FURIOUS GALE.

Timaru Herald, Volume VIII, Issue 281, 5 February 1868, Page 2

FURIOUS GALE.

DISASTEOUS FLOODS.

MELANCHOLY LOSS OF LIFE. The Timaru district, was on Sunday and Monday visited by a gale, accompanied with rain, such as has rarely been felt before, by the oldest person m the community, m any part of the colony. On Sunday night rain commenced to fall between eight and nine o'clock with a rapidly falling barometer, (he wind blowing a fresh breeze from the south, east at the time. The rain continued all night through without intermission, and the wind increased until it blew a fierce gale. This weather continued the whole of Monday until about midnight when it abated somewhat and soon afterwards left off raining. It was generally apprehended that considerable damage would be done by the rising of the rain rivers, but no one imagined that the district was likely to be visited with the serious and destructive floods that have taken place. In the town the inhabitants were greatly excited by the wreck of the steamer William Miskin, but attention was soon drawn away to the country districts, about which accounts of a most alarming and of course greatly exaggerated nature were circulated. We have compiled as full an account of the effect of the gale and floods m the various district?, as can be obtained at present, but our enquires have beeu confined to the district between the Temnka and Opil'i rivers, for all communication beyond these liven is cut off, and as the telegraph wire both north and south has been carried away, we are without information regarding other places at a distance. The sea at Timaiy on Monday was rolling m furiously, and'^reat interest was shown m its effect upon the ship Timaru lying m tho roadstead. The ship did not appear to strain greatly, and rode out the severest gale and heaviest sea ever seen, with apparent ease. The fateamer William Miskin had no tackle to ride out a gale, and ought to have been sent to sea. In the country thousands of sheep have been drowned, houses swept away, crop 3 and fences destroyed, and lives sacrificed. The damage to roads and bridges is very great, and we fear that when accounts reach us from the other country districts, they will only add to the e'ready large number of losses sust-incd. We subjoin particulars of the wreck of the steamer and of losses m the various placets ;—