A BIG STORM.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 April 1923, Page 4

A BIG STORM.

[by TEI/EGlt.U’H —PEI! PRESS ASSOCIATION.] HA.AIiLTOX, April 21. A hturm of exceptional severity occurred mi Friday night, vivid lightning, very loud thunder and a rainfall for twenty-four hours of 5.12 indies, a record for many years. Alueli damage was done. TOWN FLOODED. THA.MF.S, April 21 I There was an extraordinary rainfall ] here lust night and a vivid thunderi storm from seven last night, till three | in the morning. Waiotalii creek broke j its hanks above the new impounding I area and Hooded Grahamsiown end. j Tv, u si reels have two feet of water j j now. Thousands of tons of debris were j 1 wa lied down and is lying to the ex-j ; j....; |,| :i •: to ten feet deep over a J J wide are".. Fight point two inehex ot a : rain dII ilire ten a.in. yesterday. I'he B ! rail'ivw is unable to run owing to eva-h----il" I "'' _ |! AN ENORMOUS KAIM'AI.T.. 31 I Alt KI .A XI), April 22. j On Saturday the rainfall in Aud;- | land city lor 21 hours totalled two and J a half inches, and tor Is hours three | and tliree-f|ilarter inches. 3 The Fiona. Iroiu Newcastle, bad a | tempestuous voyage over, lasting eight j days. ■j The Waimana also had a stormy voy- | age from Newcastle. j TA FI! ANO A DISTRICT DF.I.rOFD. | | TA FI! AND A. April 21. J ; There was a high barometer here on j! Wednesday, which indicated the rimi--3 i ing of an easterly gale, and by TlittvaJ| day it had fully developed, with a high j I wind and sea, and heavy rain towards night. On Friday morning, a gale wtt» j raging heavily, ami by niglitlall it Jj had increased in intensity. During J| the evening heavy tluinder was experi- ! ciiied. foiluwed by torrential rain. ‘J ! These conditions eontimieil throughout | | the night. J At daybreak this morning (lie wind 4 dropped, and rain practically ceased, I and the weather at midday win elearj | ing up S The borough electricity work's stir- ] vived the storm without mishap, ali though i lei iris, getting into the inlet tunnel, caused some damage to the screens, Imt this will not affect the 1 supply of current. The water works, : however, were not so fortunale. Dur-

ing ihe morning the water supply failed, and men are now out to locate the trouble. The gas works also was llnoi lei I. ami the gas supply was not expected to last beyond midday, but a further supply would probably be available before to-night, as the water is now being got under. Xo mnloriiil is reported in the borough, hut some -mall bridges between here and To Duke are reported tn have been washed away. There i also some, damage to the line between Mount Mnunganui and Matain. Nine point forty-one inches ol rah was recorded at Taurnnga for the 21 hour- ending at nine this morning. POYFB.TY HAY SFFFFRS. GISBORNE, April 21 Tbcrc is a heavy uorilncasierly gale • •weeping tbe Fast Coast. The I.mu of Kuatniva. in ihe Waia- i pu Ci.ii' ty, report. that eight point 2. ; i’a Re. ~j rain fell during the |.> i i 21 bon; . It i- still raining heavily, j A b;,. ||i,oil in the Waiapu River j , ior vll :l t >b: S'IFAMI'R BUI-BUTT ED. TACR\NC.V A mil 2D j The -tcaiiier Xgapuiii, wiiieii rein j here from Auckland at live o'clock | last evening, bail a Rough time. Hie | ■ (ml; .-ri I till yesterday morning, i and then commenced the journey down i the coast, meeting the full fun of the ] gale as soon as she got round Cape i Colville. The -ea increased as the day j advened, ami seas continually brok” | aboard. When between Slipper and j .Mayor Mauds, a ierriiie sea hit Dm j vr.--. I mi the starboard side, which j smashed in the lavatory and bathroom port-, breaking ihe doors and doing • xiensive damage. Another sea earvied away part of the companion way ■a i hr, saloon entrance, a consider.:!.' amount of water getting below-. Sene afterwards aunt her sea broke aboard, end lilted cue of the port lifeboats out of the chocks and dashed it against the engine-room skylight, some planks being -love in. Some odds and ends about the (leek, including eases of kerosene, were washed overboard. The Xgapuiii reached port without further mishap, although the engine-room staff’ bad an unpleasant time, considerable water finding its way below. Some even went down the funnel. DFNKDIX FLOODED. DC.NiI!)IX. April 22. The greatest downpour ol rain experienced in Dunedin for a considerable! number of years began last night, and it shows no signs ol abating. The streets are Hooded ill a number of places, and the water has invaded some of the hnu.es to a depth of one or two feet. This applies particularly to the lowest lying parts of the oily. The rain commenced about 11.30 last night, and by three this afternoon 2.72 inches bad fallen. The gutters in lowlying places were blocked by silt and the water welled over the roads, the depth in some eases being as much as

The < sir service is disorganised, owing in Ui» lines being silted, thus putting tlii' trams off the linos. In George Street and King Edward Street the lines also are held up. owing to the cap ot the main giving way, and the scene now resembles a giant on tilt I ron. The water is surging from one main into the street, and miming towards Anderson's Hay Hoad, down Grosvennr Street.

Several houses have been invaded by the water, hut no important damage is reported as yet anywhere. At the north end of the town, things do not promise well when the tide comes in. owing to the danger of the Leith's waters ovortlou ing. The I.ake Lagoon area is also a sheet of water. onouuuTiing into the residences abutting. High tide is at 7.30. The advice from Balclnthu is thro the river there has not risen to any appreciable extent. Advice from Taieri is not available. O A MARK REPORT. OAMARU, April 22. Very welcome rain began to fall on Saturday morning, and it.continued all through the clay. Last nighi drenching showers came down, and to-day there has been an almost continual downpour. The rain will greatly benefit the whole countryside, and will delight the hearts of the agriculturists and pastoralists, who wore growing anxious over the spell of dry weather. LATEST AUCKLAND REPORT. AUCKLAND. April 22. The latest details of the floods throughout the province, indicate that extensive damage has been done to the roads and railways. The rain ceased in Auckland to-day, except for occasional showers.