HEAVY GALE IN THE SOUTH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15737, 12 October 1914, Page 5

HEAVY GALE IN THE SOUTH

MOST SEVERE FOR YEARS. DAMAGE IN CANTERBURY. CHIMNEYS AND ROOFS SUFFER. TELEGRAPH POLES DOWN. [by TELEGRAPH.TRESS association.] Ashbtjrtcw, Saturday. After two days of oppressively hot weather, during which the mercury reached 87deg. in the shade, mild north-westerly winds which had prevailed swelled into a hurricane in the early hours of this morning. The storm was serious in its intensity until 10 a.m , and was the worst known for many years. The town and district became enveloped in clouds of dust, and the effect on ploughed land is expected to be very extensive. Early in the morning a considerable portion of the roof of H. C. Barrett's drapeiy shop was blown off, and a Jad who was struck by a sheet of flying iron had to bo removed to the hospital. Manyjgstree3 were uprooted or smashed and dens suffered severely. After leaving the Ashburton station at 9.45 a.m., the south-bound express tr-iin. pulled up before crossing tlw bridge over the river, and did not proceed until the structure had been inspected and pronounced safe. Reports from the country show that the windstorm was general throughout South Canterbury, and that it has done damage everywhere. The big railway lamp at Hinds, 12 miles south of Ashburton, has been demolished, and several sheds have been unroofed. At Winslow, six miles south of Ashburton, the roof of the railway station was lifted. It is reported that six telegraph poles between Hinds and Rangitata have been smashed, and, telegraph communication with the South is interrupted. News of damage in the borough and suburbs still coming to hand shows that several chimneys have been blown over, and that in one case the fall of chimneys caused the flooding of & house through a water main breaking. The storm is now abating.

LOSSES IN TEOARTJ DISTRICT. DAMAGE ON ALL SIDES. [BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS association-.] Teurtt, Sunday. • An unusually strong north-west gale pre- • vailed in South Canterbury from about '4 a.m. until noon on Saturday, and in. nnroofing small buildings, levelling fences, vprooting trees, distributing stacks-about, the fields and damaging orchards and gardens caused much loss.- . ~. •

The gale appears to have been strongest '• between Timaru and Waitaki. More ; {-, telegraph poles were down between Otaio and Pareora than elsewhere, and costly ■ • damage was done to some buildings in .' c Waimate, -where the gale was said to be ••'' the most powerful ever experienced. • "'-■ v~ ■.*; [. In Timaru several windows,wore blown... 4 in; and from Fairlie and Geraldine also ilv come reports of much minor damage. :.' : At./>< Fairlie [ Kerr's garage, roo? was lifted off.'>*l; Timaru's motor-'buses did not-attempt to* - tun until the gale subsided. '" One case of a personal* accident was re-"'•!*•', ported. A man delivering the morning .?: paper with a horse and cart had a tree ;' fall upon his cart, which was smashed beneath film. The man fortunately was hot ..,•' much hurt. , .".:.■ ■*„ ■-. .*■•...: E ~-;»- Telegraphic oommnnication between Tim- ," : am and- Ghristchurch was seriously inter- =, fered with, and south of Timaru was 'cut *-> off altogether for some time. ,'/ } 0 :i ":,';' J *:.