GALE IN CANTERBURY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 238, 8 October 1928, Page 10

GALE IN CANTERBURY.

FALLEN TREES BLOCK ROADS. POWER LINES DOWy, RACECOURSE-STASH) DAMAGED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) ' -ASHBURTONjthis day. Strong nor'-'west wands which had prevailed: in Ashburton:; County for two weeks reached a climax on Saiurday evening in a of hurricane force, which blew until daybreak on Sunday morning. It lifted roofs off sheds and broke fences. - • _ ■■■* The windstormK is. described in th£ Methven and Rakaife districts as the worst experienced for'4o years. On many of the county roads traffic was suspended through the routes being blocked by trees. On one stretch of half a mile .in the t Alford Forest district 60 broken pines were counted. Electric light and telephone wires were blown down, but it is believed that the Power Board's loss in poles is less than it was in the August gale. The eastern portion of Ashburton Borough wais ■mthout power for three hours on Saturday evening, and again during the night. Damage amounting to between £400 a " d was done to the grandstand at the Ashburton racecourse, when the entire east end of the main stand was blown out. The main roof, sheltering 30 horse-stalls, was ripped off, and the stalls were considerably damaged. Another line or horse-stalls was moved bodily.

WOOI. STORE WRECKED.

DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT. £1000 CHRISTCHURCH, Sunday. A heavy north-west gale blew durin« the night at Lyttelton, and the force of the wind wrecked a large Wool store in course of erection for the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company. , The framework had been completed and the roof was on. The wind blew the roof off and a large part of the! framing - was also blown down. It is not easy to estimate the extent of the Ut P ro t>®My «*ceed The Waimakariri River, which had been on the verge of flooding all last week, and which actually did flood on Friday, is now in still heavier flood. Heavy rj.in has fallen over the watershed Mi • serious flood la ftuid. _