GALE AT AUCKLAND.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 December 1920, Page 5

GALE AT AUCKLAND.

SHIPPING AFFECTED. SOME MINOR MISHAPS. By Tolegraph.—Pres3 Association Auckland, Last Night. - The boisterous weather which was experienced yesterday continued with increased violence throughout last night. This morning it abated a little, but still blew with unpleasant force. Some little difficulty was experienced by passengers in boarding the ferry boats this morning, but no accidents occurred. During the night a number- of small craft were submerged at various anchor-; ages, and this morning their owners were busy at work endeavoring to re-, float them. A yacht broke away from its moorings at Campbell's Point, and was recovered near Railway Wharf and secured to the steamer Kannn, which j was anchored at the wharf. A motor launch was also blown on the rocks at Cheltenham Beach.

The bollard on the railway wharf, round which the bow ropes, of the sixmasted barquentine E. R. Sterling were seeured, gave way la st evening under the strain. The vessel swung out towards the Northern Steamship Company's wharf, to which she was finally anchored. The blow also sank some in the punts carrying the pipes used in connection with the suction dredge now working at the Mechanics Bay reclamation, and the punts and pipes were all sunk. Owing to the severity of the gale « number of coastal sailing fixtures had to be postponed, while the Kauri, which put out into the stream last night preparatory to her departure for Newcastle, was not able to leave until this morning. The velocity of the north-easterly gale for the 24 hours ended at nine o'clock this morning was 500 miles. This is 410 miles above the average daily velocity of 150 miles for the year. The gale, while it blew with such force here was not felt south of Auckland.