WILD WEATHER

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 170, 8 April 1918, Page 7

WILD WEATHER

A FIERCE NORTH-WESTER TREMENDOUS WIND VELOCITY , , / 'A. fierce north-westerly. gale assailed Wellington on Saturday, and increased iiff\ violence at night, when tbo wind was accompanied by heavy rain. The gala continued throughout yesterday; although not with the same force r.s on Saturday night. Unusually heavy rain fell yesterday morning. Shipping was badly delayed, and nearly all of the vessels which were to have sailed on Saturday night were not put to the tost of crossing the Strait. •Enormous seas were reported by several .vessels arriving. The Kapiti (242 tons) .was for nine hours endeavouring to make.headway off Terawhiti, but. the mountainous seas continuously washed *he vessel, and progress was impossible, - so 6he returned to-port at 8.10 a.m. jjesterday. - ■ _ The Maori was 1\ hours late in arriving yesterday, and the Kaitoa, hem Kelson, about 3 hours late.

i A good many fences were levelled in [various suburbs, and considerable' minor damage was done. At nr'dday yesterday the weather improved foi a time, but later in the afternoon the ibarometer fell, and gradually the gale recovered some of its former sting At the Wireless Station at 7 p.m. ■ion Saturday the velocity of the wind ,y."as 90 miles an hour, and at midnight it had reached its highest point—lo6 miles—a very high, speed. As the •morning drew near the force of the iwind lesseued, and at 8 o'clock yesterday 85 miles was tho average. Last aight the velocity 1 ranged oetween 70 Srad 80 miles, and the wind was iuv creasing. The Government Meteorologists have found that the velocity ■of the wind at the Wireless Station 1b about twice that at the Observatory.

Mr. G- V. Pemberton, of the Weaklier Bureau, stated last night:—

"On Friday night the barometer was about normal, with only a small atmospheric depression showing in tho south, but during Saturday the latter ttoveloped considerable intensity, and at '4 p.m. the barometer at Pluff had fallen to 29.11. As pressure continued 'fairly high in' comparison in the sovth, ia steep barometric gradient resulted, icausing a strong north-west galo about fCook Strait and southward; During ~the night and early morning there- were .•several gusts of wind of over 00 miles {■an hour, the maximum occurring about (3 a.m., the velosity'reaching 64 miles. jtChe rainfall for the 24 hours up to. 0 taan. yesterday, was 0.83 inches. "It is usual for a.disturbance to jteivel from the westward, but in the Uresent case its development apparentIdj took place in tho south, comequent>'ly the first intimation of the storm |could only be made on Saturday moniJiiag, when the depression fiut showed [signs of' intensifying. The barometer {is now rising, and winds are likely to Jcliange' to southerly toon, with cold toeather, and heavy «howors in many {parts. ;. " FOUR HOURS' EXCITEMENT. ■ HULK'S.MEKOW ESCAPE. . , Pipitea breastwork is considered to ftie tho most exposed part of the vat'er--1 front, and yesterday miming'-the gale (tore the Paparoa Coal Company's hulk fflelen Denny from her moorings, and 'st,was only after a most exciting-four Ihburs that she was made fast- without r 3oss of life or damage to tho ship.'

Tho gale was particularly boisterous jat the breastwork yesterday, and when 'flit was at its worst tho hulkkeeper (Mr. jbartor) and his wife woke (about 6 |a.m.) to find that only ono hawser held ffche ship to her berth, and. that the tethers, including a wire ono,. had been ftorn apart by the force,of l-lie wind, Phe remaining hawser tun oat from ie stern some distance from the wharf Bwas. liable to break at any moment, ffhe position wa3 precarious, and needfed prompt action ,to avert an accident. •The predicament of the hulk was seen \hy the jiightwatchman on a vessel at (|he next berth, and while lie called his '« mates and 3 Harbour Board .employees, Mr, Carter was raising steam jjon the winch boiler, and his wife was Wetting ropes in order. In 25 minutes ftthe-winch was ready for hauling the iihulk to tho breastwork, and a long '(tiring struggle against the wind was started. AVhile tho.full force of the ,gale Btruok the bulky ship, high out of the water, the winch had little offeotive mulling power. 'Gradually, however, (the lino shortened, and other hawsers (were then fastened to the wharf.