STORM IN BRITAIN

Hokitika Guardian, 11 December 1929, Page 5

STORM IN BRITAIN

BIG SHIPPING LOSSES. [United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.] LONDON, Dec. 9. The gale is still raging at the dawn of the sixth day of the storm with unp recede n ted se verity. W hole tracts of the English countryside are flooded, and the River Thames is becoming a series of great lakes. In some places the Thames is two miles wide. The villages which fringe the Somerset moorlands have been flooded, and four hundred homeioss people have taken refuge in neighbouring places. One hundred thousand tons of shipping has been lost, stranded, or rendered in distress. The insurance losses are heavy, but are overspread. FORTY LIVES LOST. ON ITALIAN SHIP. PARIS, Dec. 9. A trawler picked uy six survivors of ithe [ltalian. steam dr “Chieri,” which sank off the Ushant. Forty of her crew were drowned. A newspaper aeroplane reached Le Bourget, despite the storm in the Channel, With which the pilot had a four hours’ battle.

two crews saved. BY FRENCH TUG. PARIS, Dec. 9. The stirring story of a double rescue was told by the officers of the French salvage tug “Iroise,” which put to sea on December 5, in search of the steamer “Helen,” which was reported to be in distress south of Ushant. Thq Helen’s hold was found to be full of water, and her engines were out of commission. The Iroiso passed a cable aboard the Helen, but it broke in the darkness while she was making for Brest. The Helen drifted rapidly towards the Armen Rocks and she began to sink. The Iroiso picked up Tier crew, with the exception of one officer. She had scarcely finished this rescue, when she received an S.O.S. from the Danish freighter, Galdana, which sho succeeded in bringing safely to port. The Iroiso has now set out again, in reply to signals from the British steamers “Alba” and “Tynebrdge,” and the Italian vessel “Sen a tore Dali.”

SHIPS IN DISTRESS. ASSISTANCE RENDERED. LONDON, Dec. 9. Several vessels have been disabled owing to damage to their steering gear, and they summoned assistance from tugs during the day. Vessels in distress in the English Channel have also received assistance from the great ocean liners. The British steamer Britannic is being towed by a trawler, which stood by for some hours before a. cable could be passed, owing to the gale. Several fatal accidents, due to the wind, have occurred on land, and three people have suffered serious injury through the collapse of a church in Glasgow during a severe thunderstorm.

45 RESCUED. RUGBY, Dec. 9. Further reports of damage to shipping have been received at Lloyd’s. The British steamer .“Manchester Regiment” has wirelessed that it has taken on hoard 45 of the crew of the Glasgow steamier “Volumia,” which was abandoned at noon to-day, sevcial hundred miles off the west coast of Ireland. One lifeboat was lost in the operation, s

STORM LOSSES. (British Official Wireless). (Received this dav at 11 a.m.) RUGBY, Dec. 10. - A serious view is taken in marine insurance market circles in London of the losses suffered at sea during the great gale of the last five days. Although''-no ship of first importance has figured in the casualty reports, it is anticipated that claims resulting from the storm will be very heavy. Rarely have so many telegrams been posted at Lloyds as "as the case when two hundred relating to a large number of different- ships were received. The full extent of the damage caused to shipping may not be known foi over twelve months, for many of the vessels damaged have proceeded or their voyage and will be repaiiod abroad. There is considerable anxiety regarding ten steam herring trawlers of Tmvostoft which are storm-bouml in the North iSea and a 'broadcast appeal to vessels in the southern North Sea was made yesterday by wireless to keep a look out lor these vessels. It was revealed this morning that the captain of the Swedish steamer. Frieda, -.whose dangerous plight oil Deal caused anxiety yesterday, bad been swept overboard by the gale and 'drowned. The Frieda had been run into while at anchor and lugs were standing by when the captain was lost. The Frieda which with great difficulty was boarded by lifeboatmen, was berthed at Dover this morning.

DHOWNINGiS FEARED. THROUGH SEVERE STORMS. (Received this dnv at, 11 a.m.) PARIS, Dec. 10. Seventy-one seamen are, feared to have been drowned in the present storm in the French Channel and on the Atlantic coasts. Two of a crowd on the Dieppe landing stage watching the arrival of a steamer were washed oft' bv a huge wave and disappeared.