HEAVY GALE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 705, 4 September 1885, Page 16

HEAVY GALE.

A fierce N„W. gale began to blow here on .Sunday, and gradually increased to little short •of a hurricane on Monday. Some damage is reported, the gate leading to the Resident Magistrate’s Court being smashed, and a large bill-board, immediately opposite the Royal Oak Hotel, in Manners-street, being completely demolished. The latter occurred at about 5 o’clock Monday evening, and unfortunately a young lad named Levy, a son of the late Mr Solomon Levy, happened to be passing the .spot at the time, with the result that the whole structure was blown on top of him. When released from his dangerous position it was ■found, happily, that the only injury the boy bad received was the loss of three teeth. In •Courtenay-place, at about the same hour, two ■horses harnessed to a cab became frightened at a sheet of- galvanised iron, which had become detached from some building by the force of the gale, and bolted, coming into collision with a post in front of the Army and Navy Hotel, one of the animals breaking one of its legs. The gale appears not to have been confined to Wellington, all the vessels arriving here reporting rough weather. The Government steamer Stella,which returned Monday evening rom her usual trip to the Northern lighthouses, had an especially rough time of it. Captain Gray reports that he left Onehunga at noon on Sunday last, experiencing a moderate gale until noon on Monday, at which time she was between Stephens Island .and the Brothers, when the wind and sea increased considerably, the vessel shipping large quantities of water, and at 8 a tremendous sea broke over the port side, smashing the port boat and davits, and washing the starboard boat, davits, gear, and everything moveable about the decks overboard, and putting the vessel on her beam ends. Fortunately all hands, with the exception of the captain, who was on the bridge, and two men at the wheel were below, and the hatches were battened down, a precaution which no doubt was the means of avoiding a serious accident. Captain Gray, finding he could not run before the gale with safety, hove-to until 4.30, when he proceeded on bis voyage, arriving in port a s

stated above. At 11.30 Monday night the gale moderated, and a slight breeze sprang up from the S.E.