THE GALE.

Auckland Star, Volume V, Issue 1251, 9 February 1874, Page 2

THE GALE.

LOiSS OF LIFE^D'CJBEAT DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY.

It js.nqw two yeajs since Auckland has been visjtediwith such hurricane as visited'the town rsfn&harbour on Saturday a little before midnight._ A sudden change in the-weather had r6ccqrred at three o'clock in the! afternoon,'at wHich hour"the sky became .cloudy, and severSl: rather heavy showers fell; accompanied^.-gusty squalls of windij (The wind ■ ,wa3 Jeering at ; the time between S.E. and S.W.,i"settling by seven or half-past seven* into qa steady south-west gale. In this quarter it continued gradually increasing in force up to half-past nine o'clock, when it.'lulled ' for^ a moment, and then came down with intensified violence from exaptly the ,\ opposite direction—namely, north-east. The change produced an extraordinary. and most alarming effect in the] harbour. The shipping, which had been mostly under shelter while the wind blew from tjbi south, was now fully ex(posed to the fury ofthe blast, and disastrous r results followed too quickly for any remedial '"rdeasurea -to3 be taOteJni The whole "of the acciden'ta to which" ye shall presently allude in detail took plaisje within the two hours betj^eon half-past t||n and one o'clock. We believe we are < corDßot in Btating that never before in the history of Auckland has so much damage" been inflicted by the wind alone in ; such = a.shcirt space of time. It is supposed by scientificinen that th c hurricane of the night beforelastjitbgetherwiththatofMondayimorning, which involved the destruction ,of the ilWateidrpgCtfter iFlora McDonald were1" traye.|ling cyclones, r detache,d portions, so to •speak, of the 'regular? monsppns which annually ivisit the lo^latitudes at this period of t^ie year. ,-Tfi.eresla evidence to hand at any ..-Kite that sSyeilal parts of the Australian] colonies, not to mention the islands of the South Pacinc7"where such visitations are comparatively common, have been lately the scenes of storma of %"ind, accompanied by a similar shifting of direotion. When daylight broT4e;on> Sunday morning ;it was pitiful to gaze upon.the work..of destruction perpetrated in the neighbourhood/ of the Queen-' street wharf. Nearlj^Mrty vessels, of,, 4 . ferent sizes— from the skip of oloee upoa

