LAWRENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 893, 9 January 1869, Page 17

LAWRENCE.

j (FKOM OUR OWJN" COBBESPONDENT.) January 4th. ; Having Bent you last night a brief tele- [ gram announcing injuries to property from the late gale, I hasten to give you fuller particulars. The storm, which had been gathering during the wiole of JSa'.urday, " howled across tho sky" with redoubled fury during the night, and the dawn of Sunday reveal-d the destruction that had resulted. Every part of the town gave evidence of the overpowering force of the elements, and sheets of iron were blown with resistless violence through the air, as if they were scraps of paper. Tne h .uses on the nill suffered much. The commodious stables attached to the Camp were entirely stripped. The front of Mr Jeffrey's shop was blown in, the stables of Mr Harris destroyed, ' and his kitchen earned bodily into< his neighbour's premises. The Gold. .Receiver's residence early became a total wreck ; the Bailiff's chimney fell, his s r ables also being destroy cd. The Wesleyan chapel, a substantial looking brick building, cracked down the front, which now overhangs the street. The num. ber of chimneys and outhouses which succumbed to the gale 1 could not enumerate, and it was a strange sight to Bee the inhabitants searching for the iron and wood of their wrecked houses, which they found in many instance at a great distance from their original positions ; while many who saw that their roofs «rern about to go, with ropes and nails undertook the somewhat perilous ta^k of making all secure. In this way Mr Walsh saved the roof of his stables, which was evidently threatening to go bodily. The greatest strength of the wind was between the hours of five and seven a.m. yesterday, aud the quiet of the Sunday moruing was interrupted by th<.: sound of many hammers. The barometer during the storm was at 26 SO. Several telegraph posts on the road to 'I okoinairiro were blown down, but telegraphic operations were not interrupted.