LIGHTNING PLAYS HAVOC WITH TREE

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 2307, 27 November 1925, Page 7

LIGHTNING PLAYS HAVOC WITH TREE

Winter’s Untimely Visit to South SIX DEGREES ABOVE FREEZING POINT [Per Press Association.] CHRISTCHURCH, Last Night At Mount Thomas, during to-day’s Storm, a Wellingtonla tree, 80 feet high with a girth of 26 feet at the base, was struck by lightning, split from top to bottom and absolutely torn to pieces. Large splinters were hurled in ail directions and some pieces were picked up 140 feet away. At Oxford, five telephone poles ware shattered and several chains of fencing destroyed. Twelve chains of telephone wire vanished completely. In one house the telephone was damaged and a side of the wall blackened. Hail and snow to a depth of three inches covered the ground. Though rain was required throughout Canterbury. it could have done without • uch a wintry visitation. The temperature in Christchurch at 5 p.m. was 38 degrees. ROUGH WHEAT. LR IN CANTERBURY. NEWLY-SHORN SHEEP SUFFER[Per Press Association.] CHRISTCHURCH Last Night. Canteroury is experiencing rough weather. After a few heavy showers during the night the weather broke fine this morning, but at about midday, a thunderstorm was experienced and heavy rain fell. This soon ceased, but the weather broke again at our o’clock and .ecame bitterly cold Rain and hall poured down and snow ■overed the Casnmero and Peninsulß Hills. As shearing is fairly general ♦■sroughout the p-ovince. the change will be ro g’i on newly-shorn flocks