant experience yesterday afternoon, when the boat in which they were going to Wanganui was caught by the wind, and piled up against a rock in mid-stream near Herlihys’ Bluff, four miles from Taumarunui.

The weather was bitterly cold and they spent two hours on the rock before their plight was noticed, and they were rescued by two men with ropes. They lost £3O worth of gear. TELEGRAPH SERVICES.

WELLINGTON. January 16.

Strong gales and boisterous weather north of Palmerston North, this morning, caused a disruption of the telegraph service with Gisborne. Circuits from Wellington to Gisborne and from Auckland to Gisborne were established at intervals, but were subject to interruption throughout the morning and early afternoon. Communication with New Plymouth was also “shaky,” but by 5 p.m. indications were that traffic with both Gisborne and New Plymouth was restored to normal. A tree across the lines caused an interruption to communication with Dunedin. About 3 p.m. there was a tree across the wires south of Oamaru, and about 3.15 p.m, another tree across the wires, 15 miles north of Dunedin, caused further trouble.

ROUGH TASMAN TRIP

WELLINGTON. January 17. Although they missed the record temperature of 113.6, on Saturday afternoon, passengers by the Wangauel g, which left Sydney on Friday night, experienced something else instead a stormv crossing. The Tasman, they say, was in one of its angriest moods. Bv Saturday night, there was a strong west-south-west wind blowing, and heavy seas were lashing the ship. This continued till last night, and both ship and passengers received a buffeting. Furniture had to be tied down, and a number of chairs -were stowed away. Among the passengers there were a number of casualties, but none was serious Thev were attended to by the ship’s doctor. Ono woman bore a bruise from having been thrown out oi her bunk, at three o’clock in the morning. Her husband suffered a ent on the back of his hand. . The only visible indication of t.ie rough crossing given by the ship -ierself. was damage to the open-air swimming bath on the after, deck, one . ide of which was smashed in by the fone of a wave which swept acioss Lie de in spite of the stormy conditions said a member of the crew, quite -> per cent of the passengers regular!} had meals in the dining saloon.

gales in grey district. LOW temperature recorded. The storm which swept Greymouth and. district yesterday and last night, continues to-day, with a. strong gale from the south-south-west, and raw and hail showers. The temperature at Greymouth this morning at !) o’clock was 49 degrees, the coldest since October 22 of last year, and unusually low for Midsummer. Telegraph, telephone and power lines all suffered in the gale, and linesmen of the Post and Telegraph Department, and die Grey Electric Power Board have been constantly employed repairing lines. 'The damage is practically confined to these avenues, and nothing of a serious nature has been reported to-day. Yesterday, a popla'r tree fell at Totara Fiat, carrying away all telegraph and telephone lines, including tlie lines between Greymouth and Nelson, Westport and Reefton. This caused delay to telegraph traffic, but the lines were restored late in the afternoon. Traiffic was also interfered will) on the Greymonth-Otira lines, but last evening were back io normal. This morning, there was further irouble on the telegraph lines between Kumara and Otira, and also between Murchison and Lake Rotoiti, the latter on one of the alternative routes between Greymouth and Christchurch, ahid being used constantly now. The damage, caused by falling trees fouling the lines, was not serious, and was all repaired by mid-day. The Grey River, as a result of heavy rain in the back country, and the backing-up of the water in the river by mountainous seas, rose rapidly between ?> p.m. and 6 p.m., yesterday, reaching a maximum height of four or five feet from the top of the wharf about 6 p.m., when there was a run of 10 knots.

The high winds yesterday afternoon removed about 20 sheets of iron from

tho roof of the old grandstand on the Greymouth Jockey Chib's racecourse at OniGto, but caused no structural damage.

No road damage is reported. The Otira. Gorge road was again open for traffic to-day.