DARWIN RAZED by Terrific Cyclone

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 48, 12 March 1937, Page 5

DARWIN RAZED by Terrific Cyclone

— Preu Assn.-

A NIGHT OF TERRQR Aboriginal Killed When House Wrecked PEARLING FLEET MISSING

(By Telasraph-

-Copyrigbt.)

(Beeeived 12, 11.55 a.m.) DARWIN, March 12. Almosl t&e wboie of t)&rvm feWBSMp was severgly damaged by a lemfie Qyclpno last night. The preliauaary estimate is £100,000 garaage, There was one death. The wind reachedL a velooity oi a hundred miips an honr razing most of the town's weatherboard buildings and unrppfing others. Thq Acting Administrator of the JJorthern Territory, Mr. Giles, telegraphed Caaberra saying that Govern* meat House, the Goveru-ment offie.es, |ho Customs House, aud the public school were badly damaged. The rqsideptg of Darwin had a night of t.error apd gravq anxiety is still fqlt for the safety qf 5Q pearling Jug= geis and a mission lugger on the groupds east of Goulburn Islaad. • Noi on© building in Darwin escaped damage and every tree for mileg •rqund has been denuded of brancbes or ppjpoted, The town looks like a bsttlefield ^ith twisted iron, broken W§odwqrk and trees littering the atree|a. Fences weta blown bodily on to the roadwaya or hurled hundreds of yards and wrapped like papeE around telegraph poles. Nat opo windmill is left standing. The terrorg pf the cyclone wero rara !q?S(l cnore alarming when the eleetric Jight fgiled. An aboriginal wgs killed through being etushed in the wrepkage of 8 heuse. Np word has been received from outlying mission stations aad it is fegrqd that thp cyclone would have been Bjor© iptense at Bathurst Island thpn at garwip- It is unlikely that any news of the pearjing fipat will he reeeived for several days. The erews total 500. Federal Cabjnet has granted £2000 to §Bsigt those who have suffered loss. The aniount njay be inereased when more detailed information of the daniage is received.