A BIG BLOW.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 699, 27 December 1909, Page 3

A BIG BLOW.

[UNSEASONABLE SOUTHERLY GALE. I : ! HEAVY, SEA IN THE STRAIT. ■■;: "[SHIPPING DELATED. The brilliant midsummer weather Wellington has' enjoyed : for the'past' three •weeks'was too bright to last.- It was felt that such Sydney :■ weather , ' could not bo ours' for ,so long without "paying the .piper." The Government "Meteorologist (tho' Rev. :D. 0. Bates) had issued a warning, that there were two "depressions" somewhere out on ' the ocean's plane ; that looked threatening to the central portion of' Now Zealand, and would, in all probability, result in a southerly, with rain. This,, , with the usual safeguards,'was the effect ,of tlie official prognostication. Those who happened to spend Christmas night in Wellington will know precisely what honour tho prophet should gain in his own country. Christmas dawned cold and grey, with a whimper of wind from the dark grey south. ;In the iafternoon it was grey, bleak, and ..blustery, and by the early: evening it-was blowing hard, with splashes of ■>. rain. 'From, that out. there was a grand crescendo, until, it reached tho velocity of a hurricane, which shrieked over the city without slackening until/:.the forenoon yesterday. The ■southerly; gale brought up a tremendous sea, which' broke, right across the entrance of the harbour, creating a considerable run within land-locked limits. . The Mararoa was to have sailed for Lyttelton at 11 p.m. on Saturday, but pulled up for the night in Kau Bay. The Maoris with a heavy complement of passengers, had a. lively- trip from Lyttolton yesterday morning. She arrived oil the Heads in good time, but owing to the land being obscured by the weather, put to sea again, 'ail- operation which, undor the circumstances, disagreed with even the most hardened-travellers aboard.

:."..".", ";;At the./ Heads. "\\ .' ■There was ii certain" grandeur in the wildness of the scene at the Heads yesterday,, and' quite a number of peoplo tramped from Seatoun, through the windy Pass of.Branda, to the. ocean beach, beyond to'watch the huge seas" smash themselves on Barrett's Keef, the black, fangs of. which snarled viciously in' an ugly smother of waters in the jaws of the entrance.' Probably the ne'arpst resident- to the Heads, is the caretaker ot; the stone^crusher-.at Mr. A. Crawford's! "Branda".Quarry. He hasnow been 10-j cated in a .'whare near the beach for over; two years, * and.;\states that yesterday'sj igale,.was the-worst he had ever experi-, enced. At high water, about 5 o'clock) in the morning, the seas wero breaking; across the.road near the quarry, and in-j yaded. his , little .bit; of garden,' which certainly ; showed-.signs :'of rough "treat-i inent.' • The force of the. wind was so! great that it shifted - his little house; about' two inches ■ from the chimney, j which-: , is erected. outside: , the southern! wall. Quite a number ,of people visited i Ocean; Beach, Island Bay, and Lyallßay! to witness the .splendid-panorama of the ! sea, which was'glorified by the sunshine; ■that dominated the .scene in .the later ■par,t of the afternoon. ■.; . , ■; .!. ;. At 'Karaka Bay : several boats'".-■ were., smashed : by the! turbulent. encroachments; of the -sea. Mr.Fred. Pownall, who'.onthe occasion of. the: last; big southerly, lost-.a, boat, again suffered in tho same, way.; 'Yesterday .morning,-he discovered that .the-seas had invaded his concretefloored : shed on the beach, arid bumped his boat so hard and often that it wns smashed into halfraters were swamped at: their moorings.