1,000 tons to the tiny yacht of one tonwere seen lying round in various stages of dilapidation. For was the damage confined to vessels alone. The wharf in many places showed signs of violent collision between it and drifting cutters and other craft. The. watermen's steps, on the eastern side of the wharf, were not to be seen. The steps uspd for access to the North Shore ferry steamers were also numbered with the things that had been. Here and there brolcen piles and bruised planking told of a shock sustained from a floating wreck, and generally a mast projecting above the surface of the water at a few yards distance spoke more graphically "than words can express the fate of the unconscious aggressor. The booking office on the A. S.P. Go's T had its entire front destroyed and its roofing damaged ; while the shed marked C, adjoining Messrs Elliott and Anderson's store, was propped up by beams of wood to prevent it coming to the ground. Nor did the wharf afford the only scene of destruction. At the Breakwater tbe surface of the harbour was dotted with driftwood and debris of boats which had succumbed to the fury of the storm. Mr JTilrlitch, the bath-keeper, bad two boats smashed up in addition to a yacht breaking nway and coming to grief at the Queen-street. wharf. At midnight Hilditch and his wife and family removed from their residence at the baths, and shifted their movables into the boat-shed belonging to the Auckland Rowing Club, all being under the impression that the piles of the bath would."give way to the continual strain brought to bear upon them by the wind and waves. At the North Shore the effects of the storm were severely felt. Not much damage was done on shore ; but the Devonport wharf and the p.s. Takapuna were the principal sufferers. The steamer in question broke from her moorings and was driven clean through the wharf on to the beach beyond, where she now lies in a disabled condition, her smoking snloon being wnashed, and the padflle-box and sponsons injured. A few days ago we referred to the false feeling of security which a spell of fine weather engenders. There is no doubt that to this may be attributed a great deal of the injury inflicted on the shipping of the harbour by Saturday's tttorm. Not a little may also be ascribed to the blow happening on Saturday night, when in some cases nearly the whole of ships' crews were taking a.ran on shore. It is certainly surprising when' we come to consider the not by any means exceptional character of violent .bursts at certain periods of the year that some steps are not taken by the authorities.-.to ensnre proper notice being given to jtnarinera pLtheir ap;;;™Qa,ch. A code of storm signals is now use'in afm^t ? ve7T port in England, atidlt is a lamentable dnuv-^e kwt( >: a sP]end^ harbour like the Waitemata that a nIZI! ar code is not in use here. The want isbnewhich is especially felt in a port so near to the tropics, as is that of Auckland. There is sottiehow an' aversion evinced on the part of our'harbour authorities to entertain the bare idea of the harbour being at all dangerous, and it 18 in consequence of this that tell to otte more accidents occur than wouid ocfidr.if proper precautions were adopted. It is a. mistaken idea to suppose thatproviding against danger is air admission of the possibility; of /clanger 'injurious to • the reputation " the port. It is^ much more t injurious t for, .public calamities to occur from the \ t absence" of or-, dinary preventive measures.Vi^Our. limited.: space precludes the possibility'of our dilating at greater length upon the general character of the misfoi'tune. We will now. proceed.tp s detail the injuries sustained by the 'diflerent vessels. The p.s. Challenger lies stink'and irreparably damaged just inside the North Shorb Company's T. it appears that in this case Captain Hargreaves took every precaution, and his vessel would have probably survived the storm had it not been for the Dauntless schooner and Otahuhu cutter breaking from their moorings and drifting down upon her. ' This occurred early in the night, and before the -wind was at its height. All three vessels came foul of the wharf, the Challengei* being, in the middle between the cutter and the schooner. In this position the steamer's side was stove in, and she filled and sank Bbortly after halfpast ten. The Dauntless herself, .sustained severe injuries, her starboard bow and quarter being smashed in. "Her rigging is also damaged. The Otahuhu cutter' sank after crushing her hull against the piles of the wharf. At about a quarter to eleven the barque Beatrice, moor edat; the eastern end of the outer T, broke adrift and fouled the ship Chile, which occupied the next berth. The Chile's cables/ unable: to"1 bear the double weight, parted, and both_yessels drifted past th<^ Victoria, s.s., up the harbour. In passing the fore-top-gallaht-mast of the Chile caught the rigging of the foremast of the Victoria—the result being-that-both came to grief. The Beatrice-was brought up without sustaining much injury about 200 yards from the end of the wharf, while the captain of the Chile, letting go both anchors, was enabled to arrest the erratic course of his vessel some little distance nearer' in Ashore and higher up the harbour. At low wa.ter the , ship took the ground, but the bottom being here nothing but soft mud to a considerable depth her bottom remained intact. We notice that our contemporary the Cross indulges in some very wild .flights of imagination as to the damage sastained by the Chile. In makiug 'his estimate the writer is evidently guided by what might have happened as well as'by what did happen. This is evidenced by the probability of the vessel being strained being so much harped upon. The amount" set dov^n by the Cross as covering the injury is five, hundred pounds, a • sum we are' assured on the best, authority at lfeast five times in excess of the actual loss sustained. Such random statements, materially affecting as they do the reputation of a vessel about to proceed, to sea, are highly reprehensible, and exhibit that very disregard for accuracy and reckless pandering to sensational effect which the Cross is ..very fond of ascribing to its neighbours. .The Beatrice and Chile have both- been removed from their perilous positions today At nearly the same minute that the i Beatrice broke loose, the headlines of the barque Lauderdale gave way, and she canted round with her stern fast to the wharf. The water space between the outer T and the A.S.P. Company's* T riot beint*1 sufficiently broad to allow her to swing right round her bow came in contact with the latter T just in front of the, A. S. P. Company's office, the jib-boom having previously inflicted a severe scraping to the roof of the office and torn down the front. Here the barque remained fixed, the cutw.ater.gradually forcing" its way through the planking of the T till the stem of the .vessel was nearly halfway through the structure. The wharf comes in for the greatest share of harm sustained in this case. The Lauderdale seems fco have escaped in a very remarkable manner with a few scratches to her copper and some bruises on her cutwater and figurehead. Here again we see the Cross puts down I £1,000 as the modest estimate of damage,' We guarantee to say that any shipwright in Auckland would jump at taking the task of repairing at half that figure. .It was a good job for. the schooner Golden Isle that T the T prevented the ' Lauderdale swinging right 'rouridi 'Had it not done so.the~daya of the : Russell collier would have ibeen numb'erefi. She was inside between the; Lauderdale an<i the wharf, and in the other event must have

