WEEK-END GALE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25055, 20 November 1944, Page 4

WEEK-END GALE

[ POWER INTERRUPTIONS DAMAGE IN SUBURBS FENCES, TREES, CHIMNEYS A strong westerly gale, reaching a velocity of 72 miles an hour during the afternoon, swept Auckland on Saturday. Several complete power failures and many disruptions of local electricity services were caused by the storm, which lasted for about 24 hours. The trouble staff of the Auckland ElectricPower Bonrd started early on Saturday morning and worked through until after eight o'clock last night without sleep to repair the breakages. Minor • damage to houses and buildings was widespread, and many large trees were uprooted. The high wind was accompanied by driving rain in the afternoon and night. The gale started from the north-west during the early hours of Saturday morning, but later took on a more westerly character. It was dry and dusty until four in the afternoon, when rain squalls started. In the 24 hours to nine o'clock yesterday morning .55in of rain was recorded. Lightning accompanied the storm. Three, Main Troubles "Our three main troubles were lightning blowing transformer fuses in most districts, wind pressure breaking service lines, and falling trees cutting lines," said the general manager of the Auckland Electric-Power Board, Mr R. H. Bartley, last night. In the main feeders alone there were about 30 breakages, and there were possibly more than 140 cases of service wires breaking. The majority of these were due to the proximity of tree branches. The trouble went'right through to the Waikato district, and there were a number of power failures due to surges on the main transmission lines from Arapuni. Although all services had been» restored last evening, there was a good deal of permanent repair work to be done, said Mr Bartley. Westerly and southerly suburbs had suffered most. The Waitemata Electric-Power Board had no high-tension line failures, although there was a crop of broken service lines. There were failures in the afternoon and evening, when the supply from Arapuni was interrupted. Radio services were affected during the storm by power failures. Although there were troubles, the telephone and telegraph services fared fairly well. Small Yacht Damaged Surprisingly little damage was caused to small craft moored on the harbour. Mr C. Vincent's 22ft mullet boat Rewa, which came ashore on the Westliaven breakwater after drifting from Tibbs' Beach, Heme Bay, on Saturday morning, was the only craft reported to be damaged extensively. The yacht was beached at Westliaven on Saturday evening. Parts of the roofs of two dormitories at the proposed home for blinded servicemen on the exposed side of One Tree Hill were ripped off by the wind. One of the many trees which suffered in the storm was a 60ft macrocarpa in St. Andrew's Road, Mount Roskill, which was uprooted and left a crater 4ft deep and 12ft wide. Fortunately the tree was not close to residences. Fences, trees and chimneys were blown down in exposed parts of the suburbs, and gardens were damaged, but it was remarked generally that there had been surprisingly little 'damage considering the fierceness of the storm. Fresh south-westerly winds prevailed yesterday, and there was rain in the morning, the figure for the 24 hours ended at midnight being ,04in. For the most part the day was overcast and cooler than previous days. The maximum temperature over the week-end was 65 degrees and the minimum 55 degrees.