Fierce Gale Sweeps Britain

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 189, 31 October 1927, Page 1

Fierce Gale Sweeps Britain

MANY DEAD OR INJURED

Great Damage and Destruction Wrought

MANY lives were lost through a great gale in England, which,, maintaining a tremendous velocity, sorely harassed shipping, and wrought great damage cn the coast and inland.

' (British Official Wi Reed. 10.50 a,m. RUGBY, Saturday. A heavy gale swept the British Isles last night, the wind maintaining an average velocity of nearly 60 miles an hour, and 78 miles an hour was registered at Valientia, in Ireland. Vessels round the coast, particularly in the south-west and the Irish Channel, experienced violent seas, but few casualties occurred. The destroyer Rowena, with a naval tug, went to the assistance of the Spanish tanker Arnus, 4,185 tons, the steering gear of which broke west of Portland Bill, placing her in danger of drifting on the rocks in West Bay. She Was brought to a safe position, naval craft standing by, and afterwards towing her into Weymouth. Mersey ports suffered severely from the gale, and a steam barge broke her moorings, crashed against the dock wall, and sank, drowning the mate. Inland much minor damage was done. In London, a 100-ton crane, employed on a "new building, crashed. At Bradford a 180 ft. mill chimney was blown down. Two hundred employees working in the building escaped injury.

T irelesa.—Copyright) At Blackpool, four -water-cooling towers 250 ft. high were torn down. A power station in an adjoining area was flooded, and the town was deprived of electric current for several hours. From all parts of the coast heavy seas and damage to piers and shipping are reported. The crew of the Scarborough, a motor fishing-boat, which was believed to be lost, was towed to port late last night, with the craft damaged after having been blown 30 miles before a gale. Altogether more than 20 lives were lost. Accidents of many descriptions occurred. The telephone and telegraph wires are down in all directions and broadcasting and beam wireless services are dislocated. The sea defences broke down at Fleetwood, Lancashire, where the streets were flooded and five persons were drowned. Many homes were destroyed and numerous people slept in schools and cinemas. The river Lune overflowed its banks and flooded the Lancaster isolation hospital. Three tuberculosis patients who were sleeping in the grounds were drowned.—A. and N.Z.