STORMY WEATHER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19698, 26 July 1927, Page 10

STORMY WEATHER.

ROUGH SEAS IN HARBOUR.

SCHOONER DRAGS ANCHORS.

PILE-DRIVER IN TROUBLE.

The weather at Auckland yesterday was very stormy, with the wind blowing with gale force from the north-east. Rain fell steadily all day, and interfered considerably with cargo work on the waterfront. In consequence most of the vessels in port were idle and their departures have been delayed accordingly. The storm increased in force after midday, and caused a very rough sea in the harbour. Small craft had great difficulty in making headway against the wind, and ferry steamers rolled considerably when they were crossing the harbour with the seas abeam. The rough seas caused a pronounced swell at the wharves, and small vessels had to use plenty of fenders to prevent the hulls from being damaged. During a heavy gust after four o'clock tho Northern Company's new auxiliary schooner Hauturu, which had arrived from Greenock and was in the stream waiting for pratique to be granted, dragged her anchors and drifted past Queen's Wharf and close under the stern of the motorship Port Dunedin, winch was moored on the west side of the wharf. When the Hauturu reached a position nearly midway between Queen's Wharf and Prince's Wharf the anchors again took effect and held her in position with the lofty hull of the Port Dunedin acting as a breakwater. Shortly afterwards' tho tug Te Awhina arrived on the scene and took the Hauturu in tow, but owing to the schooner being only fitted with a hand windlass it took nearly an hour to hoavo up the long length of cable attached to the anchors befor'o the Te Awhina could tow the schooner alongside the Central Wharf. Afterwards the Te Awhina was despatched to Devonport, where the Harbour Board's No. 2 pile driver was dragging her moorings. After considerable difficulty in lifting the pile driver's moorings the latter was towed last evening to a sheltered position at the west side of Prince's Wharf.

The heavy rain yesterday is the continuation of a very wet winter. The rainfall for the month up to 9 a.m. yesterday, according to the Albert Park Observatory, was 5.20 in., which is ,29in. above the average for July. In addition heavy rain fell after the record was taken in the morning. The rainfall for the 24 hours ended at midnight, as registered by the Herald gauge, was 1.37 in. Ihe rainfall for the seven months of the present year up to 9 a.m. yesterday was 33.12 in., compared with 43.88 in., the average for 12 months.