THE, NORTH SHORE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22333, 3 February 1936, Page 10

THE, NORTH SHORE

SCENE ON BEACHES PLEASURE CRAFT SUFFER BUILDINGS SWEPT AWAY Beaches littered with the wreckage of pleasure craft, roads undermined by heavy seas, and houses with windows smashed and other portions lying in ruins marked the path of the storm on tho exposed parts of tho North Shore yesterday. Unlike the city, the northerly beaches of Devonport and Takapuna were first battered in the early hours of yesterday morning by tho easterly gale and then tho inner portion o.r the coasu facing tho south was thrashed by tho wind and sea when tho storm changed direction about mid-day. It is estimated that close on 100 pleasure craft of varying types and sizes were either dashed to pieces or severely damaged on the North Shore beaches alone. Crowds of spectators and lamenting yachtsmen patrolled Milford, Takapuna, Narrow Neck and Cheltenham beaches soon after daylight yesterday. Attention was then turned to Torpedo Bay and tho bays at Devonport and Stanley Point. Their turn was yet to come. Shortly before noon the southerly wind developed into gale force and commenced to wreak havoc among those yachts and launches which had escaped to some extent the heavy seas from the east earlier in the day. Work oi Beachcombers It was a pathetic sight. Numbers of yachtsmen crowded and comforted each other on tho shore, in many cases powerless to do anything but hope their craft might weather the gale. There were many yachtsmen who, already heavy losers, suffered even further when organised parties of beachcombers collected all gear and wreckage bearing any fittings of value. Milford and Narrow Neck beaches suffered the most seveiely of those on the northern coast. At Milford a largo log, which had been moored at Castor Bay for the use of bathers, broke away from its moorings, and, carried by the huge seas crashing on to the beach when the tide was full about 1 a.m., it battered both breastworks and buildings and was the cause of most of the damage. Coninuing along the beach the log was hurled with terrific force at a concrete wall. The sea immediately gaining an entrance where the log had struck, undprmined the breastwork, and ate its way for some yards into a lawn, the erosion finally stopping about eight feet short of a house. A large glassed-in verandah adjoining a shop and protruding on to the beach, was carried away. The shop was occupied by Mr. W. E. Woods. In addition to the loss of considerable furniture which was in the verandah, Mr. Woods' stock of confectionery also suffered. Sheds Demolished Surging up the Wairau estuary at the northern end of Milford Beach the waves broke right over the large swimming pool which is in the course of construction. Four yachts moored near the main road far up the estuary were capAt Narrow Neck Beach two large sheds, one containing an outboard runabout and the other a sailing dinghy and a smart 14-footer, were demolished. Portions of the sheds were found near Takapuna Head, about a mile away, while most of the wreckage was washed up near Cheltenham. No fewer than eight other craft, including three sailing boats, were dashed to pieces against the concrete wall and rocks on the same beach. , Several small boats were washed ashore and damaged at Cheltenham, and at Takapuna an annexe to a beach house in Saltburn Road had between oO and 60 sheets of iron torn from the roof and taken over to a vacant section in Ocean View Road. At one stage the seas were breaking over the road from Narrow Neck Beach and joining the flood waters on the lower levels beyond.

YACHTSMAN'S ESCAPE

adrift' in dinghy STRUGGLE IN ROUGH SURF Swept away in a small dinghy when attempting to reach his yacht, the Waione, which was anchored about 400 yards from the shore in Torpedo Bay, Mr. W. Ahlers, of Burgess Road, Dovonport, had a narrow escape from drowning yesterday morning. He was in a serious predicament when his boat, buffeted by the wind and waves, commenced to' drift toward tbe rocks near Torpedo Wharf. . Noticing the danger, Mr. Gamor Jackson, of Jubilee Avenue, Devonport, who was standing on the beach, quickly raced to the end of the wharf, where he obtained a rope and threw it to the occupant of the dinghy. All efforts to draw the boat to safety were futile, however, and the position became more serious when Mr. Aiders lost his balance and fell into the sea. Struggling in the angry surf, he appeared in danger of being dashed on the rocks, but about 100 yards past the wharf ho managed to make the shore after scrambling along the top of a sower. That he was little the worse for his experience was evidenced later in the day, when, together with Mr. Jackson,he was responsible for rescuing a member of his crew, Mr. W. -Ross, from on board the Waione, where the lastnamed had been marooned for about five hours. Manning a heavy dinghy, Messrs. Alders and Jackson fought their way out against a wind of gale force and a strongly%unning current. Although only about 300 yards from the shore, the' dinghy was several times almost lost to sight in the trough of a wave. After several attempts to get tho dinghy alongside the yacht, Mr. Hoss managed to scramble aboard tbo dinghy and was brought safely ashoro.

EXCURSION STEAMERS

THREE FAIL TO RETURN KAWAU REPORTED AGROUND Tho westerly gale and rough seas in the harbour and gulf disorganised the excursion steamer services to Waiheke Island yesterday, and three Northern Company's steamers, tho Omana, Hauiti and Kawau, had not returned to Auckland last night. It was rumoured that the Kawau was aground at Omiha Bay and that tho Hauiti was standing by to help to refloat tho stranded vessel.

The Omana, it was understood, was windbound at Cowes Bay which was open to the full force of the storm when .the wind was south-west. Owing to telephone communication being interrupted particulars regarding the three vessels could not bo ascertained. In case further assistance was needed by the delayed steamers the Taniwha was despatched for Waiheke shortly before 0110 o'clock this morning.

Tho excursion vessel Baroona left for Motuihi, Ostend and Surfdale yesterday morning, but the stormy conditions prevented her landing her passengers at any of the three places and she had to return to Auckland after losing her two anchors at Ostend*