CAUGHT IN A GALE.

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 66, 28 August 1880, Page 2

CAUGHT IN A GALE.

The following graphic account has been written by a •well-known resident of Palmerston, and will be read with interest : — " We left Palmer3ton an hour before the usual time — for some reason or another— I being the only passenger, and got along smoothly until the Grorge was reached, when we cUscovererl feo our eosfc f.hnfc a gale Vras raging, a* we could see sheets of water driven by the force of the wind right over the road.. The force of the wind was so great as to sometimes literally stop the coaeli ; and to make the matter worse trees and stones were falling around us m all directions j but a strong faith m the ability and care 'f Hunter, oar pilot, kept us easy m our mind, though at times when the road was so narrow that scarce six inches intervened between the wheel and a drop of from fifty to eighty feet, made me wish 1 had insured m the Aec idenfc Insurance Company before leaving. We got to Woodville m good time, but I thought I must have mistaken the day of theweek, as the house was shut up, all the doors being bolted; a procerding considered necessary by tha force, of the gale, which had levelled the chimney _and several outhouses and fences.; We awailad the arrival- of the Napier coach, taking on one male passenger, who was an invalid and against the advice of the Public generally started from Woodvil'e, taking axes with us m caße of accident, and sure enough before long their services were re.<Luire.d3.a9 fcpAt»g wpre lyinff-jtoross the road every half mile or so, and as we travelled enormous loi'ds of the foreat were snapped off like carrots, or torn by the roots, falling with a noise like thunder, startling the horses, and necessitating a careful scrutiny, of standing trees, which threatened to fall on us constantly We cut our way through' eight trees of different sizes, and got' to the -Manawaiu to find no piinfe and the Natives 1 m bod, but after several trials of lung, enough, to lay one up m a consumption, a faint! voice was heard, saying. '.' Go. : back^no ; -| good — plenty water— top muph-,tr«e— ka- j kino," and then a hurried retreat to a whare ; ! but on Huntor insisting upon the "canoo being sent, it arrived m due time. We got over, and after some delay started, but. on arrival at the Pah and toll gate 1 were), met by a rimu, right across the road, fully five feet through, which we jinime-; dwtoly tackled with axe and: saw, Mr Carver, lately appointed by the County Council as punt-keeper, rendering with his son great assistance, the Natives also assisting very materially, and I think I never saw finer specimens of muscular humanity than two of them displayed when stripped to tho : the muscles stood out like ropei, each blow half burying the i axe. But there was great display and not proportionate effect, as they soon tired, and were' glad to hand the axe over to < heir pakeha friend ; and after seeing Hunter wield the axe, which he did like a first-class Canadian axe-uian, they did not care about showing off. I have seldom seen a better axe-man, and without his assistance we should have made little progress, our Pakaha passengers being too ill to render much assistance. After four hours hard work, we got through, only to meet another, and still another, until 5 a.m., when w« were met by No. 2. fire-feet rimu, by which time we ware. tired oup, our hand* Mistered, and stomachs craving for food and water (qualified with whiskey — the water being bad). We 'left; coach and walked to where the contractors, Mr. M'Donald and another whose name I don't know, wera camped, at the Mangatainoka, and a^ter rousing the people up, started four men to assist. Crossing. the river we wore most hospitably entertained by the contractors, who gave us the key of the safe, and told us to help ourselves, which we did with alacrity ; but I was so sleepy I kept dosing between the bites, and finally dropped |off and took forty winks, which occupied me threw hours, and awoke to find our new driver, Pat, with tw.o led horses, he having had to leave his coach eight miles beyond Ekatahuna, . and had ridden twenty nine miles to deliver the mail. His order was " Ail-aboard !" and off we started for a twenty- three-mile ride,and those who know the said worthy will easily believe we were not allowed to let the grass grow under our feet. He must be a near relative to that Jehu we read, about as being remarkable for the furiousness of his driving. HU horse resented the treatment after the first fifteen miles, and kept resting his head on the ground, his rider eventually having to lead him, and then carry saddle and bridle. Arrived at Eketahuna about four ; had a square meal, but as it came on to rain »nd blow afresh, our pilot decided to remain, the new land— lord treating us well. Next morning we had a great treat m store m the shape of a coach horse each, with blinkers and, no saddles required, which we were invited ;to take an eighl-milo ride. Fortunately,(however, Mr. M'Kenzie, our host, took compassion on us, 'and drove us m a buggy , bu*i our skill and powers .as axe-men did not end until our arrival at the camp, where we replenished tho inner nrmn, arid, had plain sailing to Masterton, getting -there at 2.£0/ p.m. on Sunday, instead of 10.30 a.m. on Saturday. Great praise i* due to both drivers for their skill and poolneas, and for the, watf they wor%d. aJA through i fqj<

although my description nlay make it appear trifling, there were really innny and great difficulties —^yes, and dangers too-r-in the journey. Messrs. Carver and son were also of great assistance, as were the dusky lords of the soil. There is, however, a great need of change m the way the ca- 1 noes are managed both -at the Manawatu (Maori ferry) and itfangatainoka. the former you are at the mercy of the Natives; and the latter has a canoe about the size of an ordinary feeding trough for horses, which rocks about m a most crazy manner. The Lower Ferry . punt is snugly lying two miles down the river. " The Council are rapidly making necessary repais m the roads, both by newbridges and laying fresh metal."