HEAVY GALE

Hokitika Guardian, 9 October 1928, Page 1

HEAVY GALE

GREAT LOSS OF TREES. ON CANTERBURY PLAINS. (Bv Telegraph—-Press Association). (HR ISTCHUR CIT, October 9. The gale in Canterbury to-day has been exceptionally severe, especially over the Plains, where its velocity lias been much greater than in Christchurch. The city lias, escaped with minor damage to fences and a few trees blown down.

In the country there is much more serious damage. In Springfield several chimneys were blown down. Five hundred trees are down in the Domain there. Some of the roads are blocked with fallen trees. The telegraph lines are down.

At Kowai Mush, trees were uprooted and , some sheds were blown down. At Coalgate. also'trees suffered, and some outbuildings were unroofed. It is clear from the reports to hand that thousands off trees must have been blown down all over the plains. The flood danger from the Waimakariri River, about 1 which Dr Kidson sent a special warning, seems likely to pass. The river has not been in very high flood, and is already falling.

WELLINGTON DAMAGE. WIND 00 MILKS AN HOUR. WELLINGTON, October B.‘ A fierce gust of wind shortly after nine this morning unroofed the house of Mrs Emily Kate Alderson, 119. Moxham Avenue, Hataitai, the timber and tiles -being deposited on two neighbours’ premises thirty feet away. A portion of the roof broke up in the air, the tiles flying in all directions. The two damaged houses were those of Airs Birch, 121. and Mr King, 123, The Aklersons are shifting as quickly as possible to save the furniture from the threatening heavy rain. All chimneys at Birch’s house were levelled. When the reporter . left Hataitai at 12.30 another lioii.se was rapidly losing the roof, but no body was at home. Fortunately, the whole occurrence was without accident, the children all being at school and few pedestrians about. The wind was in the nature apparently of a tornado and confined practically to one spot. WELLINGTON, October 8. Money’s house, at Haitaitai, suffered severe damage when it was struck by a lifted roof from Alderson’s place, a portion of the timber and the tiles being flung through a passage into the breakfast room. Lumps off brick and mortar from damaged chimneys fell in all directions, and some of the files went flying as far as seventy feet. An eye-witness said that Alderson’s roof rose, as if lifted' by enormous hands, at ten past nine. V A gust, sixty miles an hour, was recorded at Kelhiim Observatory. It was 12.25 before the Maun garni i was berthed. The Mauiignnui Van into a stiff northerly at three a.m. aful had heavy going' thereafter to AAdeliwgton. where she arrived at 6.20 but could not lie berthed owing to the gale. Bhe was anchored, but dragged her moorings and had to be taken to the northern end off tlie harbour. By eleven, the wind moderated, and the vessel was safely brought to the wharf.

STRANGE SIGHT. IN WELLINGTON STORM. WELLINGTON. October 8. To-day AYeliington was treated to nieteorologeal conditions ol a distinctly uncanny character. Alter a night of howling wind, with gusts that shook tlie houses and tested the ienees the day broke grey, dreary and tempestuous. as far away from blithe, jocund spring as one could well imagine it to be. The cable messages reported Sydney as being under a pall of “ suspended dust.” and that its general direction was towards New Zealand. AA hetliei this dust could travel as far as New Zealand in the time or not, has not been established but tlie 'lact remained that between 9.30 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. tlie light from above hardly corresponded with that which usually prevails in grey murky weather. It was a sickly, yellow light—not unlike the effect gained when one looks at the world through amber-tinted glasses; and the only likely explanation for this (-fled offered was that it might be due to the action of the sun’s rays coming through a pall of the suspended dust referred to in the cable message. Curiously enough, as soon as rain fell, tla- yellow tinge faded from the colour scheme.