AUCKLAND STORM

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 102, 17 May 1937, Page 8

AUCKLAND STORM

-Preas associfttion.)

Wireless Aerial Broken Into Three SHIPPING DELAYED

(By relegraph-

AUCKLAND, Last Night. Auckland and the north wer « lashed by a storm of considerable severity over the week-end, damage and flooding being reported from many areas. The storm started on Thursday night but eased during Friday aftcrnoon and' gathered renewed force in the early hours of Saturday morniug. It raged throughout Saturday, becomiug worso in the evening and reaching its height about midnight. High winds and heavy rain continued until about 10.30 thi« inorning, after which the wind dropped, although intermittent downpours wer° experienced. Two shingle barges towed by * launch, returning from McCallum Island, were forced to shelter !»i Brown's Island overnight. They put out again this moming but were over whelmed while crossing the reef at St. Helier's Bay. The two men. on the launch and on'e in each of the bargoa abandoned the vesseis and rowed t-ark to Brown's Island in a small dinghy. They had a long and trying. experience, being in constant danger of having their boat swamped by the high seas. The launch subsequently went ashore near Karaka Bay. One barge piled up on the rocks just beyond St. Helier's and the other rode out *be storm at anchor. The Marama, from Sydney, arrived shortly after noon and was compelled to remain in the stream until the storm abated. Twenty feet of retaining wall at Mission Bay was carried away. Several dinghies were submerged and a few launches and yachts were washod ashore undamaged, except one which was dismasted in Hobson Bay. Most . of the pleasure crftft are now up on their slips after the close of the ya^hting season. The seas broke over the waterfront road between Mission Bay and Kohimarama about midnight on Saturday - and a number of rocks from the hillsido were brought down on to ths road. Ths angry seas also caused" discomfiture to North Shore residents, whose ' homc-s t'aced into the teeth of the gale, liul erosion swas prevented by retaining walls. Waves crashing against the cliffs at Castor Bay flung spray to a great height, many motorists visiting tho scene to watch the spectacle. Ceilars were flooded in some city shops and minor flooding was reported from the suburbs. Trees in gardeus were blown down, some blocking roadvvays, and Coronation decorations were extensively toru. Under the strain of the high wmd the aerial mast at the transnuttor oi . Station 1ZB was snapped in three piecos early this morning, carrying away electric power and telephone lincs as it fell. The mast, which was a wooden structure about 60 feet high, was fortuately supported by guys in such. « manner that the bToken pieces fell eiear of neighbouring buildings. The only damage causcd was to power and telephone lines. Repairs were mude by mid-day.