THE SYDNEY STORM

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 86, 20 July 1910, Page 5

THE SYDNEY STORM

THE WORST REALISED. NARROW ESCAPES. By Cable.—Press Association. —Copyright Sydney, July 19. Yesterday's storm was the strongest recalled in the memory of the oldest inhabitants. Some of the gusts of wind had a velocity of 80 miles an hour. Hundreds of umbrellas were turned inside out. There were great piles of them in the gutters and in different corners. .Many buildings were blown down, unroofed, or otherwise damaged. A lady in North Sydney had a miraculous escape. She was lying on sickbed when a whole chimney fell with part of the roof on her bed. She was injured, but not seriously. Another chimney fell between a man' and his son, who were a few feet apart, but neither was touched. Along the coast the seas were tremendous. Shipping is sheltering in all ports. It is a worse gale than the Nemesis gale of 1904. Owing to snow in the Blue Moun- j tains the railway service is disorganised. It is reported' that several engines arc' derailed, but owing to broken telegraph; lines details are not available. It hasi been learned, however, that there are four feet of snow on the track in many' j places. By this morning the ",torm had ;, I abated, and the rain cleared off,'but,; the weather is very cold.

THE STATE OF SYDNEY. j VERY EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. ' Sydney, July 19. The abatement of the storm was only temporary.At 10 o'clock the rain again poured down, and the city streets were sheets of water. The low-lying suburbs are, partly submerged, and residents aisj moving. j Telephone and telegraph wires arej down, and Sydney is almost isolated.: ij Details of the damage are slowly ing to hand. '<■ At Coogee the ladies' batli was paH tially washed away, and Mrs. Basset#, the keeper, who was on the premises, 'is ■now missing. At Kensington a pony in a padclo<sJ< was blown over and almost buried iij tiie sand, and had to be dug out: 1-1 At Bondi, two ladies were over and rolled along the beach. One regained her feet, but her skirts were 1 torn off. Both lay flat and waited fo)' assistance, which was rendered wim great difficulty. The Padding-ton Town Hall, a large substantial building, was partly uriroof®| and the children's dance broken up. n At Mosman a cab was blown ov<jj| and the driver's arm fractured. h At North Sydney and Neutral I?a ; v two of the high level suburbs, winch are fully exposed, everything movable changed its location. Trees forty leet high were uprooted and carried several yards. The roof of one house was hurled against a butcher's establishment, completely wrecking it. A brick Church of England, recently completed, "had one o? the main wall? blown in. and was unroofed. The Church was smashed. " A It was still raining heavily 'at noon.

TREES SMASHED AND UPROOTED. DAMAGE TO TELEGRAPH LTNES. Received Julv 19, 10 p.m. Sydney, Last Night. The gales uprooted and smashed trees in all directions and destroyed many telegraph poles. The lines jn some cases are down for long distances,. The telephone services are Mjtllv disorganized, and a great number )of subscribers are cut off. Repairersj are at work in all directions. iJsi At Katoomba eighty telephones were fused by the electrical disturbance. DAMAGE TO SHIPS. RIVER SETTLERS FLEE. Received Julv 19, 10.30 p.m. Sydney, Last Night. At the height of the sale to-dnv the steamer Hunter was driven against the Wimmera, slightly damaging her bulwarks. The Nepean river is in high flood, and a large area of country is inundated. | Residents on the flats are moving. THE WEATHER "RATING. Received Julv 20, 1.10 a.m. Svdney. Last Night. The rain has stopped. The sea is still unsettled and ronirh. The mountain railwav lines were cleared of snow and the trains are running. The telfegraph lin n s are si owl v being restored. Manv stations are still cut out. All news is manv hours behind. NEPEAN IN FLOOD. Received JuV 20. 1.25 a.m. Svdnev. Last Night. The traffic on the rVnden line suspended, owing to the Nepean river floods.