WIND, SNOW, AND RAIN.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16253, 2 July 1918, Page 7

WIND, SNOW, AND RAIN.

It is many years since more typically rinfcry weather has been experienced n Canterbury than has marked the iast few days, and culminated on Sunlay and yesterday in conditions that iearlv approximated to the Antarctic n their intensity. The somewha' nild weather that marked the earli wrt of last month probably misiec nany into the belief that the wintei »ould be brief and not too strenuous rhese hopes, however, began to 'lis ippear when about eight or ten dayi jgQ r ain became a rather frequenl xxsurrence. Sunday's and yesterday'.jlinatic conditions, to a certain ex tent, caught many people napping anc iaprepared for the somewhat violeni transition between the moderately yarxn rains experienced towards the mi of June and tho Antarctic condi kions that prevailed yesterday. Yesterday morning broke with dull leaden skies and with rain falling, bui the temperature did not appear to be veij low. Indications that the gale „n Sunday had been of unusual for-jc nrcfre soon forced upon everyone. 11 became known before noon that thcc pas serious trouble with the Lake Coleridge hydro-electrical installation uotl the north and south transmission line: Lgjjjnr down. Fortunatelv the arrangement between tho Public Works De partment and the Tramway Board tinder which the Board places its stand bv plant at the disposal of the Depart rrent, saved the city from being lefi altogether -without electrical power anc heat. The stand-by plant wis not however, sufficient to supply the ful amount of current that, in normal con ditions, is supplied bv the Lake Cole ridge installation, and the consequent Was that a number of important indus tries which depend on Lake Coleridge for their supplv of power, had eithei to auupend operations or carry then on in a modified way. One result o the temnorary failure of the lake sup ply was'that by foUT o'clock in tin afternoon people in shops and offices where the lighting system depended ci the Lake Coleridgo installation, wer< not able to carry on work. Anothei resujt was that the continuous cinemr theatres had to shut down till 6 p..m when there was a restoration of the supply. Another indication of the havoc Wrought by the storm was the absencc of telegraphic news, especially of «vai newß. So accustomed have people bo come to the regular supply of xh< latest information from the front anc 80 keen are the majority of folk fo: the latest news, that the telegraphic interruption was, in a way, a greate; deprivation than the failure of the sup ply of electricity. That the fall o; snow in the country districts was exceptionally heaw is evidenced by the fact that many wooden telegraph polei Euccumbod to the weight of the snovi op tfce wires while, in the case o Mies iinade out 1 of old Railway metal the weight of the snow wits sufficieni to hend . them. Shortly before,? p.m. the tempera ture became distinctly colder, and the atmosphere murkier. Those experienced in weather lore predifcted snow, and won it began to fall in fairly hcavj flakes. The fall continued for aboul tiw'o hours, but, except in very shaded places, the snow did nqt lie long, bui turned into slush, i Tho streets anc pavements were extremely unepmfortible'jjnder foot, And, as a result, the hrama. were crowded with passengers. Is the afternoon wore on rain took the 'J>!spe-0f the snow, and continued all the evening. Ttough climatic conditions in -the evening were not enticing, the Tarfot]B places of amusement were fairlj pell'patronised, but tho streets woro a Hroerted jmd cheerless appearance, '3hortly after eight o'clock there was i partial failure of the electric light, bill Mb interruption was of comparatively ,Mort duration, and later *in the even- : lflg njatters connected with the Lake Coleridge supply appeared to have sottied down to normal conditions. r since 1909 has there %epn such « JijMvy fall of snow in the South Island ! when there were "considerable tosses oi sheep in South Canterbury and Otago, to that thore were still more ASCTere snowstorms in 1893, 1895, anc 1903, all of which were disastrous tc v 'uioep owners in the. back country. Or . July Uth, 1895, there .were fivo inches ipjf snow in Christchurch, and there has :f not since been a heavier fall in the city ' Until the weather jt is impossible J,:'to say to what extent tho toll flocks suffer, but there are hound to bi ■ l° sse8 > as it was reported yestorthat there was from twelve inches :V to eighteen inches at the foot of the ? ; ranges in the Ashburton, Springfield, vwd Oxford districts. The difficulty ;K tnck country uock owners will be »?ced with is the shortage of experi-i-(f:j®oed men to handle sheep in snow. -~ yfW.SPQTT will test the ability of crossbred Sheep to stand a severe storm, as . as merinos. • Since the last hoavy • - fty pf snow there has been a consider'jjMcteasß of crossbred sheep in the JS eeintry, both in Canterbury and . 'lltago. Fortunately, the lambing has really started yet, only a few ode : ,y ente haying, SO far, made their appearf l ® pt"?docks. :: increase of insect pests and have been attributed, rightly 6Uc cession of mild v.- *®ters we have had for some years past, and a severe change such as is J: .- ?°* 9?™6 experienced may, therefore, beneficial effects. The change dry, frosty conditions, sot in proon I'riday, Juno 21st. Up ' {?,t | hat date there had only been .GS fam during the first three •V.. TP®" w the month, and although il j* 8 rained, more or less, almost ©very ' nT'. total fall for June was SfoSW inches. On June 27th there I - US? a fairl y heavy fall of snow on the HN Sflges, and it, was also reported al " a T- Waikari, but did noi the plains until Sunday, wher a - & threb inches reportand two inches at Yesterday reports that front different, parts 0 f showed that conditions mnch , wo "e than the dav before, If? along the plains tJu, foot hills to a depth d inches, gradually thinning :; ' s?® on the plains. The lieavv fil f tv I l i - I l indicates that con J n the togh country must be ™2 nS ' ♦ rhe came from thi generally meani ' S lttl"Storm r fr m North Ctanterbnry than from the south. Yesterday S + 0n the ,ow ground ?v. IDB W6re late in nrriv Tn WL. sno -' <?n the snow IwSnw P aß3 ' « nd the ""here it was stil the morning train left

