CYCLONIC STORM.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 December 1919, Page 5

CYCLONIC STORM.

WANGANUI SEVERELY TRIED. TREES UPROOTED AND WINDOWS BLOWN IN. Wanganui, Dec. 22. Wanganui was visited by a cycloni? storm of great violence last evening, and it was regarded by many old residents as being one of the worst within their knowledge. Fortunately it was of short duration, otherwise widespread destruction would have been caused.

A gale had been blowing for a couple of days from the west. At i o'clock it died down suddenly, and there a perfect calm /or a time, Then .al}< of a sudden a squall set in with viqlence from the south, accompanied by heavy thunder and extremely vivid lightning. A peculiar phenomenon was tile fact that the township was enveloped in sand from the coast, and many people became seriously alarmed at the rockirig of their houses.

A number of trees were uprooted, and in that connection Mr! David Urquhart had ft miraculous escape. While he was walking along Ingestre Street a big pine tree was blown over just behind him, falling across the footpath where he had been walking a couple of minutes before. In Queen's Park half a dozen pine trees were either rooted up or snapped off like pieces of sticks, while trees were blown down in various parts of the town. About three chains of the fence around the Recreation Grounds were levelled. Boss's

goods pontoon near the town bridge sank, and it is believed it had a quantity of goods aboard. Other damage in Wanganui included several windows blown In and fruit trees stripped. At Castlecliff the gale was particularly severe. The wind got beneath a ventilator of the Loan and Mercantile Company's new wool store at Castlecliff, and blew off'about two hundred sheets of roofing iron. The verandah of a house in the seaside suburb was lifted and deposited some distance away. Worshippers in St. Paul's Presbyterian Church became alarmed at the tremors of the building, which is of brick, and the blowing in of a ventilator was the sign of a hurried exit on the part of some members of the congregation. A steady downpour of rain cleared away after lasting for about an hour, and by 10 o'clock the cyclone had passed away. , _ In the hill country around Wanganui abnormally cold weather was experienced yesterday, and snow was reported from Mangamahu and other places. Not a great deal of damage was done to the South Spit. Although the gale was so violent the sea was not as rough as would have been expected. The dumping of spoil is having a good effect, an.j the sea is not now breaking so much upon the internal training-wall.

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Dally News car leaves each morning at 4.30 o'clock for Hawera, returning from Hawera (I/. O. Hooker's) at_ 7.15, Eltham 7.55, Stratford 8.10, and Inglewood 8.50, reaching New Plymouth (via j Egmont Road) at 9.30-W. Bransgrove, ' nrnwriatar,