CANTERBURY.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 3, Issue 112, 12 November 1859, Page 6

CANTERBURY.

[ From the "Lyttelton Times," Oct. 15. ] The past week has brought us some of the most disagreeable weather which this country has ever suffered. The month of October has in every year earned to a greater or less extent an unenviable notoriety for its north-west winds : in some years these winds have assumed the character of violent gales, and in other years have lasted for days together. It was reserved, however, for the October of 1859 to produce north-west winds combining violence with duration. The wind had blown up from this quarter for several days, when, on Tuesday, it assumed a peculiarly fervent character. Those only who have experienced the wind can understand the heat and dust and violence which this expression implies. On Wednesday the gale continued, at times breaking out with increased severity and again relapsing into an almost complete calm. These atmospheric "fits," as they may be called, continued by night as well as by day, and caused no little disquietude to dwellers in the slightly framed houses, of which oiir town is principally composed. On Thursday the gale reached its climax, and on this day the occasional squalls were literally terrific. The "Black Thursday" of Port Phillip began to be talked about, and every one was on the watch, not without reason as M'ill be seen, for the out-burst of fire dn some quarter which should sweep the country bare against the unavailing efforts of a few active men who might have energy to attempt such a struggle. In Lyttelton, on Wednesday night, one of the tall chimney staffs of the "Universal Hotel" was broken off from the point of emergence from the roof of the building, and laid prostrate upon the shingles. This must have been done with great neatness, for few of the bricks were displaced, and the roof was not in any degree injured. On Thursday, a boat which had been drawn up on the shore opposite the "Mitre Hotel," was raised in the air and dashed to pieces on the , rocks at a little distance. Another boat' was taken off Peacock's wharf by t&e wind, and carried through the rigging of >the "Louise and Miriam," which was then lying alongside the wharf. Part of the Maori huts on the beach were blown to pieces. The lead ridge capping was started and blown off the top of the Union Bank : and some other minor injuries were inflicted. We have no account of casualties of this description from Christchurch. The first and most important fire which we have to chronicle occurred at the new Wesl|yan Chapel, in Christchurch, now in process of erection, on .Wednesday, about Jl b/clock, p. m. It jseems that a portion of tß^-floor had been^permanently laid, and on another portion the joists were bare. ■JjMpinterstices were of course full of shavingstand: smalkends of timber. The arcl|j|i|| Syas presenf^esignirig jpn the floor theS^etch qf a. portion of the building, when he was alarmed by, a,.w6rkman calling ~"fire,'!;|||icl on lookin^pßiiiS, he saw flames

if which, in but a moment, spread themselves to the length o£ about 20 feet. Help was at once sought and readily supplied from all 4 quarters. Messrs. Packer and Son, whose premises are opposite, gave up all their stock of water, and when that failed, even allowed the beer which was in their vats to be drawn off and thrown on the flames. All present contributed their services.: — among the most forward, the name of Mr. Hart, butcher, is mentioned; but several others acted with great daring and zeal. The best proof of the exertion lies in the fact that only the floor boards and joists were burnt, while, except the charring of one of the pillars, no harm whatever was done to the uprights. Had the flames spread so as to cover the whole of this spacious and lofty building there can be little doubt, especially in such weather, that the fire could not have been stopped before it had consumed the best part of that portion of the town. The origin of the flames is not exactly known, but it is generally referred to a pipe. The north-west gales of last week have left us a chapter of accidents to record : and, as usual, other misfortunes have added their weight of calamity to the general mass. The country, after the continued dry weather of winter and spring, was in an inflammable state, and the hot dry winds which blew so hard during Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, gave every assistance to flames wherever they chanced to break out. In consequence, the grass has been on fire in all directions, the towns have had some narrow escapes, and even the forests, generally so hard to burn, have caught fire with frightful simultaneousness, and hundreds of acres of our precious timber, growing on the Peninsula, as well as in scanty bushes on the plains, have within a few days been turned into masses of cinders. Of the most extensive and destructive of these bush conflagrations we give below accounts furnished by eye witnesses. The great bush at Kaiapoi, to which the Christchurch district has looked so much | for its supply of timber and firewood, has almost become a thing of the past. The action of fire on timber is very peculiar. The^underbush, generally so thick, is swept entirely away : the most exposed and oldest trees are topped and lopped, and burnt through to the heart, leaving only a black, p oin ted pillar of charcoal : the tOfbeV trees are more or less charred or scathed : but in no case where the bark has felt fire will the tree survive. Some of the least hurt may be good for sawing for twelve months or so : and all that remains is good firewood, but the glory of the forest is gone : in a pecuniary point of view, the labour of the past and its value as a possession for the future have both perished. The number of sawyers at work before the fire was estimated at 70 pairs. From Akaroa we have accounts almost equally dismal. The Bush on Thursday was burning for miles* In German Bay three or four families were burnt out, and lost all they possessed. At the head of the Bay the same was the case. Mr. Anderson, proprietor of the Travellers' Rest at this part of the district, had great trouble to save his house, the flames being all round it. The Bishop of Christchurch happened to be there at the. time, and exerted himself in the most energetic manner to preserve the timber and other property lying about. Even the boats on the beach had to be launched to save them from the flames. The principal sufferers named are -Joseph Read, whare and feet sawnflpiber ; N. Courtaier, whare and 10,000 feet of sawn timber ; G. Bashan, house ; Julian and Spence, whare and 5,000 feet timber ; all totally destroyed. The destruction of live timber has been immense.