WILD WEATHER IN CANTERBURY. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION INTERRUPTED. LAKE COLERIDGE POWER FAILS

'' ±1 messages for the North lodccd ( at the Christchurch Telegraph Office . yesterday were mailed to Wellington - Ja ®f evening for transmission. 5 bpeaktng to a representative of "The 1 InTA- 7 es l) ter i da y afternoon, the Act- ' fy't Postmaster, Mr J. Rule. I stated that only two stoppages of mail ■ „ e 7 lc .° had come under his notice. Tho . Kakaia-Mcthven service, via Hitrh--5 i in a , horsed vehicle is em- . ployed, was unablo to operate on ac- ' nfc „ of s " ow > a . n d the te Bon's Bay . motor mail service was held up be--IE, ? state of th ® hil l ro *dH. ; However, he expected to hear of ' vices! 111 Conncxion with other sercaused ° f * he electrio light caused little inconvenience, but once or tStovSZ ™ "e ELECTRIC CURRENT FAILS. 5 "" MANY INDUSTRIES AFFECTED. Tho storm was productive of very serious results so far as tho electrical services were concerned, bringing about an isolation of Christchurch from the western and northern part of the South Island, and the whole of the North Island as regards telegraphic communication. A complete breakdown in the Lake Coleridge supply was experienced. Industrial plants operated by electricity were at a standstill during the day, and offices had to be lighted by candles. Mr G. F. Ferguson, superintendent, Addingtom sub-station, stated that owing to the heavy fall of snow on the Lake Coleridge section, the south transmission lino broke down at 3.5 on Sunday afternoon. An emergency party was immediately dispatched from the lake, but owing to the depth of the snow experienced great difficulty in reaching Hprorata, where it was compelled to remain qvernight. Repairs were effected, however, to the line, which was put into service at 7 p.m. At 2.50 a.m. yesterday the South line failed again, and at 6.9 a.m., to make matters worse, the North line failed, thereby, cutting off the supply from Lake Coleridge entirely. Five parties were dispatched to effect repair's on the lines, and two liighpowerod cars were sent from Christchurch. One of these was commissioned to go right through to Lake Cole- ] ridge, but owing to the exceptionally j heavy fall of snow it was unable to pro- ' ceed beyond Brackendale, about 25 1 miles from tho power-house. The other ! car was used on the section between < Christchurch and Hororata. Work : was concentrated on the South line, < which was put under test at noon, "and was supplying power at 4.30 p.m. There < have been no further breaks on this i line. On the north transmission line 1

