HEAVY EASTERLY GALE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18380, 21 April 1923, Page 10

HEAVY EASTERLY GALE.

: TORRENTIAL RAINSTORMS. - ; (VIVID LIGHTNING FLASHES. ' ROUGH TIME ;AT SEA., ; DELAYS TO SHIPPING. Heavy rain fell in Auckland yesterday following the boisterous weather of the last: two days. Particularly heavy was a torrential downpour that commenced at 5.15 p.m., just as thousands of people wore pouring, out of office, warehouse, and factory on -their way homewards. The downfall lasted an hour and was accompanied by an electrical disturbance. The pavements 'and streets were quickly carrying off largo volumes of : water, and hundreds of people, caught unexpectedly in the deluge, sought shelter beneath shop verandahs and in friendly doorways. The rainfall for the 24 hours ended at midnight was 2.55 in. as registered by the Herald gauge. During the earlier part of the day intermittent showers were accompanied by a driving wind from the eastward. After a heavy downfall about 9 a.m. tke rain fell off, and there was little change till the deluge shortly after 5 o'clock. Thereafter, ram. fell practically continuously all the evening., with loud crashes of thunder and vivid sheets of lightning. . After .10 p.m. the lightning, occurred in : exceptionally brilliant flashes, lighting up the whole sky with dazzling spirals. _ - — The barometer, which registered oO.bOin. at noon on Tuesday has teen slowly falling since.. Last, night it registered; on Thursday night caused damage on several of the beaches, where a number of small boats ™ a A d * I *' merged yesterday morning. At Chelten ham the diving punt was .ashore with one of the air tanks wrenched off. On shore a certain -amount of havoc was played in gardens exposed' to the full Force of the ™ind, while a. number of building in course of erection suffered minor damage to roofing. -Widespread Experience. ■/; The easterly storm which has been blowing in Auckland since Wednesday night » a v£y extensive one and-covers a large wca According to the report from vesse a reSng Auckland the gale was «J about 1200 miles to the west, miles to the north and about 500. miles to the east of New Zealand. It is apparently ™ of the hardest easterly galea experienced on the New Zealand .coast for some time, and is accompanied by exCe TWov h J a mallTeamer Niagara; which Auckland Vancouver yesterday morning, began to feel the el facta 0 the storm the day after she left Suva The) wind then began to freshen from the south-east, and jontlnned doing „o as the vessel proceeded to New tea £1? -On Thursday night a hard gale wa? experienced. It blew in fierce rain • squalls which obliterated, all landmarks, 2d made it difficult to pickup the> coast The Port .Melbourne, which arrived from ? Liverpool late -on . Thursday night encountered the storm: about 500 £§£ east of New Zealand. -wind gSto the vessel's favour, and did' not delav her, but as in; the case of the NiagWthe thick weather on-the, co«t made navigation ; somewhat difficult. ■ '• -W" 4 "' Fiona's Long', Passage. 7- > The worst experience el the Colonial Sugar' Company's steamer *wn»,whicu Si eight cays., from. Port Kembla to Auckland. She arrived ,m port last evening. The Fiona, left Port Kembla i on April 12, and immediately encountered ™rbng easterly winds and rough seas The wind and sea continued to increase each day, and delayed the vessel progress to such an extent that it was eight I Lys before she reached the Three Kings The storm'was V then at its -height, and after passing Cape .Maria Van Diemen at midnight on Wednesday the Fiona had to battle all the way down the coast ' against a hard easterly gale and nigh * seas. At times the vessel could hardly make steerage way ,7 and was 40 , Hours steaming the 220 -miles: from the cape to The Shaw, Savill 'and Albion steamer ~ Waimana, which arrived, from Newcastle • last night, had a similar experience to the Fiona, and was delayed about 36 hours on the trip. - ] * • ; ~: ' ,

, Delays to Coastal ; Vessels. •■ >• ■: • The sale has been the cause of delay to a number of coastal- ships, winch havei^had: to shelter from the-effects of the storm- 3. -'"■'•'■'. ■ a„„iThe Apanui, from Awanui to Auckland, was sheltering, for three days at. Whan'garoa; She resumed her trip yesterday morning, and is due . here this morning.' ;"■'•*■. _,' . . %i* The- auxiliary schooner Motu.en route to Opotiki, was sheltering at v Kutarere; the Otiinai, which,, left v- Auckland for Wihakatane ;on Wednesday, was sheltering at. Drunken Bay the Kawau, bound ,to Omaha and Lefgh, and the Pono, bound to Waipu,- were i sheltering at Kawau. The • Ngapuhi did not reach lauranga until 5 p.m. yesterday. - She was delayed 11 hours ■: on the way from Auckland ; by the storm;v;Tho Gael was to have sailed from Auckland at noon yesterday for Mangaw«ii,; and the Omana at 5 p.m. _ tor Silverdale. Owing to the stormy conditions : ?revailing, their trips * were * abandoned, he Taniwha ha* been delayed by a flood in the Paeroa - River, and it is doubtful -if she will reach Auckland in time to leave here for" Paeroa" again' to-morrow. .< ..: The . Kapua, Queen .Elizabeth, : and Houto were' reported yesterday to be sheltering at Mercury Bay. -;\ ~ '> "■■;[ ; Carg o Handling Interrupted. Vr ; i The heavy rain yesterday delayed oper- ■ ations on vessels- in port, and very, little work was done before midday. In the afternoon the weather cleared" somewhat, and work, was carried :on between the showers, but the change for ; the worse at 5 p.m. caused all further work to be aban doned for the evening. The Niagara' was o <have sailed for Sydney last night,, but' the delay; to cargo operations caused her departure to" be ; postponed until noon today. - ■