been crushed like an egg. It is more than probable that weakened as the mam wharf ia in this part by the repairs now going on, both vessels would have crushed right through. The Golden Isle as it is is severely damaged in the stern. The Miranda cutter, lying near the siitbasins, suffered roncli from bumping against the piles of the wharf. Her bulwarks and stern are considerably knocked about. Mr. Gao Henderson is a large loser by the gale. No less than five out of six cargo boats owned by that gentleman are more or less damaged. The Teaser had her mast and bowsprit oarried away by a cutter fouline her. The Triad and "Dee, two others of these, are both total wrecks, and lie sunk together close to where the watermen's steps were. This point seems to have proved singularly fatal. -"No less than seven or eight craft are here lying submerged, or mauled in such a manner that it will cos<-. nearly as much to repair as it did to build them Among this class is the fine new cutter Corahe just come off the stocks at Tairiia. It His somewhat remarkable that this unfortunate vessel should have kept afloat. Her stern ia completely smashed and her bows and bulwarks battered to pieces. The cutter was owned by Mr Jackson, and has cost a large sum. Close to her is the cutter Avon, in a submerged condition, but apparently not so broken up as to prevent her being lifted and put to rights in a very short time. The yacht Galntea, with her mast projecting above water, is lying close to the Avon. Another yacht, Mr Hilditch's Gleam, is sunk close by. The cutter Three Brothers, having firewood on board, broke from her anchorge and coming into collision with other vessels had her bulwarks stove in and mainboom and jibboom carried away. The Prima Donna, just arrived from Lyttelton, and hauled alongside the wharf, sustained little injury, but her two boats were smashed to pieces. The Gemini, twin-screw steamer, belonging to Capt. Casey, met with a very rough handling. She is so broken about that she will not be able to resume her trips for some time. We believe that the injuries are confined to the hull, and do not extend to the machinery. The steamers Eowena, Eclipse, and the ship Hindustan escaped without^ injury. The cutter Janet Gray, which arrived on Saturday from the Great Barrier with a load of firewood, broke adrift from her anchorage above the wharf, and after sustaining great injuries to her port quarter -from collisions, was just enabled to bring 'up before fouling the wharf. The cutter "Volante, with a cargo of produce from her owner's, Mr Bush's place at Manaia, went down during the evening, and is a total wreck. The Mary Melville, schooner, and the barqueLady Agnes, both on the point of sailing, dragged their anchors a considerable dis- ■ both brought up in perfect safety, mi "' ~i,«.,, i 7« ~"*v aQd Winona both broke and the latter being successful^ Doa™ea arid brought up off Shelly Beach. xl! c North Shore Ferry Company's steamers next claim onr attention. We "have already referred to the-accident which befel, f the Takafriiita'. In ttfe 1 evening the Devbnportf' • was hauled alongside tii.e! I'erry T. " jtnthis position she encountered the gSle". Her paddle-box and wheel next the wharf were soon smashed to.atoms, and her side -much' damaged. The Enterprise No. 1 was coaling when.the force of the gale struck her. Site came 'into/ collisfo^with the Company^ wharf, andther port wheel and paddle-box fSustaineti" some nasty knocks. Tne gale infcrea!smg; fCapt; Glark 4ery courageously got "up steam and proceeded. to the breakwater, thus saving -the vessel. She was however enabled to make some trips backwards and forward to, the North Shore during Sunday. She travelled in a very lame condition. The Ferry Company will be among the heaviest losers by Saturday's catastrophe. Mr Jones's yacht, the Dart, and Mr Elder's yacht, Jessie, were swamped in O'Cdnnell's Bay. Neither are much injured. The Good Templar and the Venture, both new yachts, both dragged their anchors, but were brought up. in time to prevent mischief. The ketch- Tiri Tiri, so recently nearly wrecked, has been washed ashore near the Gasworks, and her injuries are said to be serious. One of the most melancholy incidents; of the gale was the loss of life which occurred in connection'with the firewood boat: Challenge, which sailed on Saturday J afternoon for Manaia, near Coromandel. The boat lost her rudder while in Eangitoto Channel, and made signals of distress to the' Wave Queen at anchor there.* A waterman1 named Hawkes was'on board, and taking three of the . crew with him pnt : off' to the Challenges assistance. Coming up with • her they put two men on board with instructions to make the best of their way in the direction taken by the" waterman's boat. All went well till passing some rocks projecting from the reef, when the Challenge broached to,! and a wave threw her on to the rocks. The four men forming her crew were thrown outj and had to clins; on.to a rock for safety. The other boat was* unable to find the poor follows in the. dark, and the noise of the wind prevented their" cries being heard. Two of them by swimraina: managed to reach a' secure position on a higher rock, but the other two becoming exhausted were washed off by the sea. iOne of these, named Eichd. Knott, was a seaman belonging to the "Queen." He was about 25 years old and single. The other deceased was George Arnoff, one of the men who had left Auckland in the Challenge. A narrow escape from drowning took place early in the evening jof the North Head. Five young lads were cruising about in a small half-deck boat, when the wind increasing made them determine to turn back. They brought, the little boat round,' but neglecting proper precautions in doing so'she wag caught by a sjusfc, while in stays, and capsized. Fortunately the cutter Three Brothers was ■passing at the time, and was able to rescue the j whole of the lad'sl It is feared that another death has occurred from. the. the yacht Columbia, which was smashed against the breakwater. It is known that a man named Washington was od board, and nothing has been heard of himj since. There is a rumour alsopreva-. lenbj tlmt f.'iif M .iris perished in the gale. A Maori woman who wa3 rescued from the wredk of, a small buab off,the Wood wharf, declared there were four men -in the. boat with .her. Search has been'instituted for the j "bodies, but none have yet ; been recovered.. The steamer' Golden \-. Crown met; the full fury of the gale in coming up jfrom the Thames.. , Steam had to be got up in all-four boilers to enable her to get through the Sandspit. Captain Farquhar deemed it not" advisabla to come up to the wharf until 'dawn-on Sunday "morning. He anchored off the Nerth Head for some hours. The; passengers, who were' of course very much alarmed, speak' highly of Captain Farquhar and the behaviour of the vessel.