DISASTROUS HURRICANE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9101, 20 March 1901, Page 3

DISASTROUS HURRICANE.

VESSELS WRECKED AT LEVUKA. MUCH DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY DAMAGE £20,000. : (Per Press Association.) AUC&IiAND, this day. News from Fiji tells of a disastrous hurricane on. March 13th and 14th. Levuka was almost wrecked. Out of 12 vessels m harbor 10 were driven ashore and wrecked, being mostly native vessels. Ashore several buildings were "blown completely away, and others seriously damaged, including the Wesleyan mission house. Mr Br.own and family had narrow escapes. Mr Brown had his teeth knocked out by a piece "of timber. The ;roof was blown ofi the Wesleyan Church: ' _• ■ • Most of thei native houses m Ovalau were blown down. The cocoanuts and all vegetation suffered severely. "~~ It is estimated that the damage exceeds twenty thousand pounds. Later.— Puller details of the hurricane at Levuka »■ show that on the morning after, Levuka presented a pitiable sight, houses, cutters, and boats of all descriptions being mixed m a jumble on the beach street. The s.s. Adi Raroga had a boat blown away and damage to the deck gear. Wo schooners were left high and dry on the beach and damaged. Six cutters were totally wrecked. Two native cutters disappeared. . The disasters oa shore were of a more serious character. The Harbormaster's office, except the floor, was completely blown away. The bonded store root was shifted bodily oS, and otherwise damaged. This. sea wall was destroyed. The •Levuka Schools-house had the roof blown off, and one' side of Brown and Joyke's was blown down,; and Hedstrom's copra store roof blown completely away. Two stores, formerly occupied by Mrs Schule and Mick Maddens bakery, both collapsed. The late W. J. Thomas's -office roof is off. The roof off Henry Marks and Co.'s store .went, and the Royal ''Hotel: cottage had two sides blown out flat. The Grazier Meat Company had its premises laid out flat. The Soap and Oil Works roof was blown off. J. C. Smith and Co.'s store has the roof off and the side blown out. Brelithos shop was flattened out. The Co-operative Butchery was blown down. John Miller's store was laid out. < The bridge -at Cawai was turned completely upside down. A number of private houses were flattened out. The force of the wind was very great. Reliable authorities state that so much damage was- never before occasioned m Levuka by similar visitations.