TERRIFIC STORM AT BRISBANE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 20, 23 January 1878, Page 4

TERRIFIC STORM AT BRISBANE.

The Brisbane correspondent of the v Sydney Morning Herald " writes on 20th December : — " Brisbane this morning presents a remarkable spectacle. Roofs are torn off wholly or in part, windows are smashed, the streets glisten with broken and pounded glasp, and the ebrubs and trees are stripped of their leaver, whPe (he boughs are either denuded of their bnrk, or are themselves hanging in shreis. Such a hailstorm has not occurred during the past seventeen years, and will not probably occur again for a long time. It is calculated that a thousand pounds will not pay for the glasß which muse be replaced. During the half-hour in which the storm raged, the uproar and force of the tempest wore terrific. About half-past, four the etorm rolled up, as ib usually ihe once, against the wind, and the inky clouJb were split in all directions by red forked lightning of the most vivid description. At ODe time I counted six of those fiery arrows descending almost simultaneously. Then, almost without a moment's warning, the wind shifted round from north-east to the opposite direction, and for (he space of five and twenty minutes the city and suburbs were bombarded by a storm of hailstones varying from the size of a hazel nut to thut of a hen's egg, The wind ot tho s-jrae time assumed ihe proportions of nu absolute hurricane ; and while it raged, «vhat wilh its roaring, and the clatter of ihe hnii upon the roofs, walla, and windows, people had to shout af. the top of their voices diroctly inlo their U iendfl' ears to make themselves heaid. Ihe majority of folks were taken unawares. Flavelle and Robert?, the jewellers, had put up their shutters before the storm burst, a precaution due to the seientiSc knowledge of Mr E. Macdonell, who ie, &s well as a member of the firm, the Government tneierological observer. A few of his neighbors followed his example, but as a rule, the window panes rattling in fragments on the floor, gave the first intimation of what was happening. The plate-glass, as a rule, was strong enough to resist the assault, but high and low, windows of ordinary glues were smashed in pieces, and in some instances blown wholesale into the dwelling-places. Thus a silversmith in Queen-stieet lost his windows and show-cases at one^hlow. The steined glass windows ot the Town Hall were smashed to pieces, and \he Supreme Court, Parliament Building, and Government House shared the general fate. Years of patient labor will have to be gone over again in the Botanical Gardens and Acclimatizition Grounds, which, revived by the recent thuDder etorm, were in excellent order. In the course of a short walk last evening, when the hurly burly was over, and only a few playful flashes of sheet ligotning remained, the liugering rearguard of the tempest, I counted twenty balconies id various etagesof demolition. Some had merely the corner exposed to the line of wind blown off 5 others were stripped along the entire front ; others had disappeared. Sheets of galvanized iron were torn off roofs, and whirled, circling, high in the air; in two instances, to my own personal knowledge — and doubtless such instances were common enough — galvanized iron roofs were riddled by the hailstones. This is no figure of speech ; the metal was pierced with holes as clean as though they bad been made by a bullet. Four of the stones that I noticed Were perfectly round and smooth, while others were jagged pieces of ice, and all as hard as iron. It ie not possible yet to ascertain the extent of the damage done, especially as, the lamps in the streets having been demolished, the town was ia daikness last night. But damage of a serious nature there must have been. During, the height of the storm horses were galloping about with broken harness dungling about them, and the lightning continued to be of the most dangerous character. As for the thunder, the uproar caused by wind and hail et'fled all but the loud claps. We had a bad hailstorm about a month since, and it wftseonsMen.-d remaikable because am ids'., the stoats a few were s?en about the size of pigeons' eggs. Yesterday (iiat was the avera^'- 1 siz<?, and they fell very thick, uud wern driven with appalling force by the tempest. In a tew minute 9 drifts would be fortimd a foot deep. I saw Hi'vernl hailstones' as large qb bens' e^rgs. The volley pitched first ou the ground, bounced six feet in the air, and tiis-n ricocheted furiously until stopped by some abstacle. The river resembled v boling cauldron, ships were blown over on their benm ends, and several bouts au ('vessels were adrift. A cooJ de.il of tradesman's Block is spoiled, and, unfortunately, us you might expel, ib<3 smaller sliopkoeperu, who can least afford it, suffer most. Amongst the accidents and it.cMentsiepottttti in thmuof uio^'d pipera, I may mention the following : — Quo of the w.llaof a two storey brick buildiiif, kuowu hb the BiHbauo Aasuwbiy iioooaa, was blown eleau out by the wind running through the oppoaiie window*, broken by the haiUtouoa ; a gentleman entering the Brisbane Club hai his leg cut tv the bone by a jagged hai - stone ; a telegraph meEsauger wus struck on the temple aud knocked olf his horse ; a pile driving machine hi, Hayward Poiut was overturned, breaking the arm and otherwise injuring a man who was seeking shelter uear; two draymeu were badly hurt by a fa. ling wall, which was a very clear specimen of how rascally modern workenauauip maybe. One firm this morning fiada

that 300 panes of glass have been destroyed. Churches, c'u v s, sohoolbousec, present a unanimous array of empty cashes and damaged Interiors. A threeroomed wooden cottasje was lifted bodily off the stumps, and at first it appeared as if it would have been whirled sway, but it finally settled down'in an unsafