A HAILSTORM AT CHEVIOT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12564, 19 January 1903, Page 11 (Supplement)

A HAILSTORM AT CHEVIOT.

■ CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE DONE. CHRISTOHUItCH', January 12. After a period of peaceful calm Cheviot is again afflicted, this time with a hailstorm, which dovasted the district on Saturday evening. For destructive force probably nothing like it has been seen in Canterbury. The hailstones were, many of them, tho size of small hens' oggs, and after the storm the hills around the M'Kenzie township had all the appearaute of being covered with a coat of snow. Tho stones easily measured one and threequarto inches on the rule. In tho track of the storm scarcely a window has boon left unbroken on tho south-west side of all buildings, and corrugated iron roofing has been dented in all directions and in many cases perforated. On Mr Savage's cowshed roof 20 holes may be counted in one sheet of iron. Fortunately the storm did not cover a large proportion of the settlement, but the area devastated is quite large enough to be a very serious thing to a largo number of settlers. The storm passed from south-west to north-eaet, and first commenced to be destructive in the Domett Valley, where oat and hay crops havo been flattened to tho ground, as if a mob ,o£ sheep had been driven over them. Mr Parkinson had a flno crop of oats utterly destroyed, and Mr G. Crainpton has been similarly treated on tho Domett Saddle JTrom here the storm took in most of the Jed and Crystal Brook Valleys, and all crops hero have been more or leas damaged, Messrs Fitzsimmons, Reiman, Scarr, Bruce, Vaughnu, and M'Dowell being some of the heaviest losers. In many cases the settlers havo decided to cut tho crops, both wheat and oats, straight away for chaff, aa it is impossible to deal with it in any other way. The Domain.Board's plantations present a curious sight, as the ground lifts been strewn with small branches and fir-tips, and the trees have a dilapidated and wintry look about them. Tho Government woolshed has all its skylights broken, and the streets of M'Kenzie. on the south-west sido are strewn with glass from the broken windows. The township and surrounding buildings have a most rakish appearance, and sacks havo been nailed up over windows pending repairs. All the glaziers in the- settlement are working at high pressure, and a temporary glass fitmine ie threatened. Several narrow escapes from accidents occurred to people driving vehicles, and persons were stmck down by the hailstones, but managed to find shelter. The roof of a building at Domett was blown off by the wind. The storm passed off over the. Steward range of hills, leaving the Huronui and Waiau Flats and the Leamington districts unharmed.

OHRISTOHimOH, January 12. The hailstorm at Cheviot was surprisingly local, but vory disnstvoua to some of the crops. One field of 200 acres of oat?, estimated to yield SO bushels to the acre, was absolutely ruined, mid other fine crops in the track of the storm devastated. A beautiful orchard was absolutely stripped of fruit, and trees denuded of branches. A roueh estimate of tho damage to the gram crop? places' it at £3000. A few of the turnip and rape crops were badly knocked about.