NELSON.

Otago Witness, Issue 846, 15 February 1868, Page 6

NELSON.

In Nelson, on the 3rd, there was a heavy thunder and hail- storm, and fruitgrowers and others .=eem to have suffered considerable loss. The Colonist of the 4th reports : — We have had a severe storm, with heavy rain and hail of surprising force and dimensions, and strong gales of wind. The storm began on Sunday night ; and all night long there were strong gusts of wind blowing with great force from opposite points of the compass within a few minutes. The damage clone by the »vind has been heavy to fruit trees, which have lost much of their fruifc ; while the hail that fell this morning, of unexampled size, must have done further damage. During Monday morning, a portion of Mr Campbell's mill was blown in, a house was partly stripped of its roof in Trafalgar street south, another bnilding in process of erection in Waimea road was blown down, and trees have been broken in many places. All through Monday

Lnag^t*^dv^e6.day c -^^3^^-thfite^wa«.) string /^d, f a.nd.,a. |,£Muance of jVery, vivid Kgtjmwig, accoppaniea tiyjloud pealp ofjilP»naer,which i 'are* still occurring aj; rarer ,nitervauij as V© wrrtej, about ,no(>n.. This morning, ~about. ten, q'clock, one of the .severest storm&.of liail we ever experienced occurred, The hailstones were like , large marbles with, projecting .spikes, and measured, in many cases, an inch and a quarter long by three-fourths of an inch in diameter at the round., They were perfect crystals, and were, no ,doubt, the product of high electrical action. In some they .presented the appearance of rectangular masses of. ice. They must have caused great injury to gardens, and much loss to many who depend partly on their fruit for their livelihood.

. A -few minutes after ten o'clock this morning, and just after the heavy shower recorded above, the rare and remarkable phenomenon of a waterspout was witnessed by a number of spectators. The waterspout began to form off the Boulder Bank, some short distance out from the Lighthouse. Travelling with great rapidity, it grew into a long spiral pillar, which orossed the Boulder Bank, and in doing so lifted large stones, which it whirled up to a height of 60 or 60 feet. It then passed Fifeshire Island, and struck against the high cliff near to Colonel Richmond's, where it was broken, and the remaining part of the cloud went up towards Richmond. In its passage, birds that were in the neighborhood of the vortex were seen to be seized and thrown up in the air with force and rapidity.' Fortunately, no damage was done by this beautiful biit not pleasant visitor.