THE CANTERBURY GALE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume L, Issue 16320, 2 January 1924, Page 4

THE CANTERBURY GALE.

"WORSff FO'R. MANY YEARS." TREES AND FENCES DOWN. j CHIMNEY TOPS DISLODGED. - .■•SUM]-; NARROW ESCAPES. The' terrific, "nor-wesler" gale which swept Cliristchurch and the country districts last week.' was the worst that has occurred for many years in point of actual velocity, and the trail of damage left ui its wake. In the city and all the county districts it was the general experience to have loose roofing iron dislodged, trees uprooted and broken, stacks and stooks scattered about, fences levelled, and poles razed to the ground. Great damage was done in gardens and orchards, j ami small boats strained and broke their moorings.

The summer houses at the bowling and croquet greens at Sumner were overturned and trees and fences in the district were blown down. A huge tree, 100 ft. high, fell, and crashed on to the Waimakariri road, Harewood, breaking down electric and telephone lines. Several sheets of roofing iron were thrown from the roof of the remains of the Railway hotel in Manchester street.

They fell to the ground, narrowly miss ing passengers from a train. Many of the yachts and motor boat

moored at West Lyttelton dragged their moorings. The yacht Linnet. Canterbury's representative in the coming Sanders Cup contest, was lifted completely out of the water and turned turtle by the gale. The ketch Deyerbn dragged her moorings' and would have been sevcrely bnmped against the overseas steamer Hurunui. had it not been for the wind easing oft 1 at the right time. Railway trucks on the waterfront were

pushed along various wharves. A boy

who was undressing among the logs af j Dampier's Bay, was carried several feet by a whirlwind before he could regain r; footing. Mrs. H. Derbridge. of Voelas road. Lyttelton, had a* miraculous escape from Ei serious injury. She was walking to the meat safe in the yard when a heavy chimney top crashed clown at her feet, missing her head by only' a. few inches. About the same, time the whole chimney of an adjoining house, owned by Mr. .f. R. Webb, collapsed, but luckily no one was hurt. The same gust of wind lifted a greengage plum tree completely out by the roots in Mr. Webb's garden. Threw large pinus insign'is trees in the domain at Corsair Ray were uprooted. Considerable damage was done to the :

fruit crops as the result of the wind bringing down unripe fruit and doing damage to trees. Apples and pears hav-> suffered particularly, but stone fruits, such as plums, peaches, and nectarines, have escaped much more lightly. Pears, which swing loosely, are particularly susceptible to damage by heavy winds, and many people, who, before the gale, had promising crops, are nowlamenting the wreckage that has been caused. 'Apples have suffered in much the same way, the windfalls having been particularly great. The walnut trees alsn •uttered severely, and. ripening walnuts 'ere blown down in thousands.