STORMY WEATHER.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8541, 23 March 1908, Page 2

STORMY WEATHER.

THE COASTAL GALES. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, March 22. Tho bad weather which has been experienced for several days seemed to reach its height yesterday. The wind blew with hurricane force and it rained the whole day. No damage is reported in the city or suburbs, and the railway services were not interfered with. Not so, however, with the shipping. The Rotonuih.ina. which left Lyttelton at 6.10 p.m. on Friday and was thus duo about 6 a.m. yesterday, did not put in an appearance till 9 p.m. When off Kaikoura the wind began to freshen, and by tho time the vessel.was passing Capo Campbell a hard southerly was blowing. About 4 a.m. the Rotomahana was near Wellington Heads, but being unable to pick up tho light, she turned south and steamed slowly till the weather improved somewhat. When at half-speed she made three knots an hour against the gale and eltven knots with tho gale. The Maitai was two days late in arriving from Sydney, which port she left on Monday.' A heavy southerly gale commenced on Tuesday evening and continued until Cape Farewell was sighted on Friday afternoon. She passed Cape Farewell at 4 p.m., and then ran into such a heavy southerly with high seas and thick, rainy weather, that she was hove-to from 10 p.m. on Friday till 10 a.m. to-day, when the weather modcrated and the Maitai steamed into the harbour at noon. The coastal steamer Kami arrived from Napier at 2.15, having taken 85 hours on a trip which usually occupies 24 hours. She left Napier on Wednesday night, and except for an interval of 12 hours, sheltering at Castlepoint, had been battling with the elements until 2 o'clock on Saturday. Her position at tho Heads was serious. The sea, according to Captain Thompson, was tremendous. The weather was thick and the coal bunkers of the vessel at a low level. Ther3 was not enough fuel to take the vessel through the Straits, and Captain Thomson had great difficulty, in making port. '

Perhaps the toughest experience was that of the little steamer Tasman. She left Nelson for Wellington at 4 a.m. on Saturday, and when a few miles from Capo. Terawhiti shipped a heavy sea, which washed clean over the bridge into the engine-room and into tho saloon, and badly started the bulkhead under the bridge, opening the deck soams and carrying away the bridge deck ladders ;-nd tho hatch over tho forehold. Captain Cox decided .to put back, and ran into Oyster Bay, where he conferred with the captain of the Charles Edward. Captain Cox then took the Tasman to Picton, and had the deck temporarily rccaulked. She ran across to Wellington this morning. During the trip from Picton a heavy sea smashed in a port in the forecastle and seas went over the vessel and again into the engine-room, the vessel having to be stopped to enable the broken port to be blocked. Owing to the rain yesterday, the Miraraar pony races and all other outdoor sports were postponed. WELLINGTON, Friday. The steamer Manuka had a lengthy trip from Napier, and arrived in port with a heavy list to starboard. She had *a very rough passage —a hurricane Captain Phillips called it. The steamer rolled terrifically, and almost all the passengers suffered from sea-sickness. One of them, Mr Fotheringham, bound for Lyttelton, was somewhat seriously injured this morning. He was lying on a couch on tho social hall, and during a particularly heavy lurch tho couch camo away. Mr Fotheringham was badly cut about the head, and his foot was injured. The Manuka's cargo shifted, giving her tho list referred to, but no damage was done to the deck fittings. Captain Phillips did not leave the bridge until the ship arrived in Wellington this afternoon. RAIN IN CANTERBURY. ASHBURTON, March 22. Rain, which commenced on Wednesday evening, has, with tho exception of a short respite on Thursday, continued practically uninterruptedly since. The total fall from 4 p.m. on Wednesday till 4 o'clock this afternoon was 2.80 inches, while indications point to its colntinuanco throughout the night at least. The total rainfall since tho beginning of the month has been 4.96 inches, which is the heaviest fall over tho same period recorded for over two years.