STRONG GALE RAGES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20596, 21 June 1930, Page 12

STRONG GALE RAGES.

THAMES VALLEY DAMAGE. MISHAPS TO MOTORISTS. PEDESTRIANS BLOWN OVER. ROOFS AND HAYSTACKS LIFTED. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] TE AROHA, Friday. A tempestuous north-easterly gale, at times reaching a velocity of 70 miles an hour, has been raging through the Thames Valley for the past 24 hours, and to-night shows no sign of abatement. Minor damage and several mishaps are reported from the five counties, over which slightly more than an inch of rain was recorded for the 24 hours ended at 9 o'clock this evening. A motorist from the Te Kuiti district, Mr. G. Montifiore, had a lucky escape from injury at the height of the gale on the Mercury Bay-Coroglen Road early this morning. As ho was descending a steep bend, a slip of several tons of water-logged clay struck his car on the side, carrying it to the edge of a cliff before it became wedged against a tree. Assistance was later given by road workers, who, after two hours' hard work, removed the car from its precarious position. Telegraph lines were blown down at Paeroa and several haystacks were lifted across Hauraki Plains roads, where the gale played havoc with loose roofing materials. Two milking sheds were blown over at Kaihere and Kopuarahi. Accident Narrowly Averted. A motor-cyclist with a pillion passenger skidded on the greasy surface of the narrow Ngahina Bridge in front of a car driven by Mr. T. Farrell, fields inspector to the Lands Department, this afternoon. The skid brought the cyclist to grief almost under the wheels of the oncoming car, but the driver swerved just in time to avoid running over the rider and his passenger. An instant's hesitation on the part of the motorist might have resulted in his car crashing over the cycle to fall into the swoollen waters of the river beneath. There was an electric-power breakdown at Thames at 12.45 p.m., and a wooden power pole was snapped off clean at Te Aroha. Several casualties were caused by the force of the gale. On his way to business at 8 o'clock to-day, Mr. J. German was lifted bodily off his feet by the wind, falling with his arm doubled under him. He was later medically treated for a broken bone in his right hand. An employee of a furnishing firm, who set out to deliver a pane of glass 42in. in length, was astonished when the front half of the length of glass was blown across his body as he endeavoured to turn a comer. Walking to the post office this afternoon, Mr. R. E. Morrison, of tj.'e staff of the Bank of New Zealand, was swept off his feet, falling heavily on his right ; Tvrist, which an X-ray examination showed to be badly sprained. A 200-gallon galvanised iron tank was blown for nearly a quarter of a mile out of the yard of Mr. J. B. Johnston, a hardware merchant. ■ Small Car Turns Over. In tho main street of Te Aroha a motor-car of tho "baby" type, driven by Mr. Norman Meehan, failed to negotiate the Bank of New Zealand corner and was blown over on its side. Serious damage was caused when the gale was indirectly responsible for the derailment of three waggons at Te Aroha shortly before 6 p.m. A Tauranga-Frank-ton goods train was pulling into Te Aroha when the wind got under the tarpaulin cover of the fourth waggon from the engine. The flying canvas dragged a porter, Mr. G. Day, off the points lever on which he was sitting to keep the points in position. The lever automatically snapped back, causing three waggons to jump the rails. A local gang cleared the line in an hour, holding up the evening TaurangaAuckland express for about that space of time. The waggons are not badly damaged and the lino is now clear for all traffic. HEAVY RAIN IN FRANKLIN. RIVER THREATENS DANGER. [BST TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] PUKEKOHE, Friday. Heavy rain has fallen steadily in the Franklin district throughout the afternoon and evening. With tho ground already fairly sodden from previous heavy rains, water-courses are now running high. Should tho rain continue throughout the night there is danger that tho Mangatawhiri River will overflow its banks and to-morrow will be flooding the portion of the Pokeno-Paoroa highway through the Mangatawhiri Valley. To-night the river is rising steadily.