TERRIFIC STORM AT LYTTELTON

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 57, 1 April 1909, Page 3

TERRIFIC STORM AT LYTTELTON

UIStAT UA.MAUE JJUXK. Not within the memory of the -'oldest inhabitant" of the port has wiu-Jl a terrific storm burst upon Lyttcllon as was experienced there on Tuesday morning, says a l'ress Association telegram from Christchurph. From shortly before six o'clock until aliout !) o'clock Lyttcllon evented to lie the centre of an extraordinary violent cyclonic disturbance, which brought with it torrential rain and a terrific sea, and ill those few short hours damage to the extent of thousands <pf pounds was done in the harbor Throughout Monday a. cold B oulh-teut wind was blowing at Lyttellun, with occasional rain .showers, but at night it changed to the smith-west, and gradually increased in strength. Heavy lain coniiue-iicvd to fall, ami during the early hours of the following morning there were several d'duges of rain which hurst over the hai.,„r with great violence. About seven o'clock, however, came a lull. It was only the. calm lieiore a terrible storm. The wind worked round with great suddenness to the eastward, and was .sunn blowing with hurricane force. With the wind came rain, not heavy showers, hut great torrents. l''or some lioure a perfect deluge fell. There was, however, no fear of Hood, for tire water was qui, kly carried oil' the htcep streets of the town by the storm water sewers, while all the gullies round about wvn- raging torrents.

XIIK UAltßOll. The most L'Mra<ii:li,Kii-> feature of the great .storm v.iis in,- gical suddenness wit.li «lhitk a |..i-1 -nal hcii got up in the harbor. I'lio ..mil, blowing with

great violence inmi the eastward, brought with it n tcrriiic .son, which rolled up tli;' harbor in liujro swells. On the Jjvtteliuu side of the harbor the Biii'ti, of lihe sea was that extraordinary ■jituu swells smashed an caster)) mid of lliv reclaimed land below Spur l'uint, and altliiiiigh no very serious damage insulted, there were- several wiisii-umo m the rubble facing, while seas swept clean Over Hie foreshores, u ud huge [Wots of water formed in all the hollow l>la«3» along the water front. Further up the .harbor, however, the damage done was very heavy. Huge rollers made ait attuek on the eastern breakwater at its junction with the reclaimed land at Officer's I'uinl. Here there was already a break ill the rubble i facing, caused by a heavy i-;ea about two yea re ago, and the breach was quickly widened. The breakwater makes a trend out into the harbor- at this .spot for about a third of its lengtlh, aiuli the outer lace wa-> thus exposed to the full strength of the seas. Huge pieces of nick were picked up by the seas and rolled and thrown -about in nil directions, and carried away by tile violent backwatih, jiud rubble aiid iclay "lilling'' w as washed out in tons, while the outer roads of the railway lines tell into the gaps -and disappeared.

JSKKAKWATKK DAMAUKD. About a hundred or two hundred yanks further along, at tin; uulvv bond 'of the, breakwater, Ike damage was even worse. The .breakwater is even more exposed at this point, ami enormous „eas were soon ruaning right, over Urn rocks aad across the timber decking of (Hailstone I'ier. The outer railway lines were quickly broken up and carried awa.y. As llu; seas jite. out the rock facing and filliujfs, tliey itiiuli- an enormous lireaeh iu the Ijrea'kwaler, and while hundreds of tons of roeks and clay were wasted acruss the to|> of the breakwater anil deposited in a great ha.ik over the inside rails, while, the timber decking lof tiladstone I'ier was covered uiili ;.' thick layer of rocks, shingle, clay, and silt right to the Tails of schooners moore<i inside. files of jarrah sleepers, stacked along the outer edge of the breakwater, were swept away or piled in cqii fusion among old boilers unit 'ballast buckets, and, across 11,0 railway lines. At 10 o'clock lint breakwater presented an extraordinary .scene of wreck and devastation, and although the seas were losing something of their tremendous low, they were still engaged in their work 'of destruction, and were stMl sweeping over the level of the rails aad ""!' '? :l1 "' ""'P-ning the gaj. they had made earlier.