THE WEATHER

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6487, 16 May 1899, Page 2

THE WEATHER

The steamers Corinna, Taupo and, Te Anau arrived in Port yesterday, and each reported having met with, bad, weather outside. The Taupo and Te Anau came from the ' south, and did not sustain any damage. The Taupo, which called at Tima.ru and Akaroa, met very heavy weather at the former port, and took on board large quantities of water; Tin 1 Corinna, from Westport, had a very severe time. She sailed from W est P orfc at H P- mon Friday, and experienced fairly good weather to the Brothers, but here she met a southerly gale, and throughout Saturday | night and during Sunday morning the [ wind blew with hurricane force. The vessel was heavily laden, and had a deck cargo of timber. She was put under easy steam, and remained so for thirty-six hours". Hei deck was flooded the whole time, some ol the heavier seas sending tnick spray completely over her funnel, Avhich bore the signs upon arrival. When off Cape Campbell the gale was at its worst, and the steamer plunged heavily into the high seas The ventilators on the alter deck, the wheel box, the meat safe and deck seats were smashed, while all the movable geai was washed completely away, and the saloon was flooded. It would have beer unsafe to have attempted to turn back witl a heavy deck load, but after getting a& far south as the Kaikouras the gale abated. The weather cleared somewhat at Lyttelton yesterday. The wind moderated considerably, but rain fell at frequent intervals throughout the day. It is 'reported from Governor's Bay that a very large landslip has occurred on the road, close to the spot where the Dyer's Pass Road joins the main -road. The! slip extends foi fully two chains across the road, which was quite impassable yesterday. Men were ai once employed by the Port Victoria Roac Board to clear the obstruction/ > The weather in South Canterbury yester day was beautifully fine, but the wind-wa still southerly. The ranges received i heavy coat of snow during the storm. A good deal of damage was done a Timaru by the gale on Sunday. The lanten of the leading light at the entrance was carried away. It 'was thirty-three feei above the water, and the spray often rose twice that height. The crane track on the breakwater was a good deal damaged, rails being torn up and sleepers dislodged froir • their beds in the concrete, and some newlj made thirty-ton blocks of concrete exposec to the surf suffered. A large heap o: shingle was tumbled over the breakwater a 1 the end, where Mr Maxwell advised thai it should be allowed to go over. One of Uv most striking evidences of the force of th< waves was furnished' by the lifting of i thirty-ton block of concrete from a she! on the outer edge of the breakwater on t< the breakwater, a, step of two feet and i half, from a level shelf on which it offeree no projecting edge on its lower side foi the water to seize upon. Such a thing has never occurred before, and . would nol be believed but that the block is to be seen on the lee side of the mole. Nc damage was done to the shipping in, port, wMch lay quite comfortably swinging ai the buoys.