An Astonishing Spectacle

Horowhenua Chronicle, 6 January 1914, Page 4

An Astonishing Spectacle

' ♦ A SEVERE DuST&TOIfcM. On Thursday, December -ith, Broken ±Lill experienced one of those visitations whicn, happily fc tsays the Argus) are rare, and which though magmheent and api palling in grandeur, leave so many truces of their visit, and do so much damage to' property, health ana temper that one such experience is. more than sumcient for the average citizen. The morning of this long-to-be remembered day broke tine and clear, with a ligiu vnortheriy wind. The temperature rose | rapidly, 101 degrees being regis!tered in the shade by D a.m. Towards noon the ligM breeze aieu down and the temperature stood at 107 degrees, although the clean even heat prevailed. These conditions continued ail the afternoon till about half-past four when a light northwesterly breeze sprang up and away on the western'horizon could be seen what was apparently, at _ first, an approaching thunderstorm, and later seemed like me distant reflection of a burningcity. There was no city out there to burn. This was reallv

vuuxw du umJU. XIUS VVUB xeuny the iirßt sign of the dust fiend, and as the minutes passed the vision rapidly expanded, seeming to extend along the surface, and to inorease in height. In less than a ■ quarter 'of an hour all lingering 1 doubt vanished, and even the novice could recognise the nature of the coming visitor, and in the dense volume perceived a dust- [ storm that gave every promise of eclipsing all previous storms recorded in the history of this dustpkgued city—a promise which, > the older citizens state, was amply accomplished'. At this time, a quarter to live, the storm would be about ten miles distant, and was approaching at a velocity of 40 miles an hour. From a spectacular point of view the scene was one never to be forgotten and worth travelling miles to see. Huge banks of dust, extending fully live miles in length and three-quarters of a mile above the earth, were now performing evolutions and distortions that must be seen to be fully realised. Prom all appearances the mountain of dust was. divided into separate bodies, looking in the distance to be about ten yards in circumference, and each of the parts, as it were, in the form of a gigantic cylinder, reaching from the earth to the top of the dust cloud, and every cylinder was revolving at a tremendous rate, curl after curl seeming to revolve in a circular motion, and at the same moment t the vertical centre anjl upper curls seeming to be falling over and over in the lme of travel the bottom along, the earth's surface being one confused mass of circling dust. As the shadow of the dust fiend approached, the whirling eddies gave place to the wall of dust which completely blotted out everything, just as though a curtain had been suddenly drawn across the line of vision. These revolving and ap-

'•" jj -" j «-- jx.xj.tot; j.cvuj.v 111 {j «i±iu ciijparently tumbling masses reflected every colour of the rainbow, from a deep rich purple to a beautiful violent shade, then instantly changing to a lovely orange or a light pink; a moment later to make way for black. The effect of these beautiful ■ mingling of colours in so many separte p.luttes, and with such bewildering rapidity, con be better imagined taan described, and was a fitting prelude to herald the might and majesty of the dust fiend. As the storm came closer, the beautiful colour effect faded away, and &ui .apparent solid wall of red anvd black dust was seen, the iminedi-

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ate front of which was a whirling mass of eddies. Every thingseemed to pause, and a perfect stillness reigned. With a bound the Dust King took control, e and in a second from clear, bright e sunlight ami perfect peace t there « was a change to a furious rushing 11 raging inferno with sheets of iron, '} broken trees, loose debris, and in l_ fact any moveable object tearing d through, the air. All this oc- • curred in absolute darkness—so '" black that the hand could not be ' seen before the face, and compar--1 ed to which an ordinary (lark r night would be light. li'ov some B five minutes this condition reL ' mained, when a break seemed to " be coming, as a rich burning red >• gave way to the blackness. How- ' ever, in a moment or two the dark | ness again came over, and for some * seventeen minutes alternate peri--3 ods of darkness or reu light con--3 tinued, gradually coining to a r thick yellow. It was then pos- ' sible to see the outline of a man 20 ■ yards away; for fully an hour the main storm continued,, and it was 1 not until three in the morning that normal conditions were again 1 experienced. The thermometer, which" immediately prior to the storm registered 107 degrees dropped some 20 degrees during the storm, and before morning was only registering 56 degrees, or a total fall of 51 degrees in less that six hours.