SYDNEY STORM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9910, 27 July 1910, Page 2

SYDNEY STORM.

A* TREMENDOUS BLO W

There raged over Sydney yesterday, says tho' " Herald " of July 19, the most tremendous storm that has sw;ept along the coast since the terrible Nemesis gales of July, 1904. The gale yesterday was for a short time just about as fierce as at the height of the Nemesis storm. In each case the wind worked up until about four o'clock m the afternoon, when it was blowing forty miles an hour in the case of the Nemesis gale, and forty-five miles yesterday, with gusts reaching sixty miles an, hour and over. In each case the wind eased towards nightfall. Except for the Wonga Fell, which went out last night, the steamer Iropic, &MU tons, of the White Star line, was the only steamer which left tne poro. or Sydney vesterday, as the R.M.fe. J-U-oii-r/olia wa.s in the Nemesis storm. J. he. rain yesterday was considerably heavier than in 1004. Both heavy ram ami <*ales are' predicted again for by the Weather Bureau over the central and southern highlands. The storm was a tropical one, and its centre happened to bo particularly close to Sydney—somewhere on tne coast between Sydney and Newcastle. The result was conditions oi extraordinary violence. It was, in the opinion of the managers of the terry companies, the fiercest day ever seen on the harbour. Here are only a few of the incidents: —On© Mil son's Point steamer, with 1000 passengers, could not get into the North Short; whari, and mid to put back. Another took foity rniuutes to come alongside- The wind blew down one portion of the front siae of the ladies' baths in Lavender Lay, and a ferry steamer bumped down the other. Another steamer injured herself by butting into the gentlemen a battis. About the same time news came that another ferry steamer was bumpinn 1 the horse punt, and she had to be towed off. The steamer Manly found she could uot get round the Sow Pi<rs at noon, and list! to conic back to Sydney. The ferry boat Burra-bra m the afternoon shipped, a tremendous sea between tho Heads. It- flooded the smoking-room. The piano bro.te loose, and struck a passenger. On the W arson's Bay run the Lobelia had water entering her engine-room, and both the Watson's Bay and Manly steamers ceased running at night. The mere backwash in Watson's Bay was oreaking right over the footpath, not to speak of the beach, and the spray was coming' almost in waves over the gap. Further up the harbour the ferry skippers were by evening time steering their way precariously amongst a perfect drift oi p-ontoons and beats and debris. Punts appeared to be drifting out from Wcolloomooloo. One Admiralty buoy was bumping KimbilJi beach after having nearly been rammed by a ferry steamer. The ferries stopped calling at Crcmorne, Musgrnve Street, Kirribilli and several other wharfs. Three or four ships were dragging on to the north side, and were only just saved, and the steamship Moruya dragged, and was beached.

Along the coast the seas were tremendous. The gale was actually blowing hurricane force at South Head, and for a time the spray at times enveloped the high cliffs. .Everything seaward was obscured. Stand-off singnals were flying at Wollongong and Iviama, and at other places, to warn all shipping that it was dangerous to enter. Along the coast small craft .were sheltering, because of the rough and. squally weather conditions. The galo brought down upon tne mountains what is said to have been the heaviest snowstorm on record. No trains got over the mountains between Mount Victoria and the Zig-zag. A goods engine was snowed up. r J he- da" train from. Dubbo 3 which should have reached Sydney yesterday afternoon, did not get up the mountains. It is expected some time this morning 'Two engines were derailed between ! it li .crow and Wallerawang, where the snow was deepest. It is said that a snow plough was sent for in the morning from Penrith. The telegraph lines to the mountains are all dowil. The people at Med low and other mountain places* were snowballing. Even where there was no sno\\\ tho storm made extraordinary difficulties for the traffic, Railway officials at fonw parts of tho IJlawarra line started to light tho railway signal lamps at three in" the afternoon, and had'not managed tO' get them alight lyiul after dark. The Balmain tram wire was cut by the roof of thf/ School of Arts in I)arling Street, and so were the electric light wires.

Tompe and the low-lying parts along Cook's River wore flooded. In ports tho water was nearly a mile '.vide. The sans Souci baths,were wrecked. Parts of Sandringham and Kogarah were under water.

In Sydney a small crowd collected on tho steps of tl-o, Pest' Office to watch' the umbrellas collapsing in Martin Place. In the height of the storm umbrellas, wero going at these corners at the rate of several per uiinuto. Tho gutter was strewn with wrecks of them.

The storm brought its tale of serious accidents. Two men wero working 011 the telegraph poles in Waterloo when a stable collapsed, caught a hightension wire, and carried jfe on to the telegraph wires 011 which tho men were working. Both were killed. Many buildings wore bhnvn down, amongst them the old church on tho top of the hill at Watson's Pay. j;ear the signal station. One lady at North Sydney had an extraordinary escape fjom death—a whole •chimney tailing, with part of tho roof, on to the bed m which she was lying. She was hurt, but not dangerously. Sydney Harbour was strewn with wreckage, particularly Neutral Pay. But fortunately tho only wreck upon the cost of which news has come to hand was that of a little foiling boat, the Koinot, at Norah Head, and no lives were lost in it.