A VIOLENT GALE

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10452, 18 October 1911, Page 4

A VIOLENT GALE

DOES DAMAGE IN MASTERTON. A violent westerly gale, which resultedi in considerable visited Master ton 'm Tuesday after-' r.con. For a time- the wind blew with hurricane force, and huge clouds of dust and metal swept the streets. Men. and women were carried off their feet, hats were flyingin all directions, fences and hoardings were toppled over, limbs of trees crashed to the ground, and houses shivered as if etruck by a. whirlwind.

Much damage is reported to have been done to orchards and planta'-* tions, many trees were uprooted, and others stripped of their blossomis.

A large hoarding in Hall Street, belonging to Mr J. Arthur, was torn down, and thrown across the footpath.

The scaffolding was. wrenched off a building which was in course of construction. ;, (Fences down in several 'parte wfch'e town, and the iron, -was ■lifted from a number of outhouses;. • A vehicle which was proceeding along the was blown completely over. The occupants fortunately escaped without injury. A plate glass window of one. of the Queen Street snaps was broken by flying -debris, and every establishment in the towm was more or less damaged-with dust. The wind subsided somewhat towards four o'clock, and a heavy shower of rain fe11...

' Another /'gale sprang, up in; the evening, (but it was not of the same violence as that.,of the afternoon.