WHERLWINDS AT GREYMOUTH.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3184, 20 April 1872, Page 3

WHERLWINDS AT GREYMOUTH.

(Grey River Argus, April 9.)

Greymouth and its inhabitants have become jaecustomed to visitations from ffoodgestn^ifires, but the latest novelty in the shape of destructive visitations was a whirlwind of immense force, ivhich cut a straight course through the outskirts of the town, damaging more or less every in its way. During the terrific storm which visited the to-wn on Sunday Tiight—one of the most severe that has been experienced for years—a whirlwind in from the sea at a point someAvhat about Avest, first levelled the kerosene ••store, belonging to Mr Joyce, then struck Avith fury the back of the iw of cottages standing in Arney street, between the •Catholic Church and Gre3son street, tear-, •ing off roofs, verandahs, chimneys, &c, indiscriminately. The -current of wind

appears to have been fortunately narrow, ■:a, chain wide, and the clear course which it cut through the buildings was traceable in the morning by the quantity of debris '-'that was scattered around. In Arney street it tore the large iron cross off the Roman Catholic Church, injured Mr Dupre's verandah, carried away com-' . pletely the roof from Mr Taylor's kitchen, besides smashing the verandah and all the surrounding fencing. The next cottage was occupied by Mi- Honan, Catholic •schoolmaster. The roof had originally ~ been shingled and afterwards covered .vwith iron. The iron was all torn off, and ■'* the old roof smashed in as if it had been ••cut along the ridge-pole by an axe. In the next cottage, occupied by Mr North, 'ihe wind burst hi the back-door and blew the occupants' clothes out by the front, very much damaging the building. Next to this is the two-storey cottage occupied by Inspector Hickson, in which two brick '. chimneys were blown down, and the roof • ■of the back room carried aAvay. The whirlwind then rushed across the police padlock, bursting open the door and windoAvs of the Resident Magistrate's office. The ►force of the gale may be judged from the fact that it tore the screws of the lock out of the woodwork, and they were found scattered on the floor in the morning. The police stable was twisted, the prisoners' cells Avere lifted bodily about a . foot, the fence in the prisoners' yard blown- out, and the fence at Constable Flannagan's private house, across Johnston street, utterly destroyed. The gale then took its way across the open space in .Boundary stree^, and struck with all its fury against the large timber yard of Messrs Watson and Wickes, which in a moment it reduced to a heap of ruins. The large iron roof of this building measured 30£t. in the centre span, and two lean-tos of 18ft. each, making a total span of 66ft., were carried completely away, and about two tons of iron had utterly disappeared. The gale struck the building at an angle, levelling the upper side Avail,: at -which it must have burst out, and leaving the loAver gable standing. The gale then crossed Herbert street, levelled the fence of Mr Drew's garden, utterly •obliterated the stable o£-Mr Jones, baker, leaving only the horse behind, then lifted the cottage occupied by Miss Revell in Hospital street oft its piles, .carried the xoqf off both rooms completely away, leaving it a complete -wreck. The occupants were rescued with difficulty. The next cottage it attacked was Mr Hardy's, through the side of which it. sent a sheet of iron, which cut as clean as a knife through an iron chimney, the weatherboard wall, canvas,, paper, and a large framed picture, landing on the parlour table. If this had encountered any human beings it must have cut them clean in two. The roof and verandah of Mr "Hardy's cottage were also much damaged. The course of the whirlAvind appeared then to have been to cross Hospital street, to break a few panes of glass in the large stained -window of the Presbyterian Church, and make a wholesale sweep of the cottage verandahs and chimneys, until it reached Mr Abraham's Duke of Edin-

burgh Hotel, at the junction of Hospital •and Albert streets, round which it swept with much fury, completely demolishing the verandah, lamp, &c., the back kitchen and brick chimney, and other outhouses. It; then struck across to the large building occupied by Mr Wilson as a boat-building ?shed, lifting a large quantity of iron off the roof and sides, and completely demolishing the second storey of the adjoining ibuilding, which was in course of erection

by -Mr Wilson. After doing some injury -fco the roof' of Mr Brimble's stable, the ■whirlwind struck across the Tidal Creek, .and overturned the tramway carriage Standing on the line in Tainui atreet. It anust now have spent its force, as no -damage was done to the Wesleyan Church, -and a few sheets of iron only were lifted ;.£rom the roof of the Manse adjoining. The gale would then pass into1 the bush ■and expend itself. The whole affair only lasted a few seconds, and those who lived -close to where the tornado passed describe the noise caused by it and the crashing of buildings as something awful ih the pitchy dark night. The fortunate thing is that tike whirlwind did not strike the front .'Street, otherwise the destruction would .'Slave been fearful.

Another whirlwind of immense force -struck the house occupied by Mr Rody, .near the Australasian Hotel, about halfpast ten o'clock the same night, and after lifting it up and shaking it in an alarming •manner, dropped it again on the piles, shifting it only about one inch. At fche isame time it tore an enormous rata tree, ..growing at Mr Rody's fence, out by the vroots, and dropped it in close proximity ;;to the house. Strange to say, the same -whirlwind was not heard or felt at the .Australasian. Hotel.