THE STORM AT WINCHMORE.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12424, 14 December 1908, Page 3

THE STORM AT WINCHMORE.

FULLER DETAILS. (Special to ''The Colonist: ") - Cnrigtcaurch, Dec. 12. , The visitation at Winobmore, telegraphd the "Lyttelton Times'" cor respondent, has Ueen a most remarkable one. Shortly, before mid-day the attention of tbe residpnts of tbe district for a number of miles round the old Winchmore homestead was directed to what appeared in the distance to be a monster whirlwind, or,a waterspout, wbiuh was travelling rapidly down the north branch of tne Asbourton river, in a northeasterly direction. Several terrific claps of thunder preceded by lightning that was unusually vivid oj-* curred, add a few minutes after this, hail as' large as ducks' eggs, began to fall over a strip of country, probably a mile and a half in width. The cyclone, for such it must be termed, . had dow reached Winchmore, and stpw staoks, truce, vegetation, and (Juildings that lay in its track, which wag about threequarters of a mile in width, were blown over, and in many _cases bodily removed in all conceivable. directions. Au implement sued, belonging to Mr Tbomas Addie, measuring .18 by 50 feat, that was attached to a large stabl«s was wrenched from the main building, and the force of tbe wiud literally rentit ia fragoi9:iti. The galvanised iron roof was twisted into all sorts of shapes, and the sheets with the woodwork were scattered over paddocks within a radius of 60 cl'Eins. Mr Addis had also the panes of six large windows on the west side of bis dwelling bouse completely smashed io; A double cbimnny was blown over, and the iron on the stablfs and other buildings was /more or less twisted and'damaged: of damage 'to growing crops,. Mr . Addis estimates his loss at about.£so. An adjoining neighbour^ Mr Alfred Uurtis. farad- even worse. Mr Curtisi' residence,' wbieb is about ten chains distant from Mr Addis', appeared to •Have come' in the direct path of the cyolone. Tbe ronfs of sheds, 30 by 16 and 15 by 12 feet respectively, and a wash-house, 12 by 12 feb|b,were lifted bodily up and curried to a greats distance. The proken wreckage of woodwork and iron was scattered promiscuously over several .adjoining paddocks.. A double chimney, in the dwelling bouse was blown bodily over, and all tbe. Windows on tbe north-west side were smashed to atoms, while a horse that was 'blown 'forcibly agaibst.a barbed wire fence was ;badJy ripped. ' Apart from the damage to -crops*. Mr Curtis' los 3 will exceed £«0. Several farmers through whose property the cyclone travelled, state that their crops have been damaged to' the' ex< '-ten lr of about SO per cent. The beads .of corn have been .in mBD' cases cut completely", off, while the hailstones tiave a'so beea responsible for ■bfeakihg' down a. largo proportion 'of the stftlks. It is difficult to state at present anything like the full exent of the damage caused, for what distance the cyclone ttavelled, but from observations mad<i it is safe to i assume that the storm, .which lasted J about a quarter of an Jiour, spent its greater force on the farms of ■thosa mentioned. ; - : - A most peculiar atmospheric disturbance was -witnessed at DnrMd about 12.30 p.m. yesterday, ruports -„' tbe correspondent of the "Press." Heavy: stoim cloudj fr m the south west were bornß ; over. tbe' district, : and. opming -in contact with <a. north-"-west breeze'" "of greatbr force were whirled off 'id tbe'so'uth-tias';; When about over -DnusaDde'i, . or Soufehbridge,theTnass of clouds appoared to be struck by' an' opposing breeze, and a battle royal ensued for masv tery of the position. Flashes of lightriinEf darted here and there, and ■ the heavy, mass of clouds, commenced to boil y and oburn as though caught in" a veritable maelstrom. From tbe centre of the dark mass there emerged a long vapoury shaft, evidently a waterspout, lighter in oolo'ir than the main body, « hich quiokly extended to the earth. Thp whole mass now advancing, now rolling, now lashed into fury _by some unseen foe, ever changing, and assuming most fantastic shapes, presented a most weird appearanoe. As the waterspout was fading away the dark mass of vapou r which was feeding it became suddenly agitated, and from the centre there emerged a thin spiral column of lighter vapour, reseinWipg- a hago snake, which appeared to wriggle in amost sinuous 'manner down the centre of the waterspout, ana gradually laded fiom view. : .