TORNADO DESTROYS FARM COTTAGE NEAR TURAKINA

Wanganui Chronicle, 14 April 1949, Page 4

TORNADO DESTROYS FARM COTTAGE NEAR TURAKINA

A tornado travelling on a narrow path almost completely destroyed a three-roomed farm cottage on the proper.,v of Mr W. J. Glasgow, near Tnrakina* late ou Tuesday night. Portions of the building were found yesterday morning a mile and a-half away. Sheet iron from the roof and other flying debris severed telegraph and telephone lines running parallel with the main south highway and temporarily d.srapted communications between Wellington and Wanganui. The cottage was unoccupied at th#» time and most of the household effects had been removed. The cottage stood in an exposed position at the top of the Turakina Hill and just off the main road. Till three weeks ago it was occupied by Mr W. Hape, a Maori farm worker with a wife and two children. The family left to live on the farm of Mr J. A. Harris. Turakina Valley, and had removed the bulk of their possessions. Clothing, bed linen and certain foodstuffs remained in the cottage, which last week-end was occupied by Mr Hape’s brother. Tuesday night was boisterous with a high westerly wind and much lightning. The tornado struck the house late at night and the only portion still standing yesterday morning was the washhouse. Two rooms were totally destroyed, only the floorboards remaining. One wall of the third room had collapsed over a bed. When Mr Harris and Mr Hape went out yesterday to salvage what they could of the contents they found bed linen and clothes hanging in the branches of trees in a gully a mile away. Debris from the cottage was strewn over a wide area. Mr Harris said last night that he believed that the damage was due to a combination of phenomena. The possibility of lightning or a thunderbolt could not be overlooked. The passage of a tornado, travelling in a restricted area, however, was indicated by gorse bushes across a gully torn up by the roots. In a gully, three-quarters of a mile from the cottage and on the other side of the highway, a large rata tree was badly smashed. The damage could have been caused by lightning or wind of terrific force. The staff of the telegraph engineer’s branch in Wanganui began the task of restoring communications early yesterday morning, and by daylight a large gang of men was on the job. Because there was very slight traffic on the lines at that early hour the public met with little inconvenience, calls being diverted to other routes. Later in the morning, when traflie increased, there was a delay on toll calls because of the restricted number of lines available, but as repair work progressed the delays lessened and by noon traffic was back to norjnal.