EXTRAORDINARY STORM.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 912, 28 January 1868, Page 3

EXTRAORDINARY STORM.

(From tho 'Argus/ December 27.)

Melbourne -was visited yesterday "after*'; noon by a storm of wind which, for suddenness and fierceness, has not been, equalled by any we have had for the last fifteen 3'ears. In the early part of the day the weather was fine, there being a pretty fresh wind blowing from the northeast. The sky, however, was clouded, and the air felt very close and warm; After mid-day the glass rapidly fell, the wind veered more to the westward and increased in strength, and the clouds of diist which swept through the streets grew denser and more suffocating. At two o'clock Melbourne presented a most uncomfortable spectacle. The sky, clouded before/ was rendered still more gloomy by the thick atmosphere of dust driving hurriedly over the city, and imperfectly lighted rooms were made quite dark by the dust cloud, as though night were setting in some hours before its time. In some parts of the streets, where the dust was unusually thick, it was impossible to face the wind. The pulverised Milestone, driven by the force of the gale, smote sharp and strong on the face and blinded the eyes. Even looking away from the wind, the sight could not pierce far into the dense brown cloud which enveloped everything as though with a thick IS ovember fog intensified by the yellow smoke of London. The violence of the wind made walking a difficult matter, and the force of the gale, combined with the density of the clouds of dust, rendered driving or riding through the streets a task not only of difficulty but of danger. By half-past two o'clock, the wind had got round to the west, and blew with its fiercest violence, lasting, with but little variation, for nearly two hours, when it again passed into the north-west. Some rain then fell, and the wind rapidly moderated, and towards sunset had nearly died away. The storm did not blow for this length of time,., and with such force, without causing a great amount of damage. Of its destructive effects, the most noticeable was the blowing down of the triumphal arches on the north and south ends of Prince's Bridge, which were suddenly overthrown at about three o'clock, to the great; danger of the occupants of a cab just then passing. Information of the disaster being conveyed to the Town Hall, some of the members of the corporation proceeded to the place and set workmen to the task of clearing away the ruin by which the roadway was obstructed. This was a work of time, and in the meanwhile traffic had to pass over the Palls bridge. A large portion of an 18-inch brick wall of the new building intended for the temporary offices of the Corporation in the Western Market was blown down, the mortar not having properly set, and the wall consequently being too weak to resist the strength of the gale. A case of loss of life occurred at Jones's livery i stables, Gertrude-street, Fitzroy, about three o'clock, when a boy named Frederick Wilkes was killed by the fall of a wall. He was driving in a spring cart, with his father, and had got out for the purpose of opening the livery-stable gate, when a small brick wall was blown down and killed him on the spot. The body was got out of the rubbish by Mr. Wilson, watchmaker, and subsequently removed to the Champion Hotel. The triumphal arch at the intersection of Gardiner's Creek road and the punt road, South Yarra, was blown down, smashing in tho side of Walker's grocery store; and the lead was stripped from the roofs of sevei'al houses. Tho Phceuix saw-mills, Bourkestreet west, were injured by the force of the wind, a portion of the front and roof being carried away. The belfry of the neighbouring Catholic chapel was also blown down. At Hotham, the roofs were lifted off two adjoining cottages, and blown right away. The St. lulda railway station, exposed as it was to the wind, felt its force very severely, and some iron railings were blown clown, a window was driven in, and other damage caused. To attempt to specify the transparencies, windows, roofs, skylights, and verandahs which were injured by the storm in Melbourne would be fruitless, something being more or less damaged in every street. In the Richmond paddock, and, indeed, in several of our public parks and gai'dens, many trees were uprooted, and large branches torn from trees which were too firmly rooted to be overthrown. In the bay the wind raised a very high, sea. Coming so suddenly as the squall did, and blowing with such extraordinary and almost incredible force, it is not to be wondered that a considerable amount of damage was done in waters where the visitation was almost unexpected, and consequently unprepared for. The heaviest casualties as yet ascertained, befel three small vessels, namely, the AVild Duck and Evergreen, ballast lighters, and the Geelong trader Aquilla. Two of these were alongside vessels at the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Eailway Co.'s Pier, transshipping goods for Geeloug, and, through the fury of the elements, had become helpless wrecks, in so far as their spars and rigging were concerned. Several of the ships at the pier were also chafed to some extent! and suffered more or less damage, while a number of boats were beached with groat violence. A boat belonging to the penal hulks Avas reported to have been upset, and the oars and caps of the men were said to have been seen floating about on. the water, but it is believed that no lives were lost. A sailing boat, owned by Mr. Elsdon, of Sandridge, was also driven from her moorings, and rendered quite unfit to take part in tho regatta to-day, for which she was entered. The Geelong trader Ellen and Elizabeth lost both masts and was otherwise damaged. The Potomac, lighter, was water-logged, but being loaded with lumber, she was towed on to the mud bank at Williamstown by the Hercules. Most of the ships on the west side of the Eailway Pier carried away their moorings, but beyond that received very little damage, The ballast lighters Wild Duck, Blaekwall, and Evergreen, drove ashore at the west side of the old wharf, aud are full of water. The master of the cutter Petrel has reported the loss of his craft below Brighton. He says she has gone to pieces. He also reports that he heard of two fishing boats being lost, but did not ascertain the particulars. .Towards sunset the force of the storm had considerably abated, and the bay presented quite a quiet appearance. One part}% exposed to the fury of tha storm, and who supposed themselves to be in imminent peril of their lives, consisted of the two captains and two lieutenants of the Ballarat Hangers. They had been lunching with some of the officers of the Galatea, and leaving that ship to re- . turn ashore in a small waterman's boat, they had not proceeded far when the gale came on, and the utmost efforts of the boatmen failed to contend with it successfully. They first attempted to make the Eailway Pier, and failing in that they, made for the Sandridge Town Pier, but were again driven away to leeward. There was then nothing left for them but , to effect the best landing they covdd on '■■- the beach, and three of the military; passengers divested themselves pi; their accoutroments, and prepared to struggle for ■-. life with the angry elements so soon as, .-. their frail and helpless craft had 'Been driven among the breakers, A third, a

