GREAT HURRICANE.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 66, 21 March 1901, Page 4

GREAT HURRICANE.

MUCH DAMAGE DONE. [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Auckland, last night. News from Fiji tells of a disastrous hurricane on March loth and 14th. Levuka was almost wrecked. Out of 12 vessels in harbor 10 were driven ashore and wrecked, being mostly native vessels. Ashore several buildings were blown completely away, and others seriously damaged, including the Wesleyan mission house. Mr Brown and family had narrow escapes. Mr Brown had his teeth knocked out by a pieco of timber. The roof was blown off the Wesleyan Church. Most of the native houses in Ovalau were blown down. The cocoimuts and all vegetation suffered severely. It is estimated that the damage exceeds twenty thousand pounds. Next morning Levuka presented a pitiable sight, houses, cutters, and boats of all descriptions being mixed in a jumble on the beach street. The s.s. Adi Raroga had a boat blown away and damage to the deck gear. Two schooners were left high and dry on the beach and damaged. Six cutters were totally wrecked. Two native cutters disappeared. The disasters on shore were of a more serious character. The Harbourmaster’s office, except the floor, was completely blow away. The bonded store roof was shifted bodily off, and otherwise damaged. The sea wall was destroyed. The Levuka Schoolliouse had the roof blown off, and one side of Brown and Joyke’s was blown down, and Hedstrom’s copra store roof blown completely away. Two stores, formerly occupied by Mrs Schule and Mick Madden’s bakery, both collapsed. The late W. J. Thomas’ office roof is off. The roof off Henry Marks and Co.’s store went, and the Royal Hotel cottage had two sides blown out flat. The Grazier Moat Company bad its promises laid out flat. The Soap and Oil Works roof was blown off. J. C. Smith and Co.’s store lias the roof off and the side blown out. Brolithos shop was flattened out. The Co-operative Butchery was blown down. John Miller’s store was laid out. The bridge at Cawai was turned com - pletely.upside down. A number of private houses were flattened out.

The force of the wind was very great. Reliable authorities state that so much damage was never before occasioned in Levuka by similar visitations..