j ■;;■:'■■'[ Alortgthe Railway Line. • ' The-action iOf-the. water .. scoured out the ballast from the seaward track: of'the 'double railway lino between"; Wellington ' and Petone. ; A breach • was"*inade ■ in. tho rubble ■■: wall on. ;the ■ city, side of, the., Kai.Warra' Station, and in',two,-or;.three,.i>lacos' between Ngahauranga and Kaiwarra) arid also .in the;,:hend ,of Eocky Point,, the ballast was washed away, and 'an 'emergency gang (and train) t "iirere at work during the day effecting repairs. - The running of the Sunday ,trains wasdisorganissd during the forenoon. The seaward line of the double track being unsafe, 1 the city-bound trains had to be diverted to tho iip-line, but before' the trains could bo run at all, the rails had'to be cleared of the mass of ballast, metal, and rubble which, had been heaped up on the. track by the action of the "sea. The 9.19 a.m. train from the' Hutt to Wellington .did hot reach town until about 11 a.m:, and the iip : , service was'also dislocated. : By the aiternobn, however, the trains were running, to time. : :; }'■'■ ; . . ".. " .

■ : , About Town. .'■• Much damage of a minor character -was (lone ,by the,gale. Cln. Courtenay Place a large advertising hoarding declined :to stand up against the violent assaults of the southerly, and; fell.'across the sidewalk at an early, hour yesterday. Anything :lying round ■ loose was treated with scant courtesy. -Fence's were blown down,, windows were-:blown 'in, 'trees. Wero up.- : rooted, and the suburban fruit- trees, in full bearing, suffered seriously. '.-.--.. ■!

' .Telegraph; Wires in Contact. ..- The; tslegraph operators, had a. , lively, experience yesterday, owing to the large .numberv, of "contaots" caused by .the Kale. ; .full strength^. the sale- was feltbetwcen Wellington and.: Wanganui, on which line several -posts-were blown flown,":, but /communication was'•■■ maintained ; throughout,; and rio very serious damage has been -reported.• ' A ; .

:•■.:;. ;'! }n th? : Boat HarbouK . ■ Stvernl .of the smaller, yachts at the Boat ■ Harbour V were '.'affected by storm yesterday ■.; morning. Nearly all ithb.jScows broke: away from ,, '.their moorings,, and one; ; bbat. turned ' completely over, losing hej , ; centre-board, and''.breaking;, her. mast in: :■ The other boats, got off .with a severe .scraping 'on."-the brick wall; •; The Whareou was- caught 'just as,'she was , making her way out of the entrance of ■. the " Boat •: Harbour. Yachtsmen need: to thank Messrs. M'Bride,; S. M'Williams, and. two others for saving the .small yachts.' These-'gen-tlemen ,wcre up all night battling; in the wind, and .rain,.getting tile boats back to. their; moorings, or tying them up in places- of safety. •-";■ '••■..''•'■.' ~ ■

,-.■ ■ ■•■:'• •'.'; Yachts for.the Sounds. >; . The'fallowing yachts, left/, for. \ the Sounds -on .'''Friday. ■'■ last:—Waitangi (Mr.' •.J. , M'Lean) at 10 p.m. Siren (Mr. Chisholm),' at 10 p.m.; White Heather (Mr. Guy :Hoggard),- at 8 p.m.; and Ngaira, about 10 p.ni. Mr. Palmer's launch./Vida. also left,on the:same evening at 'about: 10 o ? .clock. Mr. Cooper's launch, left on Thursday evening.* ■ The. Wairere (Mr. E. Bucholz)' put back on. account: of the storm coming on.;. One of. the crew was disabled- for about /.five,: minutes,:/through' getting knocked oh the head with the boom. ; -■■-■ ■ ■■■ ; ; ■ ::/V * '"/ '"' ' .■.-•■■ ''•.■A: ■■■■

WEATHER , IN OTHER CENTRES, '■ ...'■ ■ i' PALMEESTON NOETH. (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.) '[.'■'■'.■ Palmerston North, Becember 20. Rain fell here at Christinas, preventing the holding -of very tunny picnics, whicE had been organised -for that day. The downpour ; was very heavy last night and early.'this.; morning, but the.weathcr shows every sign •' of clearing for Boxing Day. ;.Tho glass is rising. ;. \ -■;■'.•' ;': : . i , : .-.;" ■ '.. (By-.Telograph.—Pross' Association.) : ' ■. '■'•• Christchurch'i becember 25. A stiff: south-westerly gale sprang up early this morning, accompanied by driving rain. By the afternoon many of tho side-walks wero under water, and a portion of Cathedral Square, and tho front of, Warner's Hotel, were also covered with • water.. . • '■ ■>.- ■~: ! .;■. ;■'.: : '.■'■■; ■■ The wind nt ; times blew very strongly. Several branches were blown, off, and one small treo in Latimer Squarej about fifteen, feet high,; was snapped off.dose to tho- ground. ' .; . ■.■■•• -. . , ; Cricket ;v/ns,, of course,'impossible; and ■tho interprovincial match, Otago : versus .Canterbury,' was''postponed till ■ Monday. Christciiurch, December 2G. -; Tho gale spent -itself early this morning; and tho day was bright arid sunny, and.:in' the:afternoon duet wsb. bloiring

