GALE IN SOUTH.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10712, 9 October 1928, Page 5

GALE IN SOUTH.

HEAVY DAMAGE IN MID-CAN-:{*a ■ TERBURY. ROOFS. , LIFTED. OFF. EDEOTRie/DIGHT~~AND. ’RHONE . WIRES,DOWN,. DAMAGE; TO. RACECOURSE GRANDSTAND RELIEVED £4OO • . A TO £SOO. (Pres* Association.) ASHBURTON, Oct 8. Strong nqr-west. winds which had prevailed in Ashburton 'County for the last two weeks reached a climax on Saturday evening when the gale attained. hurricane Force, lasting until - daybreak yesterday morning. Robfs; were lifted off and sheds and fences jbroken, considerable damage Lxjing done.' /It is stated that this was the worst (windstorm in the Methven and Rakaia. districts - On many country roads. traffic was suspended through roads bffing blocked by trees. On one stretch of half a mile th the Alfordl Forest district, 60 broken pine trees were counted. Electric light and telephone wires are down, but it is) stated that the Rower Board, loss ip poles is less than in the August gale. The eastern portion of the borough' was without' power for three hours on Saturday evening and again during the night. Damage amounting ty between '£‘loo and £SOO was done to the grandstand at the. Ashburton racecourse, whe'n the entire east end of the main stand was blown out. The main rocjf sheltering one side of the horse -stalls; numbering 50 was ripped off,'and the stalls were considerably - knocked about. Another line, of horsb stalls was moved bodily. RUSH FIRETtTsTAVELEY. O UTBU ILDINGS DESTROYED. fPreia Afl*oolatlon.> ASHBURTON, Oct. 8. In the Stpveley district a gale fanned smouldering bush fires which, spreading to half-cleared scrub, destroyed several outbuildings, though the residences were saved through strenuous effort. In' one plantation of soriie HO,00“ trees it is estimated that one-third to ..half are down.

HEAVY RAIN \IN OTAGO. KAWARAU RIVER RISES 28FT. (Prc»s Association.> DUNEOIN, Get. 8. Heavy rains in the back country of Otago Central have put both the Clutha and Kawarau rivers* in high flo.od, the latter having risen 28ft i n three days. The .Cromwell Development Co.’s work at Kawarau* River has been thrown but of commission by a wide break in the main race, about three chains of the outside wall having been carried completely away. Repairs will be costly and lengthy. • The rain has/ ceased and both rivers. had fallen 2ft by this morning.

DAMAGE AT LYTTELTON. DANGER OF FLOOD INJVYAIMAK AKIKI. H’rera Association.; CHRISTCHURCH, Oct. 8. The force of the gale at Lyttelton yesterday was sufficient to snap heavy beams and twist iron girders at the S.S. and A. Co.’s wrecked wool shed, in some places even concrete foundations were torn up. Some of the remaining framework will have to be dismantled, owing to its-badly twisted state, before reconstruction. The contractor will be a, heavy loser. The flood in the Waimakariri is expected to reach its peak' at midnight, when the incoming tide win back up the flood water a- Fatroie. ore watching the river in expectation of,a heavy flood. Heavy rain is falling at Halkett, about 20 miles from Christchurch, but in the city a fierce north-west gale is raging. ■ The telephone lines bewfeen Darfield and Beale v are down. The Waimakariri rose jßft above' normal during the night. serious damage”ln country DISTRICTS. , ’ WAIMAKARIRI FLOOD • SEEMS PAST '*■ (Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, Get. 8The gale in Canterbury to-day lias been exceptionally severe, especially over the plains; where t.he velocity has been much greater than in Christchurch. The city has. escaped with minor damage to fences, and a few trees were blown down in t,lie country. , _, Much more serious damage is reported in Springfield. Several chimneys were blown down, and. u» € hundred trees are down in the domain. Some roads are blocked byfallen trees. Telegraph lines are down at Kowai Bush and trees were uprooted and some sheds blown down at Coal gate. Trees also suffered and some outbuildings were unroofed. It is clear from the reports to hand that .thousands of trees must, have been blown do"n all over ie flood danger from the v» uimakarir iabout which Dr Kid soil sent « special warning, seems likely to pass The river has not been m very high flood, and it is already falling.

MINIATURE TORNADO AT HATAITAI. HOUSES "unroot ed. (Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 8. Tho Maunganui ran into a sti» northerly gale at 3 a - m ;, a +. 0 there wa s heavy going thereafter to Wellington, where she arrived at 6.20 a. .m., but could not be berthed OK'ing to the gale- She was anchored but dragged her moorings, and had £ be taken to the northern end of the harbor. By 11 o clock the wind had moderated, and at 12.20 p.m the vessel was sately brought tQ Amerce gust of wind shortly alter 9 o’clock this morning unrooted , the hoSse of Mrs Emily Kate Alderson 119 Moxham Avenue, Hataitai, tun. ber and tiles being deposited on tv o neighbors’ properties dOtt away. a portion of the roof broke up in the air. the tiles flying m all directions. Two other damaged houses weie those of Mrs Birch, and Mr King. The Aldersons are shifting as quick-ly/-'as'-possible''to. save the furniture from the threatening heavy ram. All chimneys of Mrs Birch’s house were levelled when a reporter left Hataitai at ,12.30 .p.m. Another house w’aa rapidly losing its root, & ■ nobody was. at home, fortunately the whole occurrence was without accident, the children: all being at school: and few pedestrians about. The wind was of the nature apparently of a tornado, and conhned practically to one s P°t* ... . Mr Morey’s .house at Hataitai also suffered severe damage when struck by. 1 the ’lifted roof from Alderson s, portions of the timber and tiles being flung through the passage into the room. Lumps of brick ond.'mbrtar fell in all directions, and feome of the tiles went flying as tar eye-witness said Alderson’s itidf rose ,|S if lifted by: . . enormous ' : At-9:iO'a.m. a gust of 01 miles an <hpiir\was i recorded- at Kelbum observatory. •. i .' ■