WILD SOUTHERLY WEATHER

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 166, 9 April 1920, Page 6

WILD SOUTHERLY WEATHER

SHIPPING DISORGANISED VESSELS UNABLE TO LEAVE PORT Tile south-westerly yile which raged throughout yesterday completely disorpii.ised shipping. Early yesterday morning the Opawa left port, but eight hours later she returned to her berth. Bound for Sydney the City of Agra left tho «iiarf at 7 a.m., but iis the seas were running mountain high at the entrance she was forced to come back to an attclioiagt in the stream, where she will fita.' till tho weather moderates enough to permit of her putting to sea. At G p.!:-.. the Moeraki left her berth and at 7 p.m , she cleared the heads, on her way io Sydney—the only vessel to get away from port for the 21 houTs. Mararoa Does Not Sail. .As the weather had not abated—in fner, tho wind had increased—when it lame timo for the Mararoa to sail for Lyttelton. (lie Union Company decided to abandon the trip and the vessel icniaiued in port. She is now to sail at 7.45 p.m. to-morrow, in her usual runnin,;. As usual the Waliine left Lyttelton at 8.30 p.m. last evening and she should sh'»v up about 7.30 o'clock this morning She is to berth at the King's Wharf. Other Vessels Reported. The I'ort Napier, which left Picton it G a.m. yesterday, reported that she had hove to in the Straits. The message added. 'Strong gale; heavy seas; thick weather." Tne Suffolk, which left Napier on Wednesday evening tor Lyttelton, ieportwd by wireless that she had run into "heavy weather." T'u I'ateena did not leave Picton for Wellington last evening. It is expected that she will clear Tory Channel at daybreak to-day. Last night the Ivaitangata, bound from Westporl to Wellington was reported to lie sheltering at Island. Tlw Nikau arrived at 2.15 p.m. yesterday from Nelson. She was forced to hove-to in the morning in the Ice o' Tewwhili. H-'r sailing last evening was abandoned, and she is new to sail as usu-I to-morrow. Captain P. A. Peterson, representative for Messrs. Richardson and Co., was advised by telephone from Wainui yesterdny at 3 p.m. that the Koutumii, which left Wellington nt 11 p.m. on Wednesdav, was off T'uraknrae, steaming into tho pile and iust holding on. Up to a late hour last evening there was no telepgraphic advice of the arrival of the Kennedy at Foxton. the Invercnreill at Wanganui, and the Waitangi nt Patea. These vessels left Wellington on Wednesday evening, and it is presumed they are sheltering on'the coast. The Harbour Ferry steamers had a rough day, a very heavy sea running down the entrance. Calls at Rona Day had to be cut out. The Cobar returned to the Ferry Wharf in town last evening, owing to the heavy sea at Day's Hay.

DAMAGE IN TIIE CITY. The gale screamed through the city and levied a toll 011 fences and chimneys in various quarters, but no serious damage was reported. STORM IN HUTT VALLEY HEAVY RAIN AND HIGH WIND. The Hutt Valley has had more than its share of the southely gale, l'or the past 24 hours it has rained practically continuously. The sea has been lashed to fury along the foreshore and the Wellington Hutt Road. All day the. spray was thrown up oven 1 the railway lines, and in some places on to the road itself. , . , , . , The line nearest the sea had at points been affected by the shingle piling up, and the 9.3+ train from Petone last night struck a heap about a mile north of Ngahauranga. The engine and the foremost carriages rocked so violently as to make passengers believe that the train had left the rails. Fortunately this was not the case. The'driver had been warned at Petoue, and the tram was therefore not travelling at the usual speed. Had it been doing so a portion of the train would almost certainly have been derailed. About this part of the line the waves washed against the trains passing, and water came into the carriages, making, the windward side unpleasant for tnviel'ers <"ing of men has been patrolling the line so that no serious damage mav escape notice. Traffic 011 the Hutt Road was considerably affected, and vehicles coming to town experienced dimeulty in making headway against ■ the wind- ... 11 la the townships of the valley 110 serious damage had been reported up to last night, though fences were blown down and gardens destroyed. A plate. L'lass window in the premises of Mr. J. W jrEwan. grocer (Petone). was blown in. The telegraphies appear to have escaped with less injury than usual, and 110 dislocation was; reported. f