'j.l

'4^;tii|tXtenant of . a diminutive stature, but

■lio^-iike courage, resolved to die. in har.nes'g, if die he must, and calmly waited ■ ft hi¥fate in complete Ranger uniform and vpahdply. Meanwhile, the critical condition of the party had been discovered by ; the public ashore, and a great number of persons,: chiefly of our volunteer army, hurried ib~ the beach, to. aid in recovering the bodies of their unfortunate comrades, ifvbettef might not be. Fortunately, however, the adventure did not end

fatally. "When the boat got into the ; ; breakers, her passengers and. crew managed to scramble ashore, with no greater .damage than a good ducking and some injury to their, arms and clothes, though . - they were for some time in a position of ■ ■'-, unquestionable danger.

: At "Williamstown, the wind blew so violently for. half-an-hour that it was positively dangerous to walk the streets. Horsemen were compelled to dismount, and seek the nearest shelter. The triumphal arch, which had just been erected at the; junction of Thompson street and Nelson Place, in honor of the Prince's visit to the town, was utterly demolished, the uprights which supported the arch breaking off close to the ground, like so much match-wood. A large flagstaff in the Wesleyan Reserve shared the same fate. A boat that was high and dry upon the beach" was blown into the water. Chimneys and flagstaff's were blown down, trees were rooted tip, glass was taken clean out .of the windows, roofs of houses were stripped of . their covering, and sheets of galvanised iron, zinc, shingles, paling, &c, where hurled in every direction. It was the strongest wind which had visited Williamstown for many years ; but, fortunately* no greater mischief was done than can be rectified in a few days.