Where Strong Winds Blow.

At times northerly winds sweep with hurricane force down the narrow gullies, and during the early days of operating the Incline, these winds constituted a real menace to the safe running of trains. A mishap caused directly by the wind, occurred in September, 1880, when three carriages were blown completely off the line where it crossed a deep narrow gully named, not inaptly, “Siberia.” On that occasion, even the heavy tool boxes, which were not bolted down, were blown off the engine. Describing the mishap, Mr. J. Hosie, the then fireman (now a retired driver), stated, so great was the force of the wind, that, except by crawling on his hands and knees, and hanging on to the centre rail for support, he was unable to traverse the rest of the way across the gully. Eventually, he reached the Summit and help was forthcoming. Since that mishap massive timber breakwinds have been erected at the more exposed positions on the Incline, and travel over this part of the system is now as safe as anywhere else in the Dominion.