A BLIZZARD IN THE SOUTH. TRAIN SNOWED UP.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9795, 15 July 1903, Page 2

A BLIZZARD IN THE SOUTH. TRAIN SNOWED UP.

AN INCIDENT OF THE STORM. MAN DIES FROM EXPOSURE.

(Per l J ress Association.) TIMARU, this day. The evening train to l<'«urlie yesterday reached Cricklewood at 8 p.m., but could get no further on account of the snow irozen on the line. There were 12 passengers m the train (three being women). A trolly came to Timaru at 1 a.m. for assistance, and an engine was sent up, taking food and blankets for the passengers, who would arrive at 3 a.m. There was a very sharp frost here last night. ASHBURTON, this daf. A. Finlayson died last night as the result of exposure on Saturday last while ! attempting to cross the Ashburton river, which was greatly swollen, m company with his son, aged 18. The trap was capsized, and he was washed down stream, and rescued from drowning^ by his son, the father being unconscious. Young Finlayson left him among the snow on the bank of the river, and walkthree miles for assistance. Finlayson was aged 64. He never recovered from the shock and exposure, and died last night.

Monday's Christchurch Press records j ] a very cold snap which struck that city j on Saturday. From noon until 3 p.m. there was a succession of sharp stinging ! snowfalls, followed by heavy rain, and 1 on Sunday the weather was bitterly cold. ! The snowstorm played havoc with the telegraph system. Dunedin was "lost" by the local telegraph office on Saturday, and the last word through from the Otago capital was that the snow had broken about a hundred telegraph wires m the town. The snowstorm travelled up the line, breaking poles as it went, and oiie by one the stations south of Christchurch were cut off. North of Christchurch the wires also went down, and North Island messages had to bt sent via the West Coast. The express train from the South on Saturday "was three-quarters of an hour late m reaching Christ-church, having been delayed by snow on the- line. At Ashburton by 10 a.m. on Saturday there were 3 inches of snow underfoot, and m places where it had drifted it was knee-deep. There was a good deal of fun and merriment over the unusual sight, and the snowballing timt went on was accepted m good part. All street traffic had to be suspended. At 4 p.m.* the main streets were fifteen inches d<-ep m snow. The blinding snowstorm which ragad over Ashburton on Saturday morning nearly caused a railway collision. Thetrain from Christchurch arrived at Ashburton at the, usual time, 11 o'clock, simultaneously with the arrival of the train from Timaru, which came m late. The drivers could not see the signals on account of the densely falling snow, and the two trains would have crushed into each other had the sta-tionmaster not sent porters m either direction to warn the drivers. As it was the two trains were separated by only two yards when they had come to a standstill at the station. In Timaru the fall of snow was the heaviest experienced for many years, writes our correspondent. Starting at 7 o'clock on Saturday morning, snow continued to fall m exceptionally large flakes up till noon, by which time the whole place was covered m a .mantle of snow between five and six inches deep. Telegraphic communication, both north and ■south of Timaru, was suspended, the. lines being broken and twisted about so that they will require v lot of repairing. The weight of the snow on the lines quickly broke them^ and they were to be seen m every direction lying about the roads m a tangled mass. What is the more surprising, many telegraph poles were snapped oif like capotsj th& weight of snow on the lines doing this also. Telephonic communication was also destroyed, the lighter wires used for this going down before the storm as readily as chaff is blown before a gale. Business m Timaru was suspended, notwithstanding that it was market day, and very few farmers attempted to brave the elements m order to come to town. While many minor accidents occurred, one which happened close to the main street was more serious than some- others. This occurred to a carter on whose dray a -telegraph pole fell as he was driving past, the weighty timber falling within a few inches of the man's head, and the wires tangling about his ears. Fortunately, he esca,ped with a few cuts. At the same instant a second telegraph post snapped off on the opposite side of the road, and the man had some difficulty m disentangling himself, and his horse and trap, from the fallen debris. The boys, and many adults also, made a gala day of it, spending the afternoon m snowballing. This the police made some attempt to put down, but no firm measures were taken, and the practice continued merrily. Some few shop-windows were broken, and glass verandahs, the latter breaking through the weight of snow on the roofs. At Fairlie there were nearly twenty inches oi snow, arid the train from Fairlie tp Timaru was some hours late m arriving, having to plough its way through.