A VIOLENT GALE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 779, 31 March 1910, Page 6

A VIOLENT GALE.

■ ',■ ■. fr— ■ '■ RIVERS IN FLOOD. SERIOUS DAMAGE IN TARANAKI. LOSS OF STOCK AT GISBORNE. The disturbance predicted by the Rev. D. C. Bates swept over the North Island yesterday with damaging results/ Re- j ports from, all parts of the country record a heavy gale with rain, and in some cases considerable damage to property has resulted. With timely foresight . the postal authorities sent out the' following warning at 10.28 a.m. on Tuesday:— "Weather i reporter issues a special warning that storm area ■ is threatening the North Island, and an easterly gale with heavy rain is probably after • 16 hours. Post for public information." On this. occasion the Government meteorologist was refreshingly correct, as the trouble must have commenced at an early hour yesterday morning in the norths -,/ . •,."... • Cut Off! The following message, or part of one, was received by the Secretary of the Post Office yesterday at noon:— "Heaviest flood ever known in Paeroa occurred this morning, the streets are submerged to a depth , of three or four feet—." .■...■ ■■■ . ■This is all that came—at . the word "feet" the Morse became silent, and no answer could be, obtained in reply to questions. :•' ' At 9.30 a.m. Auckland reported:— ' "Lost stations between Paeroa andTauranga. Heavy floods. Work, subjected to heavy delay."'. ' Gale Reaches Cook Strait. Early yesterday afternoon Wellington was advised from Nelson: — "Communication beyond Wairangi on French Pass line interrupted." ,' At 11.45 a.m. yesterday the following notice was posted in the vestibule of the G.P.0.:- ' "Communication with Auckland totally interrupted. Work for north of Hamilton will bear heavy delay. Communication with Pipiriki interrupted.". The Post Office was advised that the line had broken north of Hamilton, arid that the posts were down for a mile south of that town. ■ ■' New Plymouth in the Vortex. .At 3.28; p.m. yesterday the. Chief.Postmaster ' at New Plymouth . wired to the Secretary of the Post Office as follows:— "One of the worst gales experienced here for years is now blowing, and considerable damage is being done to property. The coach to Opunake is blocked, and the mails will not probably, get ,fur-. ther than Omata." ' :' '... RIVERS RISING IN HAWKE'S BAY. , ; STOCK IN DANGER. •■ ; (By Telegraph.—Special OorresDOHdeaU. ' , ..■ ■ - -Napier, March'3o. : For the past three days the Hawke's Bay district has. been subjected!,to continous heavy rain: All through last night the storm was particularly , violent.. The barometer is low, and , gives no indication of rising. The total ■ rainfall i.during the storm ■ so: far has , been- five 'inohes. : . ; The ■ effect of the downpour • has 'been particularly/ noticeable in the Tutaekuri Eiver at Kedcliffe Bridge, Taradale. The water, which usually: distributes itself in several: channels entirely covers the shingle deposits, and there is now a; very, wide expanse of water at that point. ' Keports received.-from : Meeanee this afternoon; indicate that, the Tutaekuri Kiver is in high flood, and rising rapidly; It commenced to rise: about 9 ' o'clock this doming,., and before , noon • it had overflown its banks, 1 and was almost up to Meeanee bridge.. Great quantities of surplus'water have gone over the bank on the-Papakura side, and the old ,road is completely flooded. .The'outlook is,not very cheery, at'Meeanee^■ The ■■'water at 2 p.m..: was running over."the stringers on ,the,idecking of. the bridge.'; Shortly after.2 o'clock' water-- was within three feet of the stop baiiks. •■ '"-.■ i Between lleeanee 'and ■ Taradale the river.- is. rising , very fast," and between 10 and 11 o'clock this' morning it rose 2ft. 1 If this margin of 3ft: is .reached, matters will be very serious.'- ' ,; : A , ,number of- stbetowners are shiituig their stock to higher ground/ , ; . ; . A; good , deal of debris and driftwood is coming down-the river. , •: Men are trying to' keep it clear of the'-bridge." ' A: very., heavy south-easterly swell has been running. all day,'and the Hauroto will have a.-bad hip to Gisborne tonight. :..-•■ ■ :'■' ■■■■■■•■• ■;-.