in the streets. In North Canterbury the gale was felt severely, but no serious damage is reported. ■_■, ' TIMABU. . '. .-■ Timaru, December 2G. Christmas Evo was a busy day in town and with fine' weather passed off well, but tho evening, shopping parado was cut short at 9.30 by a fierce southerly dustraiser. .During the night, nice useful rain fell; The southerly continued throughout Saturday, but the weather was dry. Tho rain was very welcome in the country. '.- ■ ■-■ - .. -- - - .-v. '.-.;.■ WANGANUI. Wanganui, December 20. Tho holidays so far have been spoiled by' the weather. Christmas Evo was beautiful and warm, but a change occurred about midnight, and Christmas Day was cold,', and, at times, wet. In the evening, heavy.'rain set in, with a high wind, which increased to a violent gale, and raged till. noon'. to-day. As the afternoon drew on the conditions changed for the better, and there is some prospect of fino weather for Boxing Day.

■■ . A SEViii{JSii-"'Aifi-jin,i.-■ :■■■ A man named Martin Peterson fell on a. bottle in Vivian. Street on Christmas ;Eve, and severed ah artery in his left : arm. The injury was- attended to at the hospital. ; .. "■ ' ■'■'■-■ ' . .-.■ : ,; ■ '■' \ FELL OFF A TRAIN. ' ' *'■.' (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) • . ■•';'. •■-"•■ Timarui .{December 26. ' : A ; man, feir off the north-bound express", yesterday., at Parcbra.'""An engine and;.van .were sent-for him. Ho was found "',\'"",".: .'■ ''')' -SUDDEN DEATH. . 1 ■: ■■■:" ' Christchurch, December 25. • |. John Hall, also. known as Hicks,.died suddenly at:;Sockiurn -to-day.!'-'A nicdi-' ■cal man was called in 1 just before, Hall |.died, but was unable to give, a certifi.cat«. -'...'... ' iChristchurch, December 26. N - At the inquest on John Thomas Hall, commonly . known as John Hicks, •' who died suddenly- -yesterday,- a ■ verdict i of death from congestion of the lunas was returned.' , ' v , ; A "WOMAN FOtJND DEAD. ■>. .-'. Christchuech, December 28. . Mary.Portelli, an elderly woman, was found • dead in her house at mid-day., today, in, circumstances necessitating. an inquest. ..';,;,": '.. "!".'■ ,; ■;.'.-'.-, FOUND , 'DEOWNED. ■ '' ■ ■■■• ■.'..'"■■••■■ ;, Westport, December 24. .The body of James Read Miller, ship's butcher .of ji, the; steamer Navua, was found floating.'.in'the Buller River yesterday afternoon. He:was missed from the steamer, on December 16.. A vordiet of "found drowned" was returned. ;; BLOOD-POISONING. ■' : ' ' . "Auckland, December 24. John Beadle, aged six' years,, died in tho hospital from blood-poisoning. His death was first attributed to ' poison from the tendrils: of jelly- fish, supposed to have been got,-.while bathing,' but the hospital authorities are doubtful if this ..was tho cause,.of the poisoning. ";';> ' MAORI WOMAN KILLED. ■■■'■ New .Plymouth, December 24. A Maori woman' known as Mrs. John Graham .was killed near Opunake last night through.;the capsizing of a dray in which: she was riding. The . other occupants jumped clear.