A SPRING STORM

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2924, 9 November 1916, Page 4

A SPRING STORM

SEVERE DAMAGE REPORTED

SHIPPING DISORGANISED

Wet and unsettled weather was pf&i valent throughout the Dominion .Tester*, day, and Wellington City camo in Sot slightly more than a fair share of the northerly gale, which was accompanied by unusually heavy and steady rainj Damage of a more or less serious nature was reported in the City, and the sub* urbs also 6 uffered. At an early hour this morning the boisterous conditions still prevailed, and the outlook was nojs promising, especially in view of the! day's weather forecast, which predicts high winds, unsettled, cloudy, and, colder weather, with considerable rain generally, and flooded rivers in many parts. .- Although the barometer wad unsteady it was expected to rise cvery4 where soon. HEAVY LAND SLIPS. There were numerous slips and washouts in and about Welington. The crashing of timber and the. shaking of the house, followed by a dull thud, gave Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Chorley, of 76 Waripori Street, Ben hampo're, a very all aabout 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon. On looking for the cause of the disturbance, the drawing-room was entered and a sight giving the impression on a recent bombardment was seen. Thelower portion of the outside walls had. been battered in, and the furniture lav buried in an earth-slide. The house '3 built into a cliff, and yesterday's heavy, downpour of rain no doubt caused tha earth to slide. It is estimated that! between twenty and thirty tons fell. .. Considerable damage was done by a, land-slips, which occurred at Flag Stall ; Hill, off Upper Willis Street, below Terrace Gardens, at about 4 p.m. Man.?! tons of earth and rock were brought! down by the slip, and the kitchen ana washhouse of one residence was re-* duced to ruins. Several slips of a minor nature oc« curred in Devon Street. SHIPPINC DERANGED. Practically no work was done along the Wellington waterfront yesterday on account of the exceptionally heavy downpour which rendered working at the ships practically impossible. Coupled with the inclement weather i conditions of Tuesday, shipping has been absolutely deranged. A number of the vessels whose departure was, postponed from Tuesday to Wednesday' have again been' delayed. The Porb Phillip, which was to have sailed for Lyttelton yesterday, does not leave until to-day, and the Kamo, Komata, Ngahere, and Ngakuta, and numerous other vessels have been delayed in port. Yesterday only four vessels entered the harbour, and only six left, which might be considered almost a record for Wellington, on a week day, during the last few months. • 'Other shipping centres are also Laving bad weather. At Auckland tha liner llemuera, from London, has been, delayed by the rain, and does not now leave there until this morning. Down the West Coast tha weather is also reported bad. The Kini is unable to get out of Westport, and the Waimea is waiting out-; side. The Alexander is sheltering ab Totaranui. Lyttelton also renarts very bad weather. In Cook Strait a very heavy fog is making things difficult, and the landmarks of the harbour are practically indistinguishable. FLOODS IN TARANAKI. A BRIDGE COLLAPSES. New Plymouth, November 8. A continuous 24-hours rain and tha warmth of the atmosphere melting the snow on Mount Egmont flooded tha Waiwakaiho River to an unprecedented d'egree. Erosion took place on the east bank of the river, and weakened the eastern end of the ferro-concrete ten--1 year-old bridge- on the main road to Waitara, an important traffic structure connecting New Plymouth with the extensive northern district. At 9 o'clock to-night thirty feet of the bridge col--1 lapsed, and all traffic was suspended. The Government and local bodies havo for a considerable time past been pre- ' paring to give protection to the bridge ' piers by the orection of barrage just below the bridge, thus saving the ero- " sion.