CANTERBURY.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXI, Issue 2388, 14 July 1866, Page 4

CANTERBURY.

SERIOUS GALE AT lA'TTEI/TOX— £6,000 OF I'ltO-

PEItTr DESTROYED,

The Lyttelton Times says : —

A gale unparalleled for its duration and destructive effects in Lyttelton harbor and on shoro, commenced on Friday morning- to blow from the S.W. ; it continued to blow with great severity from 1 o'clock till 8 o'clock in the morning. The only casualties to record among the shipping was the foundering of the yacht Flying Mist at her moorings, and the barge Glasgow, laden with 40 tons coals ; sho was on shore near to tho railway wharf. During the morning the wind gradually freshened, and when the Tararna arrived with the English Mail the bad-weather flag was flying at tluTflag-sta/F belonging to tho harbor-master, and it was "with great difficulty tho watermen's boats could communicate with the steamer. Considerable delay was in consequence- experienced in landing the mail boxes. At times during the day there appeared to bo a lull now and then, but the sky to tlio S.W. foretold we should in all probability have a dirty night. At 8 o'clock p.m. the wind increased, accompanied by smart showers of rain and hail ; by 10 o'clock a terrific gale was blowing, and it was with difficulty passengers could traverse tho town owing to its violence. The harbor authorities wore on duty ready to render any assistance possible. Several of the smaller vessels began to drag their anchors, nnd come in towards the town, but owing to the intense darkness of the night, it was very difficult on shoro to understand the extent of danger to which some of the vessels were exposed, and the efforts of those willing to assist wore directed to those anchored near to tho wharves. We believe we arc accurate in stating that the first vessel which came to grief was a schooner called the Streamlet, recently arrived with & cargo of stone and lime from Oamaru. She dragged her anchors from (ho centre of the harbor, and drifted inshore to opposite Mr. Grubb's boatshecl. In her perilous course, she fouled a largo whale-boat, the property of Mr. Stamford, contractor for bringing the mails ashore. The master of tho schooner says sho stove him in, and on finding the wafer had got to the lino, the vessel took fire, and ho had to run her on shore to save their lives. She became a total wreck, and has been abandoned to tlio underwriters. She is said to be insured in a Victorian office. It is impossible to record tlio disasters as they occurred ; so we supply the following particulars which may bo relied upon : — The ketch Annio broke away from her anchors, and drifted on to the rocks near to the railway works, staving in her side, and suffering other damage in tlio hull ; she is a total wreck ; the hands were rescued with groat difficulty by some men in the. employ of Messrs. Pea^cok & Co. Tho fine bar to Alert was in great danger, and her foremast had to be cut away to ease her, and prevent her going on shore. Tho lighter belong- ; ing to Mr- Alfred Rhodes, and named tho What Yon Like, was eapsisod at her moorings ' she is very much damaged. A schooner, called the Brothers, broke away from her anchors, and drifted on to tho breakwater, but got off again, and took the direction of the Heads ; her crew, seeing fheir danger took to the dingy, but found her without rowlocks or oars; they drifted with tho vessel down the harbor, and on passing near tho ship John Temperly, were rescued by the civw of tho port officer's boat ; tho dingy was full of water, and sank immediately afterwards. The frail craft- was east upon tho rocks in the small bay below Holland's Bay, and it is feared she is a tM:al wreck. She took" in a cargo of timber, shingles, &c, from the barque Chrisna, on Friday. A ballast boat, called the Blue Bell, was sunk in DampieL-'s Bay. The celebrated Donl boat known by i he name of the Flower of Kent, was dashed to pieces against the now jetty, A boat used to supply vessels with wafer, and owned by a poor m:m named Duke, was destroyed. The barque Indus parted from her moorings off the soa wharf, splitting one of the now piles, and partly destroying the Derrick crane belonging to Mr. Kearns, the contractor for the screw-pile jetty ; she saved hersolf by grounding off the tramway. The brig Fawn parted from one of her cables, and was in a very critical position off tho Railway works. Tlio brig Wild Wave suslnined very serious injury to her stanch ions, bulwarks, &o. ; she was jammed alongside Peacock's Whavf, and could not bo moved ; snd lias to some extent damaged tho wharf by shaking the screw-piles, &?. Tho schooner William received considerable damago to her upper works. Tho ships John Tcmparley, King of Italy, and David Brown, all dragged their anchors a considerable distance : in fact, this was the ca.^e with every vessel afloat. On shore, considerable damage was done to private houses, chimneys were blown down, verandahs destroyed, and several roofs of buildings more or loss injured. By three o'clock the gale showed signs that the worst was over, and the wind gradually died away, and was succeeded by a fine day. * The harbor works have not escaped. The pile and framework of the soa wall have given way several feet to seaward. The breakwater at Officer's Point, was washed away for soino distance, and all the staging destroyed or washed out to soa. Independent of the damage done to tho harbor works, break .-.-ator, &c, the property destroyed will not full far short of £(5,000.