STORMY WEATHER.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 August 1920, Page 5

STORMY WEATHER.

DAMAGE AT THE SEASHORE RIMU'3 TRIP ABANDONED. Stormy weather continued in Uctf Plymouth yesterday and last, night, and though the gale dropped, heavy rain set in. Tho intensity of the storm, during Thursday night was revealed yesterday morning, when it was found that .considerable damage had been caused along'' tha foreshore. The East End Reserve felt the full force of the- gale, tromendous seas run* ning right up the Henui river. Tha docking of the footbridge was under water, while the paddock* near-by were" flooded. The wooden groyne, whidh.tht Uorongh Council had creeled as a t*m-< porary protection against the erosion ofl the foreshore, was unable to resist the! strain. A considerable part of it wat> swept away, a portion being deposited* on the beach across the river, while on* section was carried as far as the breach in front of the Girls' High School board-" ing house. A portion of the rubble . wall, erected by the railway department along the Henui River for the protection of the railway bridge, was also washed away. The wall erected along the front of the pavilion and band rotunda, with the reclaimed land en-, i closed, escaped damage, though the sand that had accumulated was Wished -, away. ' The cliff along Woolcombe 1 Terrace, ' where serious erosion has taken place for some time past, suffered considerably, some hundreds of yards being washed away.' To prevent very serious ; v damage protective works are more than % ever necessary now. A boat which had "■» been housed in a cave in tha cliffs wm ••' washed away and destroyed. At the breakwater the sight was & ' magnificent one. Tremendous seas were - breaking along the length of the wall, and some anxiety was felt regarding the Homo liner Otarama, which wa» berthed at the wharf. .Captain Waller, (the harbormaster) saw that every precaution was taken, and beyond breaking one or two ropes, which were quickly replaced,'no damage was done, and the liner lay in perfect safety at the wharf) ■ The storm provided a test which strikingly demonstrates the safety of tint, harbor. , No cargo was worked on the Otarama .. yesterday. The meat that was waiting in the trucks was taken back to tbe works, and placed in cool storage until the weather abates. The only other - vessels in port are the dredges Paritutu and Thomas King. The New Plyinouth-Onohungft service has been slightly dislocated by the Rimu abandoning yesterday's trip. The vessel was bar-bound at Onehunga on Thursday, but hoped'to sail yesterday. This, however, was not practicable, and | tho vessel will not come down till Xuet-.. j day morning. I About five o'clock yesterday morning the wind, which had been blowing from the west, veered slightly to tho south, and though it still blow violently, -its ' force was not felt quite so much, and later in the day it dropped. Yesterday morning there was still a very heavy sea running, Mikotahi being whito with foam. The rain was badly' wanted through-'.. out the country districts, a» the MM- ■ tures were as dry as in summer time, and matters were looking serious ■•> 1 . the point of view of feed for the cow*, that are fast coming into profit now. ,' Unless followed by a spell of cold wea- '*':, ther, the rain will do a great deal of.■' good.