GALE-SWEPT BRITAIN

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16484, 31 October 1927, Page 8

GALE-SWEPT BRITAIN

DISTRESSED SHIPPING CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE (British Official Wireless.) Ibv. 2 |>. lll . LONDON, OcL 30. A heavy ga 1c swept tin- British Isles Ins i nielli, ih,. win,! maintaining an average velocity of nearly 60 miles an hour, and 78 miles an hour was registered at Valentin, Ireland. Vessels round the coast, particularly in the south-west, and the Irish Channel. experienced violent seas, hut few casualties occurred. The destroyer Rowenn, with a naval lug, went to the assistances of the Spanish tanker Armis, 4185 tons, whose steering gear broke west of Portland Bi!!„ and which was in danger of drifting on Lite rocks in the west of the bay. Site was brought to a safe position, the naval craft standing by and afterwards towing her into Weymouth. Me: spy ports suffered, severely from the gale, and a steam barge broke her moorings and crashed against the dock wall and sunk, drowning the mate. j Inland, much minor damage was done. In London a 100-ton crane employed on a new building crashed, and til Bradford a 180 ft,. mill chimney, was blown down, 1 lie 200 employees working in the building escaping injury. Kurt her messages, delayed through the wires being blown down, emphasise the fierce nature of the gale. At Blackpool, four water cooling towers 250 ft. high were torn down at a power station. The adjoining area was Hooded and the town deprived of electric current for several hours. .From all pints of the const heavy seas and damage, to piers and shipping are reported.