STORMY WEATHER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 128, 30 May 1903, Page 2

STORMY WEATHER.

FEB PBESS ASSOCIATION. Nelson, May 29, Heavy rain, to'aliiug nearly four inches for tbe week, has fallen almost continuously during tbe last five days. The rivers in trn district are very high ai.d consib rable damage to bridges a&d roads is reported from the Ngatirnote dis'rict. Several thunder storms also prevailed. It is sti 1 taining but th* weather is now clearing. | Steaiford, May 29.

Great damtge has been done to tbe roads in the tas'ern portion of th Stratford O-unty. The rain in tht dis'siict was the heaviest known foi years. At 4.30 on Thursday mornitg light. ning struck tbe house of a man named Leiofsky, separating one pirtbn from the other. The man and tit wife and child ware s'efp'ng in one of tbe severed portions. Shortly after a hoc slip s-v«pt away tho portion of th< bouse wlrch was untouohed by the lightniug, ctrrying is a cotsidtrable distance from its original positior, Ikglewood, May 29.

Consequent on the late downpour, he»vy slips have occuired on theTarata zig-z iff, entirely cutting off vehicular ■ rattic between the two ends of the zigz g, and thus interrupting communica tion wi< h all places to the north-eas of Kaima'e, The daily ma h are carried on foot war somi miles, and all othtr tri.tii''. is suspendeJ.

As a result of tin late electrical storm, all telephone lightniog guards were fused, but there was no serious damage.

Around the Tarata d's'rict the roads suft'etred extensively, in some cases bting completely washed away for chains. There have been heavy land-, slips on farms, and considerable damage.

A lady patient suffering frcm rheumatic fever was brought in from To rata this morning. She had to be carried on a streicher over the zig-zig to a con nectiog veh'clt-, through drenching rain, and an ived here safely Eltbam, May 29. Heavy rains caused considerable damage in the Mangamingi district, th-3 rotd *> i""g wash'id away, and communication in ten up'el. Cowsheds and fences were blown down.

EFFfIOT ON TELEGRAPH SERVICE. | Telegraphic communication hassutfered somewhat severely from the recent heavy wetther. Communication on the north line? of this district is suspended north of Ureuui, though an odd message or two from Mokau has come to hand via Auckland, down East (Joist to Wellington, and thence to New Plymouth, informatim bv that somewhat circuitous rou'o was received from Uruti Road to-night stating (hit eeveral poles are down on the New Plymouth to Auckland line, two htving d appeared altogether inthMioii River. Roads are impassable owing to heavy slips and some days will probably elapse ere pjlee, mitt rial, etc., ran be got tbrough. Several linemeo have been despatched and it is hoped temporary commudcation nil be restored to-day. fhe damage to the railway reclamation works through the collapse of the walls forming a channel for the town streiin to the ee* is likely to prove a seiious ma'ter. A large g'aff of men were kept at wok on Friday, but their efforts were chit fly directed to preventing the scour from doing further damage. It will be impossible, how-1 ever, to do much good until the volume of water subsides. Fortunately the traffij is no' in anyway aff.c'ed by the] catastrophe.

Some effort has been m*do to remedy the work of destruction which was going oa at the cliffs ct the end of Govtr-street, although a hrga poriion of the seaward side of the ro:d to th beach has disappeared. Bifore the s'orm cime the water in the depression near the cliffs was ovri flowing ani scouring down the road, loosaniDg tbe earth, but a cutting has n >w bean made aud it shoots over the cliff, There i» quite a large lake and until this is got lid of ic will be a standing menace to the cliffs and the roadway. The damage to th 6 Frankley-roid Tannery is greater than appeared at first-, a large quantity of-leathcr being discoloured tnrough contact; with the flood wator mixed with chemicals used in the busings*.

The bursting of tho cu!vertat the Henui may prove a serious matter. There is a large ciroular well like tub sidence on each side ef the county road and these increase in siza every minute. No steps appear lo have been taken tu stop up the mouth of the culvert temporarily so tint the ;ed water is takiog its usual destructive course.