THE LATE GALE.

Wellington Independent, Volume XX, Issue 2218, 13 June 1865, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE LATE GALE.

(Wellington Independent, May 18.) Few people will forgot the night of Tuesday last. During the ciny, the wind and rain prognosticated a stormy night, but no one anticipated the hurricane that swept over the harbor, accompanied as it was by a doluge of hail and rain. Shortly after nine o'clock p.m, the fresh breeze that had been blowing during the evening died away, and the raiu poured down in torrents. Erelong the hollow moaning of the rising wind was heard ; until after a few faint sighs and waiis, it burst through the surrounding hills with a wild shriek, and raged over the town. At intervals the heavy booming of heaven's artillery woke the echoes ai'ound, and vivid Hushes of lightning disclosed the bay to be one sheet of foam. During the night, hail storms succeeded the pouring rain, and no sooner was one over than another commenced. The gale bioko with the dawn, and Ih on a wild and desolate picture was presented . Heavy banks of clouds overenpping the lowest hills were to be seen whirling through the mirky air, and the placid waters of the harbor were being lashed into mimic waves, and carried aloft in clouds of feathered spray. As yesterday wore- on rumors were brought iv of a frightful scene of devastation in the surrounding country. Everywhere one heard of broken bridges, land slips, and roads rendered impassable. Wo sent out a mossenger along tho Hufcfc-road,

who reports that the filling of tho Ngahuranga , j South abutment has been washed out, and | that the bridge is thereby rendered im- ! passable for drays or carts. All the culverts ' between there and IC.ai Warra Warm have ! either been filled up or totally destroyed, j and the land slips along tho road are very i numerous. At .Kai Warra Warra he found that the bridge had been completely washed away, and, on making enquires, j heard that shortly before midnight the ! stream, which up till then had been gradually I increasing in size, came down in a perfect torrent, bringing with it huge logs of trees, snags, and a cart, the property of Mr Schultze. The bridge, upon which some ■■ people had been standing only five minutes previously, was sweptaway, and the water even ' had flooded the lower storey of the Kainbow Hotel, and deposited huge log 3of trees across the thoroughfare. A slip had taken place at ! the Toll-bar, which had smashed in the gate j and completely stopped the trafilc. The culvert near Dr Featherstone's residence not being sufficiently largo to contain theimmonse body of water that was rushing through it, gave way, and the embankment for about a width of thirty feet was swept into the saa. Yesterday afternoon the Hutt-road was strewed with large boulder stones, and the debris of the land slips, while every hundred yards or so, gangs of men were to be seen clearing the thorougfare. If the damage occasioned by tho storm had stopped here it would have- beer, well ; but we regret to say that the field of devastation has been far wider, and that much valuable property belonging to private individuals has been distroyed. Perhaps ofthese the most considerable sufferer has been Mr Schultze. Up till midnight (he men engaged at his mill were enabled with an iron polo to steer the huge logs of wood which were being borne down by the stream through the escape, but at length Hurley's old dam gave way, and a perfect avalanche rushed through the gully, breakingdown every thing in its way and carrying with it a portion of Mr Schultzo's dam. The wheel, we are glad to say, is uninjured, but tho mill itself was Hooded to a depth of three feet, destroying many hundred bags of wheat and flour. The wood work next to the foundation, was burst through, and the road and embankment swept away. Mr Hirst's tannery suffered severely, tho pits were filled with gravel, and the force of the water burst in the weather boarding of a portion of the tnunevy, and carried away a quantity of leather. It is impossible at present to calculate the amount of the losses which private individuals have suffered, but we may congratulate ourselves that the devastation has been no greater. Not a single accident occurred to any of the shipping in the harbor, and beyond the partial flooding of one or two establishments in the town, no damage has been done. Tho Te Aro part of the beach was strewn with some of the timber from Ngahauranga. The Baths were perfectly uninjured, in fact, not a pile was started. Had the holding ground in the harbor not been excellent, we would have had to record many a disaster amongst tho shipping, and the fact that they held out the gale of Tuesday night, stamps the anchorage as one of the safest in the colony.