TERRIBLE STORM

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2119, 9 April 1914, Page 7

TERRIBLE STORM

*—■ ■■■■„■-.ft*--! rf-*> lIGKITIKA VISITATION THE SEA INVADES THE TOWN BUILDINGS SWEPT AWAY DAMA6E RUNS TO THOUSANDS, tSs Telcjpra,Bh.-SiitcW tiomspftndcnt.) . HcMtlka, April 8. . Last night will long lie remembered by tk- people of Hokiiikn as the ■wildest night, on record. A force nor'-west gale, accompanied, by heavy rain, doseonddd upon tfas tawii about S o'clock. Tiie gate gradually increased In fury until midnight, and a treMendous sea raged on the waterfront. IMwc:ct> 0 and M o'clock tiro tide was .at its liejfrl.it., and mountainous waves fhiiri.' derod upon the beach, rising higher and higher as the galo ineraased. Tho !»g seas wore boos pounding against tho back fences and .rears of t'bs premises facing Resell Street, and ■tremendous damage was wre-ufdrf. It is slated that fully ■ fifty feet of tiro properties wore swept away by t"lw waves, and fences,, outhouses, and tho liaek partialis of the 'business siren-iiscs wcro sooi.i being carried along- Hie beach by the racing torrent. Great damafto was dono atfto rear-of the Empire Hotel, five fully furnished rooms being washed away. Many other ' premises suffered, ml tho amateur pretee'tiyc work? that had teen to'ttstructcd by the- residents wcro sp-oedliy denioJ* ■I'shed. "' ' •'W ; fsok and Giiaos ah {he Beach. .The Beit at length .gradually rtmedecT, and an indescribable scone of confusion and chaos met the e,yo this morning!, Fences were smashed into ■all shaped* Wore wrecked, and pari? '■ of thorn were overimnging tho bank which tho soa had. cut. Numerous houses were washed n-way entirely* Tho southern cnd'<,f tho beach presented a direr see.no.. Ro.ro and tl.roro wor-o heaps of. timber.j. dOKons of boX-eXi largo .pieces' of walls, twisted corrugated iron, ireps, v«g-.et»bte, pieces of furaitnto, toriß stops of liu«jleti.m, and thousands of pieces.of smashed timber. Lying hero and thcrp among the debris *eoiiM. fro seen flirfhorises quite iittaet. ft ■ftomplofc roof, ofa whole side of a, shod-, helped to make, tho scene, af dcs.oiaiioin The Bate ateij did ■eoij-Rider.aMo tlam- • ago Hi tlio town. 1?h.o to.p 'was -Wpwn oft' the. grandstand at ..th.o..ra.oecj>u'rse., and, m-imy wijidtiws w-ero Mown in.., anil buildings unroofed arid damaged, Tho gale went down in the iariy hours of tils morn nig,,, but those.viii*' .creased, and at '8 ■O'clock this evening a tremendous sufgo was running, ifor-- > .trinatel.v, however, fltero Was no wiM, but, as it waSiCousicie'raMo tfaniago was done. Premises Smashed to MafcTiwoodi A .largo . storeroom, ■belonging to Messrs, jVi'Kay and .Sons, had been undermined ivy the. previous ji-igiif's storm, ■and whoa to-night's big breakers poitnued upon its foundation, tho shed was soon' badly kinked, and. a few minutes, ■after- 8 J>,.nu % specially big Wave reduced it to matchwood. It dropped with a heavy thud into tho angry cauldron below. Tito seaeontmued to urates along tho beacli,. and additional datmigo Was done-..'.'.'.'.'!. v. i'>." ''"' At about if) o'clock tho huge curly breakers were beating high upon th.< shoroj and, m great W;v.s tho force, thai just after IfWclodj tlio«ild. of Jl'Kay's showroom fra* SO undermined thai" it was ciirried down iuto-t(ie \vavos by its own Wekht,' and the broakfijf.s quickly cleared the tpom of its stock.. The sea is still' mnfliiig mountains- iiigii despite the- ■a-bs'e.ufio of ffijid., brvt -tliero aro loara'" that a so.ij.tb.erly .galo may got up ha tho tides approach .spring tide?. t\\si\ there is no predistiiig what wili halipWi if tho heavy sea aiid very full tiller gain fresh fury by a gala that is fore> casted. Several very largo waves ea.tiie over tho bank between tho bpac'h awl town, and. a- surging towejit ran down into tho main street and overflowed tho' cliaimeiUttg. Residents Overawed end Helpless. Tho residents) especially in JievcHStrofit, a-ra overawed and aro quita helpless. Hundreds of ijovr-nds *o.rth of prfltfictivo works have been, deraoiished, and 'all tho labour rendered useless by tho eneroiiclirnciit'S of tho scij.. Just before nudijigh't tho weather la perfect, and tho sky ■ckuidlcss, bi-tt the sea is thundering on the ticach, and gravo foars arc felt that tlie. bu.6iiie,s> portion of thft to\yli iu seriously threat* cfiod, especriallf if the. spring tides; which arc duo in a day or two* striks the- bcarih when a gale is Wowifrg,, Thero. ■ is so'mo talk of irrotqetioi) works, b-U-b nothing, cottld iiavo withstood t)io snftry torrent. w-Iliß-h wrought such havos during last night's fierco tornado-. ANOTHER ACCOUNT. THE OUTLOOK AtABSttNG. (By 'fclog;rai)!i-.-^l J r«E6 Association.) HoKitikai April 3> Tho raging sea ivliTeh has ■prevailed- , since yesterday contiiflied to-night to Uiakfi. inroads into tlio back promises ,o( thostt living on t'b:e western sido of .Bcvjf ell Street, tho main t-Jlwouchfaro p( the town. Tho erosion has hcett ta'k< ivig jrlnco for soma months pa.st, much iiaiiiago had been, caused. I'-ro-lia-v-O been busily ehgaged far "some time past building walls t*jatoi> the sen cutting iut'6 their .section's* Tho protections, 'wftji few <?sccp-Hon-5.,. ha.vo woved -of no avpi]. The- prov-aili in.g heavy Sea -coming _ fin top of ■ tlio ' spring tides is rftsrions.ib.lo for tho. present onslaught. Tho danger has be.eu. imminent fw some time, but, jieve.rfhoiloss, tlio loss siistaiuea to-night has bocii vt-ry cQiisiderabie, As a- result .of tiro i'ceont -storm oi.U> resident at least hns hati to rcyrivovo his ptft'pe-of abode, .while-, in. ftdditio.n i,o tliis, . about » dozOii or nibro ]>usii..ie.ss prfeiiiis.Os ar? somewhot striousiy nfflocted. f 119 Sea. Ift Resell SJreet, It is hoped that-tho im-pr-o-ved wcatiiej conditions provailing just before, -midnight will have the efte'et rf modoi'rat-..-,' ing tlio sba, and thereby removing tiro present'Jrgl'y?a-3p.ec't-: - o'f affairs. It is estimated tliali several tlrausands til pounds damage liavo already beoir caused. The sea.was running into R-ev» nil Street to-nightj and. ft© tca-t or Hlossrs, M'K*tV iind Son's dtopo:i:y -establishniovit *as. washe'd out. to sea. A williiiii band of ivo-rjtera assisted te remove the. goods fown.rds tho .froivt .psnv Hon of the premises. - -, As iatft us 11.30 xy.rt. tho sea was stiil ■cau-siuE h.Woc. Aith'oU'iJli coteld'erabla lass has been sustainod during thn nast few' inoiiths, the -erosion kail not affect* ed tlio iuftin buildings, but the rccout hoavv sea has in sewnl instances rea.ch- " .. od tlio-soi - and the. cmt'loa.R is smiowJiw* nia-riiwiig.

A Inrjift liW'-ilx?!' of iivftn ivoro present hi' t)l<s Bailors' Crjcjiil Snefoly lost even-inft vi-ten Miss SjirivJ! wrovfetftl art tn» joyatjlo -cojuScft. 'Pile foltowntg ■roii.i.r!tni'teij vofnl and musical '>'tcMs:*-Jl'fe<joS Small, SPow, AtiiimvS, . Xrot?«., Scoijfcr. Kvi'sisjis. Vfrtuclit flf.r.f.S. Kdkflui'ii}. and Smil.li (k.s. Si'fli- of Vktorin), Ifissos Small anil PotW! iifoyed tlie ae.ffolivpajAj'pients'. I'Tin coiivpelitiiins winners included jfe, Smith i's.s, S!ar nf Vipterin) miji Slii. StwM-6 (s.s. Star of Victoria), Sbvojlal pmptttof cfior'Visfs Av£rB i KU.i'fj*i)j' tltp tiuih--c,m», Mips .Small, piuykip; (U(} aco.o'ii>pam. iivonts. During va short interval Mh ■?', jEcoroy Hi'iesioiicr. s»vb ftlr nxWre's's on. lhj> temper'AMe qvifstte.u :i resiiJtwip; i» '{ivo w<fti Iftldit.? llio .v.lwfgo ot .total ali'sti'iierrj*. A. htatfty vote nf limn Its was atcttWleit i'.bV U'cr'fcsriaers at tlio ftsacflr't.