CHRISTCHURCH CUT OFF

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 135, 11 June 1935, Page 7

CHRISTCHURCH CUT OFF

Telegraph Communication Interrupted MAIN TROUBLE VICINITY OF RANG LORA I’or Press Association. WELLINGTON, Last Night. The Post and Telegraph Department advise that communication was lost with Christchurch between seven and eight o’clock last evening, when that centre was cut off from all telegraph stations, south, west and north. Communication has been established between Wellington and Christchurch by radio and.between Wellington and Awarua for all stations south of Christchurch. The main trouble appears to be north and south of Amberlcy and in the vicinity of liangiora. There was also some trouble between Christchurch and Dariield, which has cut off communication between Christchurch and the West Coast.

Wellington is still able to communicate with Blenheim, Nelson, Westport and Greymouth. Blenheim is able to get Waiau, near Kaiko'ura. Messages from Wellington to the South to-day are being worked by radio from Wellington to Christchurch, from Blenheim to Dunedin, and from Nelson to Timaru. Wellington is also working Awarua. The Postal Department says there is a good prospect of Christchurch establishing land communication by tonight. It frequently happens that wires are brought down in tho area affected by tins storm, but rarely does it happen that poles are affected. This indicates the very heavy fall of snow.

Communications Restored UNPRECEDENTED DAMAGE TO LINES Pei - Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, Last Niglit. The snowstorm in Canterbury caused a dislocation of the telephone and telegraph services without precedent in the history of the Department in Canterbury. The storm was not accompanied by any wind so that no wires or poles were blown down, but by pressure of snow on the cables and wires it bent steel poles whero they were used, into fantastic shapes, broke the wires or broke the hardwood poles. In one place on tho west lino ten miles of lino was completely wrecked, and permanent repairs may occupy months, but temporary repairs are being rushed. To-night contact was made with Wellington for the first time at about 8.30.

Apart from this very serious damage to the lines no very serious damage was done. There are stories from all parts of motoring and tramping parties being benighted in the storm, hold up on roads by deep snow or failing engine ignition, but all arrived safely at their destinations, though many of them were twelve hours late. Trains were delayed as a matter of course on somo lines, notably at .Springfield. The depth of snow there was two foot deep on the lines. Owing to the break of the power lines somo districts were without power, but most of these failures wore near the city and all were repaired early to-day. Tho districts affected were confined to the immediate vicinity of tho breaks in the north-west of the city. To-day was brilliantly lino all over the province with a warm sun reflected from the snowy landscape and a cloudless sky. To-night there is a hard frost which will delay tho melting of the snow.

Snapped Like Matches

POWER POLES DOWN. MOTORISTS ’ EXPERIENCES. Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, June 10. After the heaviest snowfall in the province for three years, communication is gradually being restored with outlying districts, though up till noon Lecston, Lincoln, Little River, and Akaroa arc still cut off. On many of the roads near Little River the drifts arc four feet deep in places. The worst damage was on the Midland road. At Waddington the snow was knee-deep, and a party of motorists returning to the city had to use spades and shovels to dig a track for the car.

All power lines were down near the Yaldhurst Hotel on the main road west. The big wooden poles had snapped off like matches, and big steel bridge poles were bent like willows. The power lines were terribly tangled and were lying across the road, and motorists were obliged to drive over them.

At other parts cars had to be abandoned. This was the fate of several cars even in Fendalton suburb, where the snow was thickest. In the city to-day the weather is bright and fine. Struck by Lightning CHIMNEY HURLED THROUGH ROOF. .Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, Juno 10. At the height of the storm last night lightning struck a house in the Mount Wellington district and the chimney was hurled in pieces through the roof into a room, demolishing the open fireplace. Everything electrical in the house was burned out and then tho house caught fire. There were two families of eight persons in all in the house, but nobody was hurt. To-day the fireplace end of the room looked as if it had been struck by a shell. The switchboard, in another room, was shattered in

pieces, and the electric stove looked as if it had been through a fire. In the cowshed about two chains from the house the rwitekboard was blown out and part of it was blown through a small clock which stood on a shelf eight feet away. All the occupants of the house were in bed at the time, and the first one woman knew was on seeing a sheet of blue flame and hearing a terrific crash. After finding that the children were unhurt she and other adults extinguished the fire with buckets of water. Worst in Living' Memory Per X’ress Association. THAMES, June 10. The worst electrical storm experienced in Thames within living memory raged over the district for over half-an-hour from 9.45 last evening. Exceptinallv vivid and continuous flashes of lightning, heavy thunder, and a delugo of hail and rain alarmed many residents, particularly when the lightning caused a failure in the power sup plyHeralded by vivid lightning and peals of thunder, the storm rapidly approached across the Firth from the west, and during its height the whole town was illuminated by the continuous flashes, but it passed as quickly as it came. There was a rapid change in the temperature. The power supply was restored within an hour, except for one portion of the district served by a sub-station which was put out of action by the lightning.

Despite the intensity of tlie storm, no reports of serious damage are yet to hand. Tree Shattered at Marten MARION, June 10. An electrical storm of unusual intensity was experienced in Marton last night, culminating this morning in a terrific flash of lightning and a deafening thunderclap which shattered a large wattle tree in the borough. The storm was accompanied by heavy rain and hail, and it was bitterly cold. Storm Damage in Manawatu

HEAVY RATNS BRING DOWN SLIPS The heavy' rains of the week-end were responsible for bringing down numerous slips in the Fitzhcrbert riding of the Kairanga county-. On the Kahutcrawa road, access was completely blocked, settlers being unable to get out yesterday. Other slips blocked the Pahiatua track. County employees were concentrated on the work ot removing the blockages. Across the main Wellington highway as it turns to the right- the other side of the Fitzlierbert bridge, a small stream is conducted through a culvert under the road.. So heavy was the fall on the tableland behind on Saturdaynight that the watercourse soon became a torrent and t.io culvert was unable 1o cope with the extra volume. The water banked up to rui across the bitumen and scour out a deep cavity- on the other side —a hole that became dangerous to traffic. From there it ran down a drain towards the bridge till its progress was again blocked by the new road formation to the new bridge. When a largo lake was formed the water commenced to trickle over the formation and eventually scoured out two deep channels across what will soon be the new highway'.