HEAVY GALE.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 June 1917, Page 4

HEAVY GALE.

DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. A gale from the south-south-cast was . j raging with unusual violence in New Plymouth on Sunday night and throughout yesterday, increasing in strength as the hours want by, the heavy and almost continuous gusts becoming greatly intensified. During the forenoon and afternoon there was a slight abatement in the strength of the gale, but it still continued to make its powers unpleasantly felt in all parts of the town and district. The resultant damage to property was considerable, and may have been even greater than is at present known, ns nil particulars, especially for the country are not ascertainable. Trees, chimneys, and fences were blown idown almost in every locality, while sheds were overturned, roofs lifted and the electric wires so damaged as to interrupt the lighting in various parts of tho -town. In connection with the latter trouble, however, the borough staff was soon aptively at work, energetically carrying out the necessary repairs. One of the largo windows of the municipal buildings was blown in, this being the second occasion on which a similar thing has happened. The departure of the mail train was delayed by about an hour, owing to telegraph, lines being down, thus preventing the operation of the tablet system, but no other damage so far as the railway is concerned hat yet been reported. A number of tree! in Pukekura Park were uprooted, and the same fate befell treet on various properties. In Fitr.toy a large tree fell right across the footpath, and there, at elsewhere, fences suffered considerably. The kiosk on the beaeh at Ngamotu was badly damaged, a portion of the roof and balcony being stripped off and distributed along the beach {or a coniidS evable distance.. A resident of the Wettown district found ft shed roof on hit front lawn, and whence it came he did not know, while at Vogeltown, in Bolt Road and in several other places Bhcds were blown down. The rotary derrick-nt the Taranaki Oil Wells property col* lapsed, and other minor damage «u (lone. It is impossible at present to even roughly estimate the extent of the damage, especially as the gale was still rafing last night. * A shed on the High School ground wu clown away. Several stacks of hay on suburban farms have disappeared. The beautiful tree ferns in many of the New Zealand gardens present a »orry looking spectacle, most of the front bvr* ing been destroyed. ' FLOODS AT NAPIER, By Telegraph.—Press Association* Napier, Yesterday. Serious floods are threatened as 9i points of ruin fell in 24 hours. At 9 a.m. ! to-day it wns raining heavilj, and a» the breaks in the Meanee river, caused by the lust iit,..' ■. have not yet been repaired, unless the weather clears, of which there is no prospect, the flood must be serious. DAMAGE AT GREYMOUTH. ! Greymouth, Latt Nlst. A heavy southerly gale prevailed *ll day, and increased in force towards six o'clock, when a great gust caught tho store of W. R. Kettle, and the front portion, which was of brick, was blown out, blocking the street. Fortunately no one was injured. There wat other ioinor damage to fences. On account of the heavy tea on the bar it is not thought the Karamu or Ron-, mond will be able to entefc