A WILD NIGHT.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XLIX, Issue 150, 10 September 1928, Page 2

A WILD NIGHT.

STORM OF HURRICANE FORCE. WIDESPREAD DAMAGE. TO TELEPHONE AND POWER LINES. On Friday night Waipawa and tlxwhole of the Central Hawke’s Buv district experienced one of the wild est nights within the memory of the oldest settlers. The storm had been gradually working up throughout the day, and in the evening the wind com. menced to blow with hurricane force. The first intimation of the effects of the gale was the severance of power communication with Mangahao. The first break occurred shortly alter eight o’clock, and from then on there were “purple patches” until about 11 o’clock, when the light failed de finitely. Morning disclosed the effects of the storm. Shaky and insecure fences had been levelled in all directions, and the greater part uf the roof of Mr J. Winlove’s shop in High street had been lifted bodily off and distri buted in sections along the road wav. No time was lost on Saturday in nmk ing good the damage. A large pine tree at the rear of Mr E. E. Bott’s residence on Windsor Hill was brought down, burying his fowl-house. Mrs H. M. Rathhone’s plantation near the wool-shed suffered severely, striking the full force of the gale as it swept over the golf links, and a great number of stately pines were literally torn up hv the roots. It would seem that the plantation on Rabbit Hill, a prominent landmark observable for many miles around, was right in the track of the hurricane, as it ploughed a way right through the centre of the trees. Similar devastation occurred in the many plantations along the Waipiiwa Waipukurau road, and the telegraph and telephone wires were tangled into seemingly inextricable confusion. The County telephone system suffered greatly, and although the lines-

man and his staff were busily employed all day on Saturday many subscribers were still cut off from the outside world.

Several power line posts succumbed to the fury of the gale at Pukehou. and there was considerable dislocation in the Tikokino district. Thanks to the energies of the Power Board staff current was available over the greater part of the district by noon on Saturday, hut Tikokino was still in darkness on Saturday night.