FIERCE GALE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22628, 16 January 1937, Page 10

FIERCE GALE

TOLL OF FIVE LIVES WILD SEAS ON HARBOUR SMALL CRAFT SUFFER DELAYS TO SHIPPING With four lives lost through the foundering of the scow Rangi, a fifth victim—a young yachtsmandrowned at Whangarei, several ships delayed, a large launch wrecked, a yacht badly holed, and a number of others breaking their moorings, Thursday night was one of the wildest to be experienced on Auckland harbour for many years. The storm, which drove in from the east-south-east early in the'evening, continued unabated until well into yesterday morning. The wind eased in Auckland just before mid-day, but gathered force again in the early evening, and was accompanied by squalls of heavy rain, although the weather was not nearly so rough as it was the night before. Launch Wrecked The .'soft. launch owned by Mr. I'!. T. Browne, of Narrow Neck, dragged her moorings and went on the rocks off Marine Parade, Dcvonport. at about 11 o'clock oil Thursday night. Heavy seas foiled salvage efforts, and later slit; broke up completely. At Maraetai a ]2ft. sailing boat was driven ashore and badly holed. Two launches broke away in Freeman's Bay, but were safely moored before thev could drive in among the other craft, and off the Akarana boathouse two yachts broke away and had to be towed up the harbour, while others were taken to the greater security of Mechanics' Bay. Shipping Affected Fierce rain squalls and a strong ebb tide delayed the Shaw, Savill and Albion motor-ship Taranaki for sixhours on Thursday night. She drew out from the Central Wharf at 9.15, bound for Opua. The wind caught her, and, light of draught, she was carried up the harbour, where she was anchored. She remained there until three o'clock yesterday morning, when, assisted by the tug \\ illiam C. Daldy, she was able to proceed to sea. The tug also went out to the' Rangitoto beacon to bring the pilot back to port. The Taranaki arrived at the Bay of Islands yesterday, but was unable to berth at Opua owing to the boisterous conditions. The Northern Company's steamer Taniwha left Auckland for Paeroa shortly after midnight on Thursday. She took five hours to reach Ostend and it was then decided to abandon the voyage owing to the heavy seas. She returned to Auckland at mid-dav yesterday. The Omana's departure for Warkworth and the sailing of the steamer Onewa for Ostend were both cancelled. Waterfront Work Affected Heavy rain yesterday seriously delayed the working of vessels in port. The Brisbane Maru, Tainui, Orangemoor, Waitaki and Port Waikato were all scheduled to leave yesterday for southern ports. All were postponed and some will probably have to remain here over the week-end.

The gale also delayed the Shaw, Savill and Albion steamer Waimana on her passage from Wellington to Auckland.

Battered gardens, broken shrubs and torn tree limbs, with some smashed windows in the more exposed districts, were left behind in the city and suburbs after the gale had passed, and last night they received a further drenching from heavy rain which began to fall early in the evening and continued intermittently for some time.

EFFECT ON ORCHARDS LITTLE DAMAGE RESULTS DAMPNESS CAUSES ••ROT" Fortunately for orchardists throughout the Auckland district, the gale on Thursday night came from the wrong direction to do any damage of a really serious nature to fruit crops. Blowing up as it did from the east and southeast, it had lost a great deal of its force when it readied the Henderson and Oratia districts, where many fruit growers suffered heavily during the boisterous weather between Christmas and the New Year. One man said yesterday that nothing which might be described as a gale had been felt in the Oratia district. In the vicinity of Kuineu, however, two varieties of apples, Gravenstein and Granny Smith, were dropping from the trees as a result of the gale. Even there the damage experienced was not anything like as serious as that which followed the bad weather at the holidays or the severe storm of February last year. One prominent grower said yesterday that Thursday night's storm bad done little damage of a serious nature, but the cumulative effect of the three gales in rapid succession had caused heavy losses to many orchardists.

Although a number of trees uprooted in the February storm and since replanted were torn out of the ground on Thursday night, stone-fruits were not extensively- damaged. Orelmrdists generally are of the opinion that their heaviest losses have not been caused by the g.«.les, but by the continued wet and muggy weather, which has encouraged "brown rot," and made buyers afraid to handle those fruits most subject to it. Peaches are the chief sufferers, but plums also have been affected.

Continued dull weather has prevented tomatoes from ripening and as with many other varieties of fruit they have been reaching the market in smaller quantities owing to the difficulties of picking and packing iu wet weather. Strawberries are now practically finished and consequently little damage was caused to these crops. Citrus fruit on the other hand is expected to benefit from the continued rain, the fruit requiring plenty of moisture at this time of the year.