THE GALE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVIIII, Issue 12287, 21 April 1897, Page 2

THE GALE.

At Hawera, in the town, a number of ' windows were broken, chimneys blown \ down and eheds unrocfed. All gardens > Buffered severely, as also "did ornamental | and shelter plantation?. On Friday a buggy wiß capjized by tbe wind on the top of Torke's Hill and the occupants thrown out, but {her a was fortunately no eerious damage done. The heavy sward of graEß that had grown so rapidly nil over thg district during tho late mild weather has been blackened by tbe s»lt, swept down and laid close to the ground as if a flood of sea water had rushed over it, In another column appears an official notice from the Railway Department cf the resumption of passenger set vice between Wanganui and Greatford together with the announcement >f coach aid ferry;.service3 thenci t) Palmerston. Tha department also give coach firas and notify that it is not responsible for coach andjerryeervioeand will only pay fires for^uch of those pisaengars who took out " through " tickets before the railway.traffic was interrupted. Tho Railway Dapartment have been very energetic and managed to reestablish connection with the south Trainß left yesterday <>ftei'noon and evening for Greatford with a la-ge number of passengers who weie ade to get throu/h to Bulls and thence to Palmerston. Some 40 or 60 pisspwgars arrived from Palmerston last night at B.4s ;o'clock, having made the jsarney through safely^ Finding they would not be" in time for the train at Greatford a number of travellers decided to break their journey at Sandon and come on to-day. ' . The Traffic Department are fixing a footpath aoross the At rangi Badge, and have also p-ov;ded a bout and landing place on the -sita of the Bangitikei Railway Bridge. By these meins and the assistance of ooachea the authorities hope to fill the gaps between here and Palmerston by Ip-morrow (Thuisdaj) nextt Good? traffio for Greitford aud the Hanterville brnnoh will possibly be resumed to-morrow. 'The railway traffics department are aiming «t restoring train service between the Kangitikei Bridge and Fettduig by the end of this week, and expect to bave a small lecomotive and' cars running bet«esntho3» places by Saturday. •

THE POSITION IN fIAWKBS' BAT.

FTOtTHER DET&.IW3. » (Peb Pbbss Absooiatimj.) Hasiincis, April 19. Me»nee is under water, and loss of 1 fe is rsported there, but there are no particulars. The iJedcliffe bridge was washed away aho the Petan'e bridge. There are thousands of. pounds' wwtL of damage tj stock, &<i , at,.Marekakario, the property ot Mr Jt.D.McLeap, M.H.B', and houses overturned, but no" loss of lifs is reported up to the time of writing. Pakako'ra ia several feei under water. The housß of Mr Baker waa washed out to sea. The loss of etook throughout the diEtriot i 8 incilcoablo. „ Mr J. N. Williams lost 700 sheep ; T. Tanner, Biversrea, 1000; Kelson Brother*, 13,000. . Meesrs T. Crosse and *W. Biidgjnaa ara heavy losers. Toiß does not represent anything approaching the loes. 'No faither particular! vre to iind. The caroaEO3 aio floating through the country! It is feared the loes of H r e will be con Biderablei Itwiuld be more only that Friday night was bright and moonlight. The water was at its highest at 7 p.m. yesterday. Beportgffrom Wairoa disfriot show that there bus been a 1 >bb of stcok, and bridges bare been wept away. Great damage his been done to the railway.bridges at Takapau and Waipatra. Uhe waters aie subaidiiig gradually. ./The effect of .the flood to bottlers and inhabitants generally will ba disastrous during the coming winter. ■ ' ■ Nahbb, .April 20. Liter new* to hand stitaa that there is great loss all the way from Kaikonra to Wairoa. , | The floods were most severely felt at Clive and Farndon, where dozens of families have bsen rendered homles?. The water is faUini? fast but is still in S3veral home?, aad it mil ba several days before tho majority are tenantable. "'Several houses st Ohiti werj oarried away and stranded at Omahu. Twenty Maoris there had a narrow escape of drowning. Heavy damage is rfpDr:ed at Mftrjketabo. . • At Te Mahariga Mr Douglas lost several racehorses. At most places the flood is two feat hieher timn it was ever recorded. Further damage is ©xpseted from Ngßruroro, at Boy's Hill, and the Government 1 aye been wired to take ,the necessary ttjps for the protection at once of the TLteekurifiivcr, whist broke through at Motso, doing immense damags, and carrying houses and stock away. Ob Friday morning a Maori attomptad to reach the Waipatu pah. There was a tremendous current running at the time. He took off his clothes, and was washed on to a tree", After two hoars he swam to the roof of a shed where he vas compellßd to remain all night in the bitter cold. Nexb morning he wa& rescned'balf perished, but is now rapidly recovering. Several casas of narrow escapes from drowning, are reported. The death roll numbers 12. Although a search was kept op along the beach no bodies were. found. The rescue crew drowned included seven nwrtied men with 22 children dependjng on them. Atßiyerelea £200 worth o? wool was buried in s>lt. At Wha'atu eeverol ueopte spsnt the whole night on roofa of hous3s. At Papakura o man a«el 93 had to take refuge on a roof. The Standard estimates that at least 50.0. 0 ehe«-p were lost, besiies a large number cf other etoolr. B Many small farmers have lost everytbinsr,andt.tg tqnatter* suffered to th tt extent of several thousand pounds. A rel : ef fund has been cpened at Hastings and Napier.

Through communicatnn north and eouthby bup, teixy and train was made to-day. Tho greatest astißfaotion has been publicly, expressed f.r ihe manner I in which the aitttng Trifflj Manager, Mr Hiirris, overcame the greatest difficulties. Two hundred and fifty passenger* by Fridays express stuck at Hastings, were enabldd to gat away this morning. Tt is oxpected that it will ba quite three months before the goods traffic will be resumed to Napier, two bridges having to be constructed. The rapairs south of the line are expected to be completed in a few days. Large gnn^s of men are at work. The travelling public aw very Blightly inconvenienced. Tbe acting ; Premier wired that every, assistance would be given, the settlers. '. Hon, Hall-Jones expected tomorrow.' The repairs fca the railway bridge ace likely to cett £30,000. *