the fall of snow was so heavy, increasing from 18 inches at Darfield to 4ft in some places near tho lake, that repairs had to be abandoned till to-day. Tho trouble was primarily due to the snow, said Mr Ferguson, which oovered tho insulators and the wires, and at one or two points ( displaced the wires. This accumulation' of snow made the work of locating and replacing the broken insulators extremely difficult, and the relief parties were deserving of every credit for the expeditious man- j ner in which they effected repairs. It is expected that the service wil] bo completely restored early to-day, the trouble on the North line leaving been definitely located; meanwhile the stand-by plant at the tramway powerhouse is being kept in readiness to supply power until both transmission lines are in complete working order again.

Tho Christchurch Tramway Board has an arrangement with tne Public Works Department, under which, when the Lake Coleridge power fails completely, as it did yesterday, the tramway p>ant shall take the whole of the tramway load (which it does not do normally) and also supply the Government yrith a minimum o£ 600 kilowatts, and an amount up to 1000 kilowatts if available. This last-mentioned part of the arrangement was carricd out for part of yesterday, but at about two o'clock it became necessary to limit the amount supplied to the Public Works Department to the minimum. Notwithstanding this there were interruptions j in the Board's supply on most tramlines for varying periods from 2 o'clock onwards, caused by the abnormal conditions under which tho pldnt was working. Tho battery used as a standby was completely exhausted. The tram Service was therefore somewhat dislocated, but the position was quickly dealt with, and by 5 p.m. the cars were practically running to time. The: lines mostly affected were those in the south of the city—Cashmere Hills, St. Martins, and Opawa. The previous seripus interruption of the Lake Coleridge installation occurred in August, 1916. It was not, however, nearly so far-reaching in its effects as! yesterday's interruption. j About 8.30 o'clock last night the city was plunged in darkness for about five minutes, but from then on tho ' current wag steadily ' supplied, except j at just befwe nine o'clock, when for a few moments the lights became dim, flickered, and then sprang up again. Mr Hitchcock, assistant electrical engineer, Public Works Department, ex-

TELEGRAPH "WIRES DOWN. NO COMMUNICATION WITH WELLINGTON. One of the most serious breakdowns in the tolegraph service in recent years occurred as a result of the storm, the wires on both routes to Wellington coming down over considerable stretchcs. As a consequence no cable and ordinary Press Association messages from the North Island were received in Christchurch yesterday, but it is anticipated that the service will be resumed to-day. The telegraph wires over a distance of a mile are down between Kaikoura and Cheviot, but between Kaikoura and Blenheim the line is clear. North of Amberley the position is not known. There is no communication with the West Coast. There was a bad break in telegraphic communication between Darfield and Racecourse Hill yesterday morning. One of the platelayers witnessed what must nave been one of the sights of nis lire when he saw a mile of wires come down "all in n; lump." The Darfield telephone exchange was practicallv put out of business, only four or five subscribers, out of 58 on the exchange, being able to get into communication with it. The Greendale bureau was also cut off.

plained that an occurrence of this kind might possibly hare been duo to what is known as "flashing over." This is causod by snow piling up on the insulators. but the trouble automatically lights itself.

The failure of the supply of current from the Lake Coleridge installation mad? it necessary for most of the cinema theatres to shut down during the day. The exception was Crystal Palace, which has a stand-by in the shape of a gas engine, the installation of which was completed on Saturday. The result was that tho management were able to show their new programme from noon onwards. The other cinema theatres were not able to show till about 6 p.m. At the Opera House preparations were made to give the vaudeville programme by keroseno and other methods of illumination, but fortunately ' these were unnecessary as "juioe" was available. The Colosseum Skating Rink was able to carry on as usual, as the building is not entirely dependent on the Lake Coleridge supply, but skatincr was done in a somewhat subdued light.