■' i'A COLDSOUTH-EASTERLY. .'•' '■~"■■'■■ Wanganui, March 30. In common with most other places in the; North -Island, ; Wangamii has experienced a cold south-easterly gale today, but it has -evidently, not beto nearly so severe here as in some parts, arid no damage: has'been recorded. It .is still raining and blowing hard. ' DAMAGE AT NEW PLYMOUTH. WINDOWS AND CHIMNEYS SUTTEE/ PETEOEETTM DERRICKS COLLAPSE. (B J Telegraph.—Press Aiaoclation.l . . New Plymouth, March 30. ; A howling - south-easterly gale is doing considerable':damage:-, .in-.- town: and suburbs. Many old buildings and fences nave, been destroyed, telegraph wires torn from posts, windows smashed, and chimneys blown over.. One gust of wind lilted a woman some feet in 'the air, dropped her, and rolled her across the street; . A fishing craft at Moturoa sank at her moorings, but the Earawa berthed saiely on arrival from Onehunga. Slates from the roof of the new-post office are f being torn off. The oil derricks at MotuM° a are believed to, have suffered severely. Ihe blow is the severest experienced for many years. \ ■_, ", , ' " Later. Ihe; storm has been ragiiiK with cyclonio fniy, causing destruction in all Very littler rain has fallen, but the hurricane-like blasts have reached a velocity never hitherto experienced' on this coast. At the time of telegraphing (8 p.m J the gale shows no sign of abatement. Very considerable damage has been done, fences, stables, chimneys, verandahs, trees, etc., being down in all directions. ~. , - . ; • There have been many narrow escapes from flying iron and timber, but'' no casualties have' been reported.- ' A large two-storied showroom in Devon Street, >.just vacated, collapsed in. a Taass of ruins. '. . ■ .. • . ■ All kinds of reports are current of the overturning of buildings, ' coaches, and traps in outlying districts,.which it is impossible to, verify, but everything points to the damage being considerable. ■ This morning' the Taranald Petroleum Company's No. i- derrick collapsed. During the afternoon reports reached. town' that No. 3 was also a victim to the cyclone's fnry, while the New Zealand Standard Oil Company's Vogeltown derrick is also. gone. Falling trees in town disorganised several sections of telephone wires, while the electric lighting was also' out of. gear. In some localities there is scarcely any property not affected to some extent, and the aggregate.damage must be fairly considerable. ■ . ' ■ Shipping is not yentnring out of port to-night. . HEAVY RAIN AT GISBORNE. A SEEIOUS FLOOD FEAEED. Gisborne, March 30. Tho storm forecasted by the Government Meteorologist duly . arrived. A strong easterly gale is raging, with heavy rain. The record for- the ■ twenty-four hours preceding 9 o'clock this morning was 3.89 in., making a total of 6.6 in. for forty-eight hours. V ... Later. Heavy rain has been falling continuously since Monday afternoon. At present there is no prospfect of cessation. All the- livers axe rising- rapidly, and thera.,

k every prospect of a disastrous flood similar to that of four years ago. Already dead stock are floating down ■ the rivers, and hundreds of acres are under water. The Monowai is sheltering. The evening train was blocked at Ormond, eleven miles out, by a big washout on the line. The settlers are having a most anxious time, and are removing stock from. the higher levels. ■ The coach service is entirely suspended. THE GALE AT FEILDING. Feilding, March 30. A violent south-easterly gale struck the . town early this morning, accompanied by I rain. The gale continues, to-day. It is ■ llio worst experienced hero for a- con- ■ siderable time. So far , no damage has. > been reported. ! OHINEMURI RIVER FLOODED. Auckland, March 30.. The Ohinemuri Eiver flooded its banks ; at 7.30 this morning, and the streets'of i Paeroa were flooded to a depth of three i feet in places. The water ran down the main street at a great rate, the lower parts of the town being rapidly sub- ', merged. Most of the shops in the main street were flooded, and houses in Eye ' Lane, Puke and Junction Boads were more. .or. less flooded.. So far,'no more serious damage is reported, but the flood ' is bound to do a good deal of damage.