The Weather.

Temuka Leader, Issue 3472, 29 July 1899, Page 3

The Weather.

A warm nor’-wester blew at Geraldine ou Thursday night and Friday, and the snow is now fast disappearing from the most exposed spots. By mid-day the Geraldine downs had lost their white covering, but on the flat and the shaded sides of the streets the snow was still lying. If the nor’-wester continues it will most likely bring the rivers down in flood. Owing to the frost a horse, valued at .£2B fell at Eangiora, and had to be destroyed ou account of its injuries. The contractors for the mails from Eanfurly, on the Otago Central, report that the goldfields roads are almost impassable for snow. The train was snowed up some hours above Hyde. The Chief Postmaster at Dunedin wired as follows to the Secretary of the Postal Department on Wednesday afternoon — “ Otago Central train stuck up beyond Hyde. The railway traffic manager advises mo that they do not expect to reach Eanfurly till Thursday morning. The roads and railway line are impassable. The thermometer at Middlemaroh is reported to have been 11 degs. below freezing point last night.” The down train ran off the lino near Hyde on Wednesday in a deep, narrow cutting, where only a limited number of men can work while the sun shines, which is not more than a couple of hours a day. This made the clearing of the line very slow. Several men had to bo canned out of tho cutting, rendered helpless by the frost. The frost registered ou Wednesday morning 27deg below freezing point. It was intensely cold. A thaw having set in during Wednesday night it was possible to clear away the block on the Otago Central line, and on Thursday afternoon tho train ran through to Eanfurly, - Mr James Huy states that' ho hung his Fahrenheit thermometer—a good instrument —in a verandah of his house at Kakahu ou Tuesday night aud it ran down to 8 degrees—2l degrees of frost.

Tho North Otago Times reports that tho passengers bv the Kurow train on Monday night had a dismal experience. Owing to the snow, and tho wator in tho tanks being frozen along the line, tho train made slow progress, but after Boron’s was readied the culminating trouble began. The passengers, wo understand, walked from that place to Duutroou to warm themselves, and the engine struggled along with its trucks and carriages, it was 1 a.m. when the train reached Kurow, or a nine hours’ journey to cover 40 miles.' A Nelson telegram reports that very severe frosts have been experienced this week. The thermometer showed 10 degrees below freezing on Tuesday night, and on Wednesday night from 21 to 27—the severest for several years, A largo number of water-taps were burst. Information has been received that Mr Mr Peter Bell, a publican at Long Gully, Wakatipu, was found on the Skipper’s Saddle perishing from cold and badly frostbitten. lie succumbed to the effects of exposure to the weather He was 70 years of age. He had attempted to cross the saddle and became exhausted.