DAMAGING STORMS

Taranaki Daily News, 9 October 1928, Page 9

DAMAGING STORMS

HAVOC ON TASMAN COAST

CANTERBURY SUFFERS MUCH ROOFS FLY IN WELLINGTON ASHBURTON TREES FELLED By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Wellington was treated to meteorological conditions of a distinctly uncanny character to-day after a night ahowling with gusts that shook the houses and tested the fences. The day broke grey, dreai' and tempestuous as far away from blithe jocund spring as one could well imagine it to be. The cable messages reported Sydney as being under a pall of suspended dust and that its general ‘ direction was towards New Zealand. Whether this dust could travel as far as New Zealand in the time Or not has not been established, but the fact remains that between 9.30 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. the light from above hardly corresponded with that which usually prevails in grey murky weather. It was a dull, sickly yellow light, not unlike the effect gained when one looks at the world through amber-tinted glasses, and the only likely explanation for this effect offered was that it might be due to the action of the sun’s rays coming through a pall of the suspended dust referred to in the cable message. Curiously enough, as soon as rain fell the yellow tinge faded from the colour scheme.

The Maunganui ran into a stiff northerly at 3 a.m. and had heavy going thereafter to Wellington, where she arrived at 6.20, She could not be berthed owing to the gale. STEAMER DRAGS ANCHORS. •The vessel was anchored, but dragged her moorings and had to be taken to the northern end of the harbour. By 11 o’clock the wind had moderated and the vessel was safely brought to the wharf. A fierce gust of wind shortly after 9 o’clock this morning unroofed the house of Mrs. Emily Kate Alderson, 119 Moxham Avenue,- Hataitai, timber and tiles being deposited on two neighbouring houses thirty feet away. A portion of the roof broke up in the air, tiles flying in all directions. A portion of the timber and tiles were flung through the passage of the nearer house into the breakfast room. Lumps of brick and mortar from the damaged chimneys fell in all directions, and some of the tiles went flying as far as seventy feet. An eye-witness said Alderson’s roof rose as if lifted by enormous hands. The two damaged houses were those of Mrs. Birch, 121, and Mr. King, 123 Moxham Avenue. The Aldersons are shifting quickly to gave the furniture if possible from the threatening heavy rain. All the chimneys in Mrs. Birch’s house were levelled. When a'reporter left Hataitai at 12.30 another house was rapidly losing its roof, but nobody was at home. The whole occurrence was without accident, the children all being at school and few pedestrians being about. Th« wind was in the nature apparently of a tornado and the damage was confined practically to one spot. At 9.10 a.m. a gust of wind 60 miles an hour was recorded at the Kelburn observatory. DAMAGE IN SOUTH ISLAND BEAMS SNAPPED AT LYTTELTON. ASHBURTON COUNTY SUFFERS. Christchurch, Oct. 8. The force of the gale at Lyttelton yesterday was sufficient to snap heavy beams and twist iron girders at the wrecked wool s shed. In some places even the concrete foundations were torn up. Some of the remaining framework will have to be torn down before reconstruction owing io its badly twisted state. The contractors will be heavy losers. Strong north-west winds, which had prevailed in Ashburton county for the last two weeks, reached their climax bn Saturday evening, when the gale attained hurricane force, lasting until daybreak yesterday morning, says an Ashburton message. Roofs were lifted off sheds and fences were broken, considerable damage being done.

It is stated that this was the worst wind storm in the Methven and Rakaia districts for forty years.

On many county roads traffic was suspended through the routes being blocked by trees. On one stretch of half a mile in the Alford Forest district sixty broken pines were counted. Electric light and telephone wires were down, but it was stated that the Ashburton Power Board’s loss in poles was less than in the August gale. The eastern portion of the borough was without power for three hours on Saturday evening and again during the night. Damage amounting to between £4OO and £5OO was done to the grandstand at the Ashburton racecourse when the entire east end of the main stand was blown out. The main roof sheltering one line of 30 horse stalls was ripped off and the stalls were considerably knocked about. Another line of horse stalls was moved bodily. In the Stavely district the gale fanned smouldering bush fires which, spreading to half-cleared scrub, destroyed several outbuildings, though the residences were saved through strenuous efforts. In one plantation of 20,000 trees it is estimated that one-third to a half are down. Patrols are watching the Waimakariri River in expectation of a heavy flood. Heavy rain is falling at Halkett, about 20 miles from Christchurch, but in the city a fierce north-west gale is raging. Telephone lines between Darfield and Bealey are down. The Waimakariri rose eight feet above normal during the night, but this morning was falling again slightly. The flood is expected to reach its peak at midnight, when the incoming tide will back up the flood waters. Christchurch, Last Night. Christchurch city has escaped with minor damage to fences and a few trees blown down. In the country there was much more serious damage. In Springfield several chimneys were blown down and 500 trees are down in the domain. At Kowai Bush trees were uprooted and some sheds blown down, while at Coalgate trees suffered and some out-

buildings were unroofed. It is clear from reports, to hand that thousands of trees must have been blown down ail over the plains. The flood danger from the Waimakariri, about which Dr. Kidson sent a special warning, seems likely to pass, states a later message. The river has not been in very high flood and ie already falling.