VIOLENT GALE.

Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 12, 15 January 1884, Page 2

VIOLENT GALE.

The severest storm of even this unpreoedoutedly stormy season has raged in Wellington during last night and to-day. We mentioned yesterday, that the barometer, after a slight rise during Sunday's aonthorly ohange, had reoommenocd falling, while the wind had suddenly baokod into the N.W. The glass continued to fall all yesterday, and the rate of depression greatly increased in rapidity during tho evening. At night a terrific gale set in from the N.W. . the squalls attaining almost hurrioane foroe. The tempest inoreasod in violence at daylight, and during the morning and forenoon the fury of the wind was tremendous, and it was accompanied by hervy, continuous rain. Much alarm was caused throughout the night by the extraordinary severity of the gale, people boing anxious as to the safety of their roofs, windows, and chimney pots, while the elemental uproar rendorod sleep impossible. When day broko the harbour was seen to bo lashed into a state of exceptional disturbance, the whole surface being white with foam and drift, and a heavy sea running on the lee shore of the bay. Warning having been given by Captain Edwin that bad weather was approaching, speoial precautions were taken by Captain Holliday and his subordinates to ensure the safety of the shipping at the wharves. Extra moorings were got out, and everything was done that forethought conld snggest to guard against acoidenta. These precautions seem to hava been entirely successful, and not a single instance of d&mflfire hjLS been reported to n» mm experienood among the vessels moored alongside tho wharves. There were several vessels at anohor in the bay, and these encountered the full fury of the storm. Soon after dawn it was evident that they were all dragging considerably. The barque Loch Creo at first drifted so much as to excite uneasiness on board, and eho signalled for immediate assistance. Tbs s.b. Grafton accordingly got np steam and went to her aid. As she steamed round to windward the sea could be seen breaking right over her, and at times she was almost hidden by the flying spray. On getting within hailing distance of the Looh Cree the latter reported that her anchors were now holding and she did not require assistance, so the Grafton returned to her moorings. The barque Amazon also dragged heavily, but after a time her anchors also held, and sho did not need help. The sohooner Uno. 28 tons, which arrived from Kaiapoi on Sunday, drifted to leeward so fast that at one time it appeared as it she must inevitably go ashore in Oriental Bay. Fortunately, however, she got into better holding ground, and was able to maintain her position. The cutter Daysbay, belonging to Mr. Maogregor, which had been^reoeiving powder yesterday from the Loch Cree, was blown adrift from the powder-ground and drifted toward the Te Aro baths. Mr. T. H. E. Taylor, the wellknown boatbnilder, seeing her perilous position, gallantly went out the resoue in a small dingy, and, scrambling on board, managed to let out more chain and so relieved tVi strain sufficiently to make her appart-^-f safe. On preparing to return ashore ho found that his dingy had broken loose and been blown ashore, he accordingly had to swim to land. Subsequently the Daysbay again began to drift, and ultimately she was blown right ashore on the Te Aro beach. On shore the casualties were numerous, but of comparatively small magnitude. One of the office-buildings on the wh»rf ww blown right over in one of the fieroe squalto. Fortunately the clerks were not inndeat tnfl time. Various chimney-pots, window-panes, sheets of iron-roofing, fences, <ftnouse£ &c, euccumbod to the violent blasts, and we should not like to hazard » guess how ma^jrhats parted company for ever with their ownerY Tho hoarding in front of the new Post Office was blown down, smashing in its fall the footpath railing wjacent. i lAt midday the gale was still blowing with almost unabated violence ; some of the gusts, indeed, wore harder than ever. Jnst about noon the whole verandah and shop-front of Mr. Wirginß, saddler, Lambton Quay, was blown down, falling with a tremendous crash right across the footpath. Providentially, no one was passing at the time. Just afterward a large window in Hunterstreet was blown 'in, and the Naval Brigade shed in Oriental Bay had the roof completely torn off on the windward side, the sheets of iron flying up the hill-side, where they may now bo seen stacking some way np. In one of the terrible blasts the iron mooring-post on the wharf to which the bow of the s.b. Victory was moored was started, this being, so far as we could learn, the only damage done to the wharves or the shipping alongside. Sad havoo

wai mado in tho gardons, and among the ornamental troes and shrubs. Ono fine cabbage palm in Bouloott-streot was snapped in two about 6ft from the ground. Tho streets wero strewo-l in all direotions with dibris of various kinds. Very fow persons were to be seen about, and trade wa& nearly at a standstill. On the wharves, indeed, bnsinoss had to bo almost entirely suspended. A baker's curt on Lambton Quay, opposite Woodward-streot, was caught by a gust and completely oapsiized, the brood being scattored far and wide. The vehicle and animal were the property of Mr. Maoklin, of Moles-worth-street. The cart was considerably damaged. A building on the reclaimed land waa blown down and considerably smashod up, and several fences in the vicinity shared a similar fate. < A report was ourrent this afternoon to the effeot that a trolly and fonr horses belonging to Mr. J. J. Curtis were blown into the sea whilst going round to the Patent Slip this morning, and two of the animals wero drowned, but up to the hour of going to press we were unable to ascertain whether the statement is oorroot. The barometer still fell rapidly, and by 1 p.m. had gone down to the exceptionally low reading of 2889 inohes. The telegraph wires were reported as down in various direotions in the South Island, particularly between the East and West Coasts. Later In the day the North wires wero also repotted down, One hoary gust oarried away a portion of one of the brick ohimneys at Mr. Benzoni's house, Tinakori-road, and caused other damage to the building. About 2 p.m. w« reoeived a telegram from oar Potone correspondent reporting that the Petone boatshed has been blown to pieces and the boats " smashed to atoms." During the gale this morning, a man named M'Bain, living in Pirie-street, was near Messrs. Waddell and Co.'s timber yard, when a piece of wood was blown off a staok, striking him on the baok, and knocking him down. His nppor lip was smashod, and his - now slit open, He was attended by Dr. Direr, who sent him to his home.

LATEST. 3.30 p.m. V*tt. 8 p.m. the gale began to abate, but the , barometer still fell steadily. Numoroue trees, chimney-pots, and fences have suffered sinae the morning, and in ono violent gust a podestrian walking along Lambton Quay, wa4 blown oloan off his feet and hurled on to the concrete pavement with BUoh foroe as to fraoture his arm. The cutter Daysbay, whioh was driven ashore in the morning, still remains hard and fast, but so far has not sustained any serious injury. She had 260 kegs of gunpowder on board, and this is being landed under Bpeoial permit. The yaoht Thetis was blown ashore, but the extent of her damage is not yet ascertained. Travellers arriving in town from tho oountry district report tho storm as having been extraordinarily severe in all parts of the provinoe. The telegrams from other portions of the colony record furious storms almost everywhere. The latest indications aro considered to indicate that a change of wind to the southward is approaohing, and that a hard galo from that quarter may be oxpeoted. The baromoter is down to 2855 at Invorcargill, and is reported to ba as low as 2840 at Titharn. The storm is tho soverest experienced for many years post.