TERRIFIC HURRICANE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1371, 23 February 1912, Page 3

TERRIFIC HURRICANE.

GREAT DESTRUCTION IN HAAPAI GROUP. NEARLY EVERY UOVUE DEMOLISHED. ißy Telecraph—Prem Association.', Auckland, IVbruar.v ilft. Further news retched Auckland by the Nnviia to-day of the disastrous h Ulrica no which swept tho Haapai group and wrought fearful destruction on every island there. Serious as was the damage caused by the big blow at Fiji, it sinks into insignificance when compared wilh the havoc at Ilanpai. Mr. E. .1. Watkins, Collector of Customs in the group, tell* the following story:— For thirteen years 1 have lived at liifukn, and never before have I known such a storm. Nover in the memory of any inhabitant of (he grnup has thcro been such a terrific gale, or such frightful havoc caused. The whole Haapai group has been swept clear. Nearly every house has been demolished, pkiutatinns raxed.-to the ground, boats smashed to pieces, and the (own of Lifukn poetically swept, out of existence by a tidal wa.ve. Thousands of pounds worth of damage has been done, and thousands of natives in the group are faced with starvation, tho result being that the Government is sending big commissions to Auckland for food, com, and seed, so as to prepare for the serious time ahead. Houses wore washed away, and the doors of tho Treasury office wero forced open under the weight of water and the placo inundated. Houses wero collapsing in every direction as if made of cards. The gale blew at a velocity of 00 miles an hour. It is estimated that 200,000 coconut treos hnvo been blown down. In Lifuka itself over 200 houses havo simply disappeared, anil in other towns there is not a single house left standing. In Inongono only three houses remain to mark tho site of what was previously a pretty town. Practically the whole of the locol fiect has been demolished, tho only boat left intact and safe at tho moorings being the Auckland-built vessel Kao. The Government yacht Losa wa.s smashed to pieces, and the .vrcckage was swept right into tho town. The auxiliary vessel Milouo was amongst others which wero smashed up, and there is scarcely a lighter left in the group. Tho natives aro in a sad plight, as tho coconut plantations throughout the gro.ip have been demolished, and starvation faces them. It will be years before the copra trade can again be established. The banana crops suffered in the gale, and there is hardly a-broadfruit tree left. Over 100 natives arc homeless.

RUIN AND DESOLATION. ■ .' (By Telegraph.-Special Correspondent.) ' Auckland, February 21. News reached Auckland by the s.s. Navua this afternoon of a "disastrous hurricane which has swept the He.apai (jronp, and wrought fearful destruction throughout every island in the group. A thrilling story • of ruin and desolation was that communicated by the Navua's passengers when that boat dropped anchor in the stream at.l o'clock, this afternoon. Mr. L. J. Watkins, Collector of Customs in the Group, narrated to' a "Star" representative the story of the hurricane in terse-hilt graphic terms:—' "It was three weeks ago last Monday," said Mr. Watkins, "that dirtv weather set in. The wind began to blow from the north-east, and the glass fell steadily. In this way'we'had ample warning that there was a bad time coining; On Thursday we got the hurricane proper. There was a terriblo' sea. running, and suddenly a huge wave swept, inland for one hundred fathoms, right into the middle of the town. By this time the gale was at its height. Tho. sky was almost dark with flying debris, anil the marvel is that • not. one was killed, amidst the mass of flying timber, corrugated iron, and wreckage. In fact, had it been night time the death roll must havo been considerable. A galvanised lank, on the wings of the wind, blew away faster than any airship. A hiigc coconut free, torn up by tho roots, was carried out over the harbour, and planicd on tho main reef, a distance of a quarter of a mile, where it is still to be seen.

BUSINESS PLACES DAMAGED. "The business places in Lifuka suffered severely. The stores owned by Messrs. Millar and Co., of Auckland, were badly damaged, the roof being carried away and the sleek severely damaged. The D. H. and P. (J., a German firm, also' suffered a great deal. Most of the public places were demolished, and all the churches were levelled with the ground. Tho Free Church, which cost ■CSOOO, and w-as the largest place of worship in the group, was wiped right out of existence. Prior to' the hurricane there was a fivo months' drought, which spoilt the yam crop, the Ixinnnn crop suffered in the gale, and there is hardly n breadfruit tree lett. A serious feature in connection with the damage done is thai scarcely a tank is left, and there is trouble in maintaining a factory supply. To the order of tho Government, the s.s. Navua will take back to the group considerable quantities of corn and grain, which will 1)0 planfc<l at once, witn a view to helping to tide the native population over the difficulties which arc'assuredly to confront them." Mr.' P. Schreuster, manager at Haapai for thewell-known German D.H.P.G. Co.. who arrived by the Navua, en route for England on holiday, after 13 years' scrvico on the islands, in speaking to a "Star" representative, said that tho blow was the wor-e experienced in the sroup during his residence there. On Sunday, January 23, two days More the.burricano struck Haapai, the inhabitants were forewarned of trouble. The glass fell rapidly lo 211.30, and on the following day there was a heavy sea running. The boats in the lagoon were made as secure as possible, but on Tuesday, January W; the storm struck the island, sweeping it from end to end, and leaving in its'trail wrecked houses, broken and sunken boats, churches razed to tho ground, and tho coconut plantations rninod. A lar?c number of "houses were completely wrecked, while all suffered more .or'less. In addition to the havoc-cans-d bv the wind, the fide in the nature of a tida'l wave svept.the island on the north-w>st boundary, and wronger terrible damage. A moderate r-rtimate ft tho complete loss was .£50,000. The D.H.P.G. Company would be lo;ci\= to the extent of -C4OOO or -ffiW. feyrral oi thrir stores having brcn wrecked, boats.suulc, and :i large quantity cf copra destroyed..