Tho City Council's electrical department started its steam plant at about 7 a.m. yesterday, being obliged to r.se very inferior coal. At 10 a.m. a better grade was available, and by noon the city's emergency plant was carrying a load of close on 500 kilowatts. NOTES AND-INCIDENTS. The fall of snow in the city, though not so heavy as the fall about two years ago, provided some amusement for the schoolboys. Some with a considerable amount of trouble managed to make snowballs, but they were of a very mushy character. Motor-cars and taxi-cabs which had been out in the snow retained some of it on their roofs for some time after the fall ceased.

Tlie anticipation of a night without electricity caused some housewives to lay in a stock of candles, and some grocery establishments did a brisk trade in this line.

The evening train from Culverden reached town yesterday with the roofs of the carriages covered with snow and other evidences of having experienced rough weather. It was snowing heavily at Culverden when the train left yesterday afternoon, and it was estimated that the snow was lying two feet deep on the country between Culverden and Hawarden. The snowfall was continuous from Culverden to Rangiora. ; The motormen of the tram service are among those who do not welcome a fall of snow. Ordinarily they are protected from bad weathor by the glass screen in the front of the car, but as snow, collecting on the glass, obscures their view of the track, the window has to be lowered whenever snow is falling, and the motorman is thus'exposed to the full inclemency of the weather.

The railway authorities report a slip at Domett on the Cheviot line at about 12.45 p.m. yesterday, which blocked the Waipara line. The slip has not yet been cleared. The Fairhe,.Springfield, and Mothven trains were late in arriving at their destinations owing to snow on the lines, and the express from Dunedin arrived in Christchurch eight minutes late. It was 20 minutes late in arriving at Dunsandel, but made a fast run from to the city. Passengers reported heavy snow on the line.

The Magistrate's Court had to be lighted with half-a-dozen candles yesterday afternoon during the course of an inquest which was being conducted there. The dim, religious gleam of these lights merely served to make the darkness more visible, and it was a great relief when the current from Lake Coleridge was switched on about 4.39 I-.in.

For the first time this year snow appeared yesterday on the hills surrounding Lyttelton, and bet\yeen 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. thero was a slight fall of snow m the town, but this soon changed to rain, which continued during the afternoon and night. Practically no work wnG done on the waterfront, and perishable cargo only was taken for the ferry steamer. The Kamona, which was fixed to leave port yesterday for Greymouthy could, not be worked owing to th'i rain, and consequently did not sail. The Koromiko is also held up for <ths same reason, and it is now hoped to despatch her for Groymouth to-morrow. Several other vessels were also detained, and these will proceed to their various destinations as soon as the weather permits the resumption of work. j

IN THE COUNTRY

KAJAPOI. Heavy .rain commenced to fall at Kaiapoi about 2 p.m. on Sunday, and continued till about midnight. Light snow fell for the succeeding six hours, after which rain fell again till about 1.30 p.m. yesterday. More snow was experienced during the afternoon, about 3in being registered, and was followed by move steady rain. The north Ijranch of the Waimakariri is steadily rising, and thero is every chance of a flood unless the rain stops soon. Tho harbourmaster at Kairaki reports that tremendous seas are running on the coast. The electric i>ower failed in Kaiapoi during the afternoon yesterday but was restored about 4 p.m.; otherwise no trouble has been experienced with re- i gard to lights and telephones.

RANGIORA. The snowstorm, which has been experienced in Rangiora and the northern districts, is said to be the heaviest for about 23 years. About 4 or 5 inches fell in Rangiora on Sunday night. Rain jfoll yesterday morning, and continued till about 2 p.m., when fell again for two hours and a half. It then eased off, though tliere was every indication of a further fall during the night. Great damage has been done to the telegraph and telephone wires, numbers being down in all directions, while many telegraph poleß are also down. In fact, it is stated th3t there are only 10 telephones out of about 90 in Rangiora which have not been affected. A gang of men was put on by the Department yesterdav to effect repairs, but it will be several days before all repairs are made and connexions restored.

[ Considerable damage has been done to glass verandahs and glasshouses through the weight'of snow, and trees have suffered severely, great limbs being snapped off. North of Rangiora the fall of snow has been very heavy, but it does not extend much below Southbrook. The fall of snow was very heavy towards Oxford. Owing to the heavy snowdrifts in the Weka Pass, the North train was delayed about twenty minutes. The damage to the telegraph poles has been serious, numbers of poles being down betwpen Raqeiora and Cust and Rangiora and Southbrook. It is expected that heavy floods will occur, especially in the northern rivers. Farmers, however, consider that tho change in the weather conditions is just what was wanted. |

{ WAIATJ. After a fine dny on Wednesday, rain I again set in on Thursdav morning, and : continued at intervals till Friday night. Saturday was fine, and the ranges were seen to be covered with a heavy coating of snow% and snow was also lying from 4 to 5 inches deep at the Waridle and on to the Whale's Back. On Sunday morning the hardest frost of the season was experienced, and all taps and water-pipes wero frozen. Shortly after sunrise the sky became overcast, and, as tho day wore on, the low temperature, the appearance of the clouds, and the peculiar stillness of the atmosphere, betokened a fall of snow. Light rain set in at about 3 p.m., and at 7.30 it was snowing heavily. At 11 a.m. yesterday snow. was lying in tho township to a depth of 8} inches, but though

it was still snowing, the weather showed signs of clearing. This is the heaviest fall experienced for many years. Telephone communication with the outlying districts is interrupted, but those places where the lines are not down report a heavier fall than in the township. At lU a.m. there was a depth of 9J inches at The Gates, 12 inches at "Sherwood," and 16 inches at Mason Hills.

CULVERDEN*. Snow commenced to fall at Culverden on Sunday evening, and continued heavily throughout the night, with a result that about six inches of snow lay on the ground at daylight yesterday. It continued to snow heavily throughout tho morning, and by noon it was ten to twelve inches thick. Rain and sleet were then experienced, and the snow commenccd to thaw. Contrary to general expectations, the passenger train from Christ-church arrived at the usual time, and other public conveyances ran very much as usual. OXFORD. The heaviest fall of snow for many years was experienced in Oxford dtiring tho last twenty-four hours (says our correspondent, writing at 2 p.m. yesterday). Sunday was exceptionally raw and cold, and snow began to fall, in light flakes, about 3 o'clock, and shows no signs of clearing. In tho open fields it is lying to a depth of fifteen inches. Further west, and on the higher lands, it is much thicker. As there has been a. perfect calm, the snow has accumulated on trees, breaking them down by its weight. Branches of trees, pines, and bluegums, nearly a foot in diameter, have been broken. The telephone poles are down in ail directions, and ruany wires aro broken. The heavy fall of snow will be a serious matter to the sheepowncrs, who, unless a sudden thaw comes on, are likely to suffer great loss. TAI TAPU. For the last ten days light rain has fallen almost continuously. On Saturday evening a heavy frost settled, but the weather clouded again on Sunday morning : rain set in, and yesterday showed ho signs of clearing. Snow was | visible on the high portions of tho Port Hills yesterday morning; all flood water is getting away woll, however, and tho rain is welcomed by the farming community. For the week ending June •SOth, 2.67 inches of rain was recorded at the Tai Tapu school. DARFIELD At Darfield the snowfall, which began on Sunday afternoon and continued steadily throughout the night, was interrupted yesterday morning by an hour's heavy rain. More snow followed the rain, and last evening it was still falling, lying about twelve inches deep on the ground. At Racecourso Hill tho depth last night was reported to be 2ft, and a message from Springfield, which got through shortly before communication was interrupted at 8.45 a.m yesterday, stated that at 7 o'clock the snow was lying 2ft deep, and it was still snowing, while it was 9 or 10 inches deep at Sheffield. . KIR WEE. Rain set in at Kirwee at 2 p.m. on Sunday, and snow at about 3 p.m., and continued during most of the night. Yesterday morning there were sin of snow on tho ground. At about 8 a.m. rain again set in, and continued till midday, when it was succeeded by snow.

