GALE AND RAINSTORM.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9452, 27 February 1911, Page 5

GALE AND RAINSTORM.

HEAVY DAMAGE IN WELLINGTON.

STRANGE SCENES IN THE CITY,

Wellington, oa Saturday night, experienced one of the worst rain storms within the recollection of tho oldest inhabitant, says the New Zealand Times. Rain etartod to fall early in. the day, and it kept up fairly steadily throughout the afternoon. 'By 8 o'clock a strong southeasterly ■ goJo set in, and from thence onward throughout the night tho rain took the.form of a tropical deluge, beating down with terrific force without cessation for many hours. The city streets ran with water, brought down from tho hills with tremondous velocity.

On Lambton quay people waded through' the streams to a depth of several inches, Tho low-lying parts in all directions were flooded, the water quickly finding its way into the cellars of various hotels, giving the employees a very busy time yesterday morning in the work of baling out. "Change here for the ferry boats" was a familiar cry at more than one tram terminus, where cascades greeted people in their endeavor to board tho homeward care between!) and 11 p.m. The rain gauge at- Wainui-o-mata registered a fall of 5.65 inches. About 4 a.m., by way of variety, and to add to the unpleasant experiences of the hours preceding, an of considerable force was felt. On tho hills, where tho strength of the storm shook the houses with, great violence, the tremor was perhaps not so readily perceptible, but on the flats the earthquake caused tho residents some alarm. As day dawned the rain gradually ceased. For hours afterwards the flow of water through the hill culverts continued strongly, showing how heavy was the actual fall of rain. The roots.of houses were put to the severest test, the fierce onslaught of wind and rain finding out the weak places, especially in the lighter-framed buildings.

WASHOUT AT KARORI. OTHER SERIOUS DAMAGE. Tho most serious damage caused by the heavy downpour was on the roadway leading to Karori, at a place known as "the deviation," a fow hundred yards on the further side of Bakers Hjll tunnel. The road where tho damage was done crosses a huge gullj, which was filled in with spoil instead of being bridged. This gully is the boundary between the city and the Karori borough. The filling is the lowest portion of tho roadway, and the water came down from the "adjoining hills on both sides in great force and washed out hundreds of tons of spoil, the crossing being' scoured out •and great gaps showing where the water rushed down into the gully. At the tram•way loop in the centre of the filling the track wa6 completely undermined, the asphalt bed on which the rails' arc laid hanging over an abyss. On the Karori side the scour was of greater dimensions, but it was not so close to the tramway track. The fences for a considerable distance on both sides are hanging in 6pace, tlie earth in which they were ,secured having completely disappeared.

Kent terrace was a sea of water for the greater part of the night, and very considerable damago was caused between Vivian street and the Basin Reserve, where the wood blocks were torn up bodily for a- distance of about fifty yards. This was the result of the escape, under high pressure, of a volume of water running through the storm water culvert under tho roadway.

THE RAINFALL. Anyone who observed the downpour must have known that the volume of the rainfull was. extraordinary, .but tho figures aro a little staggering. Air-Mount' Cook tho registered rainfall front' .9 ■'a.m. on Saturday until the.same hour.on.Sunday, totalled 6.32 inches. At Karori 6,38 inches were registeredj and ,at. Wa' nu ' the rainfall amounted to 5.75 inches. Theamount that fell at Mount Cook, 1 6.32 inches is stated to be equal to 110 tons of water to the acre. OIL WAREHOUSE DAMAGED. (Pkb Press Arbooiation.l. WELLINGTON, Feb. 27. Considerable damage was done to the Vacuum Oil Company's new warchouso on the Hutt road, beyond Thorndon Esplanade, by Saturday night's flood. Heavy rain brought down an immense quantity of spoil from the Wadestown tramway cutting. The liquid mass soon fdled up the space between the hill and tho high retaining wall, and hundreds of tons flowed on to the warehouse roof, which collapsed with the weight. Thousands of tins of keroseno'will have to be moved out of the building ; in' order that they may be dried. The Company estimates its loss at over £IOOO. RAIN IN OTHER PARTS. . NELSON, EeK 27:Tho drought has broken up by > steady rain on Friday and Saturday, with-tropi-cal showers. Damage was dono -to trees and telegraph poles. One or, two sheds were also blown down. Shipping was delayed.