THE STORM.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10045, 16 May 1910, Page 5

THE STORM.

HIGH WIND IN MASTERTON.

damage at r'otokua. On Saturday and Sunday the weather in Masterion was of a somewhat disagreeable and boisterous character. Durhig the early hours of Sunday a violent rainetcim was punctuated with hailstor.es for a time, and the wind blew with scch violence that in or.e cr two cruets loose windows were driven in bodily. Although the weather yesterday afternoon was fairly dry the wind increased to a velocity of about 50 miles an hour, and biting blast?, with occasional showers of rair, msde outdoor progression anything but comfortable. Early this morning, however, the wmd bad gone down somewhat, although the weather continued threatening. Many trees are reported to hsve been blonw down in tbe Wairaraps. In Wellington the weather was so bad on Saturday that all the football matches had to be postponed.

DAMAGE AT ROTORUA.

VAGARIES OF LIGHTNING.

By Telegraph—Press Association.

ROTORUA, May 14. During the storm at half past or.e this afternoon lightning struck tha flagstaff at the Grand Hotel and shattered it to splinters. The flag was flying half mast at the time. The clerk in tbe motor coaching company office was thrown off bis chair to the floor by tbe lightning; and in the saddlery shop adjoining one of: the men in stooping down to get sn article from under a bench was alto thrown to the ground. The electric lighting was interlered with, and many sbopß and other places are without cuirent tc-night. The lightning assumed the shape of a ball of fire, and in a yard attached to the Grand Hotel portions of tbe flagstaff were thrown a considerable distance.

The storm was of shurt duratior. but severe while it lasted.