The War of the Winds.

Manawatu Herald, 3 February 1898, Page 2

The War of the Winds.

A WELLINGTON ■BREEZ&

On Tuesday at 1 o'oloek com. _*enced the battle of the giants proper. With a loud roar the soatheaster swept over the city at the same moment that the north weater emitted a terrific blast, and the two clinching in mid-air, grappled, as it were, with concentrated fury. The effect was ourious to witness. . Instantly, olouds of dust arose from every quarter of the city, so dense as to partially obscure the view ; every, where sheets of paper whirled and whirled in the air; the tops of the trees, buffeted by the adverse gales, seemed actually to be describing circles; the harbour waters were torn and, tossed by competing squalls ; pedestrians were seen from an elevation to be scattering pell mell for shelter; while daring oyclists here there battled with the storm, though not all quite successfully, for there were several spills and one or two prompt " climb downs »' ; the yacht fleets at their moorings ducked and strained, bufc the bigger craft, fast secured, budged not, though the mizzen -topgallant sail of the ship Canterbury was shaken out and flopped about in the gale, emitting reports like pistol-shots, its restora-, tion "snug" providing a perilous task for those plucky jack tars, her orew, whose operations were watched by many anxious eyes ; as were those of the crew of the Moel Try van, at anchor in the bay, who were for the. like reason similarly placed. For twenty minutes continued this ••whirl of the winds." Then the north-westerly loosed his grip and fell away. Straightway, with a triumphant final blast, the southeaster took full possession of affairs ■ 'hen, as if to augment his triumph* ceased his turmoil and departed! paving sentinel a steadier breese. Then the rain fall.

Mr R. B. Gore, at the Colonial Observatory, said he had never in the course of 40 years seen auch a dust storm in Wellington. He reports that the barometer fell from *38 at 9 in the morning to 298 at 4 i o'clock, when the war of winds ~ occurred. The fall in the thermometer was not so marked. It drppped from 69 to 64 between midbay and 8 o'clock in tbe afternoon. As far as wa can learn no very great damage was done by the itorm.—N.Z. Times.