ELLESMERE. In the Ellesmere district the weather has been more or loss showery during the last two or three weeks, * but the total rainfall for June, registered i.t, Southbridge, was only 291 points, as against 73 points for June, 1917. During the last couple of days the district has experienced a touch of real wintry weather. There was a stiff frost n Sunday morning, and this was followed at noon by light rain,"which continued throughout the' day. Sunday night was showery, and rain fell all day yesterday, accompanied by a very cold southerly wind. Up to about the middle of June, the winter had betin unusually dry, the May rainfall being less than onefifth the total registered for the corresponding month of last year. While the mild conditions enabled the farmers to proceed with their cropping work without interruption, it was generally recognised that if the coming season was to be a successful one for the farmers, a much heavier rainfall would be needed during the latter part of the winter, for experience lias shown that a thoroughly saturated sub-soil is essontial to a successful harvest, unless the spring and summer rainfall happens to be above the average. Tlie present rain is, therefore, welcome. Farm work is. of course, at a standstill, and in the case of some lands it will be impossible to do any more grain-sowing until the spring.

LITTLE RIVER. I The weather has been very bad hero for several weeks. On Sunday morning there was a black frost. Rain set in m the afternoon, and was still falling yesterday. Sliow has fallen on tho hills sinco Saturday, but none has fallen on the flat. Tho creeks and rivers are moderately high. Tho lake is over the road at Birdling's Flat, but train and motor traific has not been interrupted. AKAIIOA. July has opened in characteristic seasonable style. After ten days' rain the weather cleared, a nd tho last day of June was ushered in by the stiifest frost we have experienced for a long time. The sky soon clouded over, though, and bitter, raw day wag followed by heavy, cold, southerly rains, that -appear to be good for a seasonable spell. Tho ranges down to the 700 ft level are wejl coated with snow.

RAKAIA. Up to the last week of the month June had proved to be one of the driest Junes experienced in Rakaia for many years, but last week was wintry with plenty of rain. Heavy ram on Friday night was succeeded bv a sharp frost before morning. On Saturday night frost set in early, and Sunday was one of the coldest days experienced this winter. Rain began to fall-m the afternoon, increasiiij; m volume right on into yesterday. "For the twenty-four hours "precediiv 3 p.m. yesterday T 11/ points were recorded I i :t r Ti as sti i l ™ inin 2 heavily. Some snow fell on Sunday evening, but the ! fall was slight and did not lie on the ground. Towards the hills, however' there was a great deal more snow! Xesterdav afternoon snow and sleet! were falling at Rosebank. At Holmslee there was an inch of snow, but a great deal had fallen and been melted oy ram. At Barr Hill there were inches, and snow -was still falling heavily. The mailman from Rakaia to Highbank turned back at Barr Hill on account of tho snow, which was much heavier further on. One fault on the line Rakaia to Highbank, is reported. and this may be due to the weather. So far the Rakaia river is' about normal, as rain and snow do not affect it much, but when the weather I becomes warmer, or snow in the back' country is succeeded bv" Tain, then a' fair-sized flood may be confidently looked , for.

ASHBURTOST COUNTY. After ten degrees of- frost at Ashburton during Saturday night, sleet began to fall about 9 a.m. on Sunday. Then small scattered flakes of snow fell ■ throughout tho day till 5 p.m., when 1 rain set in. The rain came down > heavily for two hours, and soon after- ■ wards it started to snow in earnest, i and at daylight yesterday morning the ; ground was covered to a'depth of from i two and a half to three inches. A rapid ; thaw set in at about 6 a.m., and by ' noon yesterday most of the snow had i disappeared from the town. The ] Weather remained bitterly cold and i

