ITEMS OF NEWS FROM ASHBURTON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18959, 4 January 1930, Page 6

ITEMS OF NEWS FROM ASHBURTON.

Bruised and bleeding from rough climbing, wet through from falling in a creek, and in a fatigued condition. Miss Ruby Bauglien. of Allenton, Ashburton. was found by a search party on Mount Peel. She had been wandering for several hours in an endeavour to find her way back to where she had started from. Miss Baughen, with a partv of friends and relatives visited Peel Forest on New Year’s Day. After lunch she went for a ramble through the bush by herself. Leaving the track after climbing several ridges she lost her way and had a very trying experience. As Miss Baughan had not returned by tea time, as the weather had become threatening, it was decided by the members of Miss Baughen’s party to institute a search. Miss Baughen in despair and owing to the approaching darkness had decided to follow the course of a creek and while doing this she was discovered by the searchers. After a good night’s rest she was little the worse for her experience. THE WEATHER. Bright warm conditions were again experienced yesterday the heat being tempered during the morning by a cool breeze. By midday, however, the wind changed to the north-west and conditions were close. The barometer at 9.30 o’clock in the morning showed a drop of 20 points on the previous day. The extreme temperatures on Thursday were 70.5 and 48 degrees, as against 61.1 and 39.2 on Wednesday. The weather during December was marked by unsettled conditions. Pleasant weather was inter- > spersed with showers of heavy rain - practically throughout the month. Rain fell on sixteen occasions, the maximum fall being IIS points on the 23rd. The total for the month was 3.50 inches. The highest maximum was SG.G degrees on the 12th, and the lowest 52. G on the 23rd. The minimum temperature ranged from 30 degrees on the 19th to 55.3 on the 26th. STAVELEY. For the fifth year in succession rain marred the Christmas and New Year holidays, and picnics had to be abandoned. At the present time the remaining two and one half miles of thcSpringburn branch line are being relaid with heavier lines and new sleep ers, and when completed the whole line will have been relaid within recent years. Traffic has been light on the greater part of the line in recent times. December was the wettest month during last year. Rain was recorded cn twenty-one days and the total for the month reached the high figures of 8.04 inches. Even so the rainfall was not so high as that recorded in December. 1829. when 9.19 inches, which is a high lex’el for any month at Staveley, fell. The rainfall for 1929 again reaches high figures, 48.75 inches being recorded. but 1928 was higher still- with 49.6 S inches. The average yearly rainfall at Staveley for the last six years has been 45 inches. The monthly figures for last year, with the corresponding records for 192 S in parentheses, are as follow:—January. 366 points (244) ; Feb-1 ruarv. 35 (327) ; March. 404 (527) ; April, 360 (455); May, 132 (380); Tune, 542

(242); July, 793 (96); August. 566 (524): September, 362 (134); October, 163 (752) : November. 318 (310) ; December, SOI (919).