THE NORTH-WEST GALE.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1439, 26 September 1878, Page 3

THE NORTH-WEST GALE.

The afcrong north-west gale which was blowing during yesterday appears to have done considerable damage in various parts of the country, as will appear from the reports which are given below. In Chrißtchurch the day was most unpleasant, clouds of dust making walking in the streets a task of great difficulty, and at times of danger. LYTTELTON. One of the worst nor-westers that ever blew in Lyttelton was raging furiously yesterday, some of the squalls being terrific. One boat, with two men in it belonging to Messrs Garforth and Lee's establishment, was fairly blown out of the water, but luckily the steam launch Lyttelton was handy, and bath were picked up only the worse for a ducking. Many of the vessels at the wharves laid over fearfully in tho heaviest puffs, but we arc glad to record that no severe damage was sustained. The large shed, however, on" the Gladstone Pier suffered very severely, part of the roof being blown away and some of the supports much warped. A part of it was shifted from its foundations, and several beams were snapped in two. Tho real wonder is that tho shed is still standing, and that nothing suffered worse, considering the terrific power of the gale. THE NORTHERN RIVERS. These rivers were in Hood yesterday from the effects of the gale from the N.W. melting the snow. The Waimakariri was rising as the train came ovev last evening, and was expected, during the night, to become impassable. The following telegram was received early on Wednesday at Kaiapoi, from the Bealey : " Very heavy flood here; rivers rising fast; continuous heavy rain and north-west gale." The Hurunui was in flood during the day and row very suddenly in volume, nearly three feet in about half an hour, at noon. , , As it was feared that the Eiver Waimakariri might again rise so as to interfere with railway communication, as upon former occasions, MrW. Conyers, Commissioner of Railways, yesterday afternoon proceeded by special engine to the place where the work of protection is going on, and found that tho river had not risen much,

and that no damage was done to the line. He does not think the river will rise much higher, and even if it does, it is not likely, with tho new protective works, to do any damige. IN THE COUNTRY. At Malvern tho effects of tho gale appear to have been felt very severely. 'the goorts station at Sheffield had about half a ton of iron taken off tho roof, together with the varge boards, purlines, and the connection between the telegraph office andtheChristchurch ine. The iron floated in the air ab jut two hundred yards, and then fell, smashing up the woidwork and iron into innumerable pieces. One portion of the ironwork went into the ground two feet actual measurement, and the piece of the varge board, with insulator and wire attached, was carried some twenty yards further, and the varge is now sticking in tho ground so fast that it will have to be dug out. Another piece of the iron went right through the weather boards of a saddler's shop, and was deposited among the saddles, &c. Mr F. Bull's (butcher), slaughter-house was razed to tho ground, three men being slaughtering at the time, but, fortunately, they e3uiped with a few bruises. The train leaving Christchurch at 7.25 a.m., and due at 10.20, did not reach Sheffield till 12.20 p.m., being delayed three times between Kirwee and Horndon Junction, and then they had to leave the carriages at Horndon Junction and carry the passengers in the guard's van to Sheffield. Ine engine arrived covered with dust. AT ASHBURTON. On Tuesday evening the appearance of the sky foretold a strong wind, and soon after sundown frequent and vivid flashes of lightning were seen in west and north-west, and the whole day throughout h»d been sultry and oppressive. Abou*. 9 p.m. the wind commenced to blow from the no th-west, and steadily increased in force till it became a gale of unexampled severity, which continued till 12 o'clock noon on Wednesday, when it moderated. Ashburton presented the appearance of a Fucked town. The main streets were strewn with liroketi glass, sheets of iron and timber. Tho shops fronting on East street were hoarded up, and those bold enough to venture out were obliged to seek an entrance through the hack premises. The fine new glass verandah at Montgomery's buildings had not a whole pane left, and about 11 a.m. on Wednesday the '"iron frame was torn down, the ribs of which were swinging in the wind, and broke one of tho plate glas3 windows in Messrs Montgomery's shop. One chimney in the same building came down, and some sheets of iron were stripped off the roof. A chimney in the new "Mail" office, and one in Mr Ivess' private residence, two in Mr Quill's hotel, and several in various parts of the town fell before the gale. The workshop of Mr M. Smith, builder, Moore street, also cimc down, and the timber which composed it scattered over the ground, almost to the railway line. Minor casualties to outbuildings, fences, &3., are too numerous to particularise. The Town Hall suffered in having some sheets stripped off its roof, and a few panes broken in the windows. On Tuesday night some of the railway trucks got adrift and ran down the line, halting on the Tailored street crossing, the hansom cab, which was returning from that direction about eleven o'clock, struck one of the buffers of a truck, which threw the driver off his seat aad bent the axle of the cab. It is most fortunate that gales of such force as this arc unusual. Walking on the streets on Wednesday forenoon was dangerous, both from the violence of the wind as well as from pieces of timber, sheets of iron, glass, &c, flying about, and during that period all business was suspended. At Oxford on Tuesday and Wednesday considerable damage was done, carrying away chimneys in all directions, and persons were afraid to light fires in their_ houses. At Love's Hotel a stable was carried clean over a gorse fence. The Church of England was blown over, the Methodist Chapel sharing the same fate, and being constituted a complete Week. The top of a cove ed in railway truck was carried away by the gale, and another truck overturned on the line Windows were also blown in, and damage done which may be estimated to the extent of ,£3OOO or ,£4OOO to buildings alone by the severity of the gale. At Leeston the Pr; sbyteri.m Church which was approaching completion, and had cost .£7OO, waa biowu down.