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Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 11884, 21 January 1914, Page 3

With reference to the severe dust storm at Broken Hill on Thursday, December 4th, a lady connected with the theatrical business, writing to her relatives in Ohristchurch (says the Press), thus describes the astonishing spectacle and her experiences:—"The excitement up at this dreadful place! We have had a most terrific dust storm. We were in the sitting room; it was about 114 deg. in the shade, and we were nearly dead with the heat, when all of a sudden someone said, 'Look!' and away in the distance we saw a huge wall of dust gradually coming nearer, and as it came it changed into different colours, browns, pinks, purples, and blues. Someone suggested going up iv the tower to get a better view. The streets were thronged with people 'ill watching the wonderful sight. We reached the tower, and at last we were enveloped in the dreadful dust; everything was pitch black. Three of u-i were loft in the tower, and it was awful. You couldn't sec your baud in front of you, and through the tiny windows there was a rod glare like burning fire. It was a dreadful experience. It was blacker even than night, and at last we groped our way about and found the stairs and helped one another down. The people below were awfully anxious for us, but, however, we got over all right. The darkness was absolutely intense, and kept so for 16 minutes." A !»;irt.!cularly mean theft was perpetrated in St. Albans (Ohristchurch). A little girl was sent to a store with a sixpenny piece clutched in her chubby fist. On the way a man jumped off his bicycle and said, "Come here, little girl, and hold my bike while I pump it up." During this operation the man found out where, the little girl was going, and what she had in her hand. Thereupon he took the sixpence, gave the child two half-pennies and cycled away, leaving the unsuspecting youngster, to think that she had effected rather a good exchange.