I threatening throughout the day, and I there were indications of a further fall |of snow or rain. It was the coldest ; sna p experienced in the Ashburton district for about fourteen years. The fall of snow all through the Upper Rangitata, Mount Somers, Sbnugburn, Staveley, and Alford districts was very heavy, and the flats all along the foothills were covered yesteruay morning to a depth varying from lj feet to 2 feet, while further back there was over 3 feet of snow in many places. The owners of tho numerous sheep runs would have got most of their flocks down from tho high councTi' a / t ' lero was a very considerable rail of snow up tho Ashburton Gorge early in June, where snow raking commenced, and was continued till tho sheep were away down on to the lowest parts of the runs.

. -The Mount Somers train steamed into the Ashburton station yesterday morning with the tops of the carriages covered with a foot of snow. The enginednver, fireman, guard, and others had over an hour's hard work in getting the engine from the engine-shed, and- coupled on to the cars at Springburn. 'Ihe rails were seventeen inches under snow, and this had to be dug and shovelled away for a considerable distance before thj engine could be run sulhciently far forward and then backed on to tho carriages. Once well on the move the train ploughed through the deep snow Successfully and reached Ashburton without any further serious tlrawbacKs.

"At Mount Somers th e fall measured 12 inches, nnd at Springburn 18 inches. At Staveley it is reported that lrom to 1G inches of snow fell. At . L: \ rr s residence there was a fall of 1G inches, and at Mr H. McLean's pioperty, Mount Hutt, the snow was IS inches deep A holiday was declared the Metnven School. There was piratically no snow at Longbeach, although the weather was very cold and wintrv.

Snow commenced to fall at Methven on suuday at 3 p.m., and was still falling heavily yesterday afternoon. In some parts of the township a depth 01 twelve inches was recorded, and closer to the lulls it was lying to a depth of 18 inches to 2 feet. Should it not lie too long, it will do a great deal of good in exterminating grub and other insect pests. Ihe paddocks, which were hard and dry, are getting a good soaking. TEMUKA. Rain was continuous at Temuka from _ Saturday , ight till yesterday morning, and showery during the day. I here was a heavy fall of snow on the ranges, and a li-ht fall on the flats, liie Orari and .Rangitata rivers aro! ?p? ul S> .and Opihi and Temuka falling. Ihe rainfall to yesterdav morning was 140 points. " GERALDINE.

Snow commenced falling at Gernlciine on Sunday afternoon, but ceased in the evening. Yesterday morning it lay four inches deep on the flat, and a foot deep on the top of the downs. Arter a thaw snow arjain fell in the afternoon. The telephone wires '■>€- ™/ ee " ''ere and the hill country— «oodbury Orari Gorge, Arundel, and Beautiful Valley—are down. There was over a fcrtit of snow on the flat at 1' our Peaks yesterday morning and sheep-owners were getting ready to ma.ie tracks to get the sheep out. The opinion is that censidcrable loss of sheep may be looked for. the recent Sinters having led many to take W AIM ATE. (SPECIAr- TO "TKE I'KESS.") . W AIM ATE, July I. ihe heaviest fall of snow for eighteen years began on Saturday night in the I 1 on C °i ry ' , lle tcm perature fell V S9 .« e ff ee |' b . ut Peicentibly rose day 1 a ° ram at 5 a-m - on SunIn "VVaimate snow began falling at 1U a.m.. and continued lightly till 1 p.m., covering everything about an inch deep. By yesterday morning +he snow had disappeared from Waimarc, mantle° Were covel ' ed with a white The latest news fronj the out-districts Sn°+T B r, i] n - \ 3 of snow afc Kaiwarau station. 14 inches at Pentland' Hill? mches at Douglas Settlement! and four inches at Waihao Downs. Xo loss of stock is anticipated on KaibSfct J? sheep will need to be bi ought down on_ to_ the turnips. Jhe rainfall, mixed with bhov, water was nearly one inch for the week-end.' wiiS. ' 4 p - m -' sn °™ in '** The opinion of farmers js that the grouna can dp with the moisture tip last two mopths having j>een dry!