GALE AND FLOOD.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 144, 1 April 1909, Page 2

GALE AND FLOOD.

Damage at Lyttelton. The weather experienced throughout the Dominion at the beginning of this week appears to have been exceptionally severe. Heavy rain was experienced locally, but nothing in the shape of a storm was apparent. Similar conditions prevailed generally in the North Island, the most severe, effects being felt at Waihi, Paeroa, and Gisborne. In the South the heavy rainfall was accompanied by a terrific gale the centre of the storm breaking at Lyttelton and Christchurch. From shortly before six o'clock on Tuesday morning until about nine o'clock, Lyttelton seemed to be the centre of an extraordinarily violent cyclonic disturbance, which brought with it torrential rain and a terrific sea; and in those few hours damage to the extent of thousands of pounds was done in the harbour. In the early hours of the morning several heavy storms burst over the harbour with great violence. About six o'clock, however, the wind suddenly worked round to the eastward, and was soon blowing with hurricane force. With the wind came rain—not heavy showers, but great torrents. For some hours a perfect deluge fell. There was, however, no fear of a flood, for the water was quickly carried off the steep streets of the town by the storm water sewers. A feature of the storm was the suddennes with which a phenomenal sea got up in the harbour. The wind, blowing with great violence from the eastward, broght with it a terrific sea, which rolled up the harbour in huge swells. On the Lyttelton side of the harbour the effect was extraordinary. Great swells smashed on the eastern end of the reclaimed land below Spur Point, and although no very serious damage resulted there were several washouts in the rubble facing. Along the water front, further up the harbour, however, the damage done was very heavy. The huge rollers made an attack on the eastern brakwater, at its junction with the reclaimed land at Officers' Point. Here there was already a break in the rubble facing, caused by a heavy sea about two years ago, and the breach quickly widened. The breakwater makes a trend out into the harbour at this spot for about a third of its length, and the outer face was thus exposed to the full strength of the seas. Huge pieces of rock were picked up by the seas and rolled and thrown about in all directions, and carried away by the backwash. The rubble and clay filling was washed out in tons, while the outer roads of railway lines fell into gaps and disappeared. About 100 or 200 yards further along at the outer bend of the breakwater the damage was even worse. The estimated damage is £30,000.