THE NEVERTIRE TORNADO.

Otago Witness, Issue 2237, 14 January 1897, Page 40

THE NEVERTIRE TORNADO.

Nevertire, recently visited by a tornado, is on (he direct railway line from Sydney to Bourke, tnd is 162 miles from the terminus of the line. The township comprises about 80 houses all told. This were practioally all wood and iron Btrnctures ; in fact, there are only two brick buildirjgs in the place. The reason given for this is that the ground is of a very porous nature, and that daring the hot summer weather it dries and leaves large open cracks. These close agaiu as soon as raiD falls, and the general belief is that the brick buildings do not stand so well as wooden "ones The plsce does a good business amongst wool and other carriers, -and is looked upon as being fairly progressive. Probably the inhabitants number 300 ■oul&. For days the weather bad beßn sultry. Those .who were weather wise predicted a storm on Monday. Suddenly it burst, and the place was enveloped in duifc. The wind had terrific force. It tore sheets of iron off the houses, and they flew about the streets as though they were so many pieces of paper. The roofs followed bodily, and ■ buildings came crashing down. How the occupants escaped with their i lives is marvellous. Brick ohiraneys were j blown down, and, falling through the- roofs, ! completely filled the kitchens with bricks, j wooden beams, and sheet iron. Furniture was smashed, and-, the people, who rushed from their houses to avoid the danger, were flung to the ground, and found that there was even less eafttty in the streets. Even horses were lifted bodily into the air and carried away for some distance. They became entangled in the wire j fence;, and the falling trees, and many of them { were killed. As for the two churched — the j Church of England aod the Roman Catholic Church — they were simply missed. They were Standing there before the storm commenced — they had afterwards disappeared. No one, so far as can he gathered, saw them go. It was bo dark that the people could scarcely see their bands before thtin. The wind roared so fiercely, that although the pcopiemight be close together they could not hear each other speak ; and as for the debris flying iv the air, no one could tell whether it came from a church or from his own or his neighbour's house. The Church of England was a comparatively new building, capable of seating about 150 persons. Nothing in the shape of a building is left — it has been smashed to atoms. There are a few form* and logs of wood alone left to mark the site. The Roman Catholic Church was only recently opened. It would accommodate about 125 persons, and only two services had been held in it. It had cost about £150, and was fully paid for. Only a portion of the porch with -a cross upon it is now left. One peculiar feature of the storm (says the special of the Sydney Herald) is the erratic course the wind ,took. A 9 you walk down the streets to-day yon will notioe that one building has been taken bodily away, whilst others close to it, and probably even slighter structures, have been left intact. The back portion of a house will have been cut clean off, whilst the front portion is uninjured. Portions of roofs are missing, the corners having the appearance of having been oat away. The effects or the visitation were felt for a distanoe of over six miles, and the -homesteads of several selectors and squatters were wrecked. Some waggons ' which were being loaded with wool at the Nevertire station were taken charge of by the wind and conveyed for a distance of three miles down tbe Sydney line. One large bale was blown from the station yard as though it was a cork. The telegraph line between Neverbire and Warren was laid on the ground, and in other places tbe force of the wind bent the iron telegraph post« double. At the finish of th« whirlwind there were rain and hailstones for some time, but at tbo end of half an hour there ■was a welcome oatm which gave an opportunity ! to the terrified inhabitants of examining the ' extent of the damage done. • Very graphic accounts are given by the ftowntpeople of their experiences during the storm. Mr Walter Butler, an agent for Messrs Wright, Heaton, and Co., states :—" The storm commenced at abont a-quarter past 4 o'olook. It came from the west to the east. Immediately beforehand it was stifling. Pint there was a dust-storm, and suddenly a whirlwind came up like a southerly burster does at Sydney, only with gigantic force. The townspeople, as I have heard since, were terrified. I can assure you it was an anxious time for all of us whilst it lasted. I had a narrow escape. As you oan see, my house is a wreok, part of the roof has gone, and the kitchen is filled with debris. I and my wife were sitting in the kitchen at the lime. The storm had only been on a few •ainutee when the house *wayed and the ceiliag began to crack. Suddenly the kitchen chimney came orasbing through the roof. Being afraid that the whole house would collapse, I dragged Mrs Butler to the front door. The wind instantly separated us, and my wife was thrown under a waggon, about 50 yards from "where we were standing. The waggon protected her a little; but her clothes were torn, and she collected Borne of them off the waggon yesterday morning. She was injured slightly by tbe fall and the rough usage the wind subjected her to. As for myself, I was blown away from her. A piece of corrugated iron struck me behind, and the wind acting on it like a sail, drove me aloDg towards the Government tank, a quarter of a mile distant. I was blown up against a tree, in company with another man, and I clung to it until the storm was over. An 800 gal tank came sailing along just like a balloon. It is on the Government reserve now. I oould hear the shee£ iron as it came whizzing by me, and expected every minute to be cut by it. It cut the iron wire fences like a knife. Branohes of trees broke off in all directions. See how the place w strewn both by sheet iron, wooden joists, and by uprooted trees and branches. You could hear nothing distinctly, only one loud roar, like the roar of the sea. There was no distinct crash, although chimneys and houses were falling about, and buildings were being carried away. When I could drag myself back I found my wife safe, still under the waggon ; bat my house was in ruins, and my furniture broken and damaged. The only thing that gave life to the place was a clock on tbe mantelshelf ticking away as though nothing had happened." A liberal estimate of the total damage would be about £8000. Thin amount, too, is well distributed, the largest losers estimating their loss at not more than £1000 each.

Six orders of commitment to the Seacliff Lunatic Asylum have been isined by Mr Carew, S.M., since the beginning of the year.

The tru»tr-ea of the Wellington Hospital are claiming £300 compensation from the. Government for taking, for the use of the new battery, a spring ot water on the Hospital Reserve, near the Botanical Gardens.

On New Year's Day » cyclist wu picked up in an insensible state on the road between Norsewood and Kapua. His head was covered with blood, and his machine, which had no brake, was smashed to pieces, bis hat being mixed up in the gear and torn to ihreds. At latest tdricea ho was still izuejujblfti