THE GALE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9015, 30 March 1888, Page 5

THE GALE.

A RAILWAY LINE WRECKED.

[BY TELEGRAPH. ASSOCIATION.]

Wellington, Thursday. The railway line between Wellington and Petone is a terrible wreck. It is hard to imagine that so serious damage could be caused in one night. After passing Kaiwarra the damage commences, and in places there is a stretch of a mile where the permanent way has almost disappeared rails and sleepers being suspended. The strong concrete wall beyond Ngahauranga has been scoured out, and well-set pitching has been dislodged and thrown about promiscuously. Had tfye gale continued a few hours longer hardly a vestige of the line would 'have been left. Passengers are taken out to Petono in omnibuses, whore they connect with train, and it is thought probable that it will be quite two months before trains are running. The train which left for Wairarapa yesterday evening is still stuck up between Ngahauranga and Petone—being unable to move, as the line is damaged in front and behind it.

[by telegraph.—own correspondent.] Wellington, Thursday. You will hear a good deal about the storm which has just occurred in Wellington. I have one or two particulars coming from official sources of which you may not be informed. The vessels that have ventured last night outside the line of Pencarrow came back, describing both weather and sea as horrible. It was not a mere storm in the Straits but a hurricane. As to Wellington, the oldest inhabitant never saw the like of the " black southerly buster" that enveloped the whole of this district yesterday, from Pencarrow to Plummerton east and west, and from the Hutt to Terawhiti north and south. The Hutt railway is simply washed away. The afternoon train from town was wrecked half way yesterday. The tide washed the greater part of the ballast from under the sleepers, and at this moment an engine and tender (having train attached) is canted over an incline of 45 degrees, only kept from falling into the harbour by the trunk of a tree, which was accidentally blown against it. Indeed the railway itself is canted over for a long distance. A concrete wall, near Petone, which people thought would resist anything, has caved in and become cracked in all directions. This afternoon I asked the Minister of Lands whether the Government had received any data as to the extent of the damage, but he said, "You may say this if you like, that it will take 200 men a whole fortnight to put the Hutt line in such a state of repair that a train may go over it even slowly, with safety." The gale was so fierce here in Wellington that a good many people were scared. I saw very large planks blown along Lambton Quay at a rate of speed that was dangerous. Chimneys and chimney pots were blown down. Several advertising boards were "torn to pieces." I personally watched an occurrence of this kind, and several shopkeepers who had surmounted their coping with signboards suffered very much, their signboards being torn away and blown through the air like boys' kites. Then as the storm subsided the fire at the Opera House broke out. It has been a dreadful twenty-four hours in Wellington. Napier, Thursday. Great damage was done by the heavy sea to the Marine parade. The seawall for a long distance wan carried away, and a greater part of the roadway washed away. The water entered the houses, washed away fenccs, and knocked down solid brick garden walls. Gangs of men have been working all day to secure the wall against further damage. The harbour works received no injury.