FIERCE GALE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 8 October 1928, Page 5

FIERCE GALE

SYDNEY’S EXPERIENCE. HOT AND DUSTY TIME. FIRES DO HEAVY DAMAGE. nit-fd Press Association —By Electric Telegraph Copyright.) (AuCraliau Press Association.) SYDNEY, Oct. 7. Sydney this morning sweltered in a heat wave accentuated by a hot, blustering, dust-laden wind from the interior plains. Outings were made extremely unpleasant and a good deal of minor damage was done. in suburban areas. This afternoon the gale reached cyclonic character for a time, doing great damage in many suburbs. Buildings were unroofed, and in some instances carried away bodily, landing in a collapsed condition hundreds of yards distant. Windows in the city suffered severely. During the height of the wind-storm in the early afternoon, lire broke out in the Australian Paper Mills, Lane Cove River. The plant covered an area of 20 acres and with three barges was gutted. The fire threatened to become serious in the adjoining bush, but it is belied to be under control now. Several men engaged in fighting the flames.,had. narrow escapes. The brigades had little chance against Hie fierce winds fanning the blaze, which is supposed ,to have started in one of the barges, though the origin is inexplicable. The damage is estimated at £500,000. Another fire at Woy. Woy, a seaside resort north of Sydney, destroyed oyer 'thirty cottages, the damage being £15,000. The fierce gale and the absence of fire-fighting appliances rendered the spectators helpless. Heavy' winds recently lifted large quantities of dust from parched areas in the west. These formed an awesome cloudbank like a fog, which overshadowed the city in the forenoon like a threatening rainstorm, but which passed eastward in the direction of New Zealand.

MORE REPORTS OF DAMAGE

MANY PEOPLE INJURED

Received 10.20 a.m. to-day. SYDNEY, Oct, 8

Yesterday’s fierce, hot gale which raged for seven hours, reached a maximum velocity of 68 miles and the temperature in Sydney was 98 degrees. Additional week-end cottages destroyed at Woy Woy bring the total to fortyfive. Rleports now arriving state that many people were injured, but there were no deaths.