AN AUSTRALIAN CYCLONE.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2224, 13 April 1881, Page 3

AN AUSTRALIAN CYCLONE.

A correspondent of the 11 Argus,” writing from Perth, gives the following account of a fearful storm, which has caused much destruction of property along the north-west coast of Western Australia:— 11 Mr John Brookman, a gentleman engaged in pearling pursuits, lately sent a graphic account of the disaster to the “ West Australian,” and from bis description itwould appear that a worse willy willy, as these north-west tornadoes are locally called, has never been known, even in a region where they are very frequent and verv severe. Mr Brookman says that ho, with some twelve other pearling vessels, was operating on the Mary Ann patch, near North-west Cape, when, indications of a storm coming on, he deemed it advisable to take refuge in the mangrove creeks. He lay to in a position which he considered one of absolute safety, the other boats being all close at hand. This was in the morning, and by mid-day the wind had risen to a fearful hurricane, and a blackness had settled down upon them so dense that they could only see a few yards ahead. Their anchors began to drag, and finally they were washed by the force of the waves and wind into the narrows of the creek, where they were kept grinding upon the mangroves in the most uncomfortable and alarming way. At this time they could detect the tops

of the mangroves waving some dozen feet above their heads. Suddenly there was a great lurch and roll, the water came up along the deck to the coaming of the main hatch ; but the vessel soon righted, and the orew noticed that the mangroves had completely disappeared, A few minutes afterwards the vessel gave another roll and capsized. Mr Brookman and his men clung to the wreck until 5 p.m., when there was a sudden lull, the centre of the cyclone having probably been reached. They then scrambled on shore, where they found O’Qrady, the captain of another pearler which had also been completely wrecked. Before long the hurricane came on again, and tie party were obliged hastilv to seek the hills for shelter. Here they passed a wretched night; and in the morning found that only one of the twelve vessels which twenty-four hours before had been riding at anchor together had escaped complete destruction. Mr Robor Sholl, another pearler, who brought the tale of this disaster to Fremantle, states that on sailing down the coast he found that a_ complete transformation had taken place in the appearance of the country. Whole tiers of sandhills had been washed away, some of which had been as much as 50ft. in height, and at the back of where these hills had formerly been water covered the ground for miles inland. Sharks, turtle and fish were stranded high and dry some distance from the shore, and there was every appearance of the action of an immense tidal wave. Although the darkness was too complete to enable him to judge other than by inference, Mr Brookman is convinced that it was a wave of this kind that lifted him over the mangroves, and afterwards capsized him in so inexplicable a way. Tbo loss of life occasioned by this terrible disaster was, fortunately, not so great as might have been expected. Only three Europeans perished ; the number of native divers who wore drowned has not been correctly ascertained, but wns not, I believe, very large.

In the twelve months ending with August, 1880, the total number of party processions in Ireland was 289, of which 211 were in Ulster, resulting in three homicides, thirty-five injuries to life, and 120 ditto to property, all in Ulster. The total cost of police and military specially drafted to the scones of the processions amounted to £9280.