THE NORTH-WEST GALE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2025, 20 August 1880, Page 2

THE NORTH-WEST GALE.

SECOND EDITION

Abont 8 o’clock this morning a succession of fierce squalls brought in one of the hardest north-west gales that has been experienced in Ohristohnroh for many years. For two or three hours locomotion was anything but pleasant, the mere force of the wind making it almost impossible to make headway, while unconsidered trifles in the shape of sheets of iron, slates, bricks, boughs of trees, and even shingle lifted from off the streets, flew about in a manner rather dangerous to the pedestrian. Considerable damage has been done to property. A brick house, in the Lower Lincoln road, in the course of erection, and nearly finished, was blown down early in the course of the gale. About eighty feet in length of the iron roof of a very ong storage shed belonging to the Messrs Anderson, in Lichfield street, was lifted off, and the sides collapsing, that part of the building is a total wreck. Mr McOlatchie’s furniture warehouse in Cashel street had one of its upper-storey windows blown in. At half-past nine o’clock Mr A. J. White had one of the front windows (10ft. 6in.) of his new store completely blown in, damage being done to tho amount ot about £6O. The older portion of Messrs Lightband, Allan and Co.’s boot manufactory had its roof partially stripped. The Camera Obsoura, while taking a picture of the passing storm was blown down, the apparatus being seriously injured. Fences were levelled, and many signboards, chimneys, &c., had their weakest parts exposed, A gum tree, that has braved the breeze for at least fifteen years on the river side of the Oxford Hotel, went down, and only by good generalship was prevented from demolishing part of the house in its fall. The telegraph lines must have suffered considerably as up till middle day communication was interrupted in every direction. In fact, the various items of damage done in and about Christchurch are too numerous to particularise. Towards noon the wind died away into a moderate gale. KAIAPOL A very heavy N.W. storm came at nine o’clock. Items of damage are reported, principally to the Borough School and the Woollen Factory. LXTTELTON, Captain Edwin’s prediction on Thursday afternoon that a heavy gale was impending was strongly verified in a terrific burster from the north-west to west, commencing at about eight o’clock this morning. The wind came down in fearful squalls upon the shipping, without, however, inflicting any damage upon any ot the vessels lying at the wharves or in the harbor. Ashore property did not escape so satisfactorily.' Over on the western side of the town considerable damage was done among the residences exposed on the hill sides to the full force of the squalls. Fences and gates were scattered about broadcast, and from a building in course of erection in Salt’s Gully the whole iron roof was snatched off and carried fully a quarter of a mile, finally alighting in a garden on Ripon street. A boy while making fast a sheet of iron on the roof of a house on the Bridlepath was thrown down, and badly cut about the face. One or two of telegraph poles were reported down. The effect of the gale was however most disastrous at the Gaol premises, the excavations there giving an opportunity for the wind to eddy about, as though coming from all directions. An immense amount of work has been in progress there for some time past, under the direction of the chief gaoler, extending the gaol buildings in a northerly direction permanently, and making temporary provision for the accommodation ot the Maori prisoners. In the yard where these works were going on, an iron roof, which had been put temporarily upon one of tho newly built concrete additions was bodily blown down info the yard. In its descent it struck a prisoner named Patrick Moss, and from tho nature of his injuries it is improbable he will recover. Another of the prisoners was struck by the falling debris, but was not seriously hurt. In town tho gale played havoc with several glass doors, hotel lamps, and windows, and one just forced in tho glass face of the town clock facing to tho westward. It is reported that on Canterbury street a vegetable cart was capsized by the wind, the horse being thrown over in the shafts, but both were righted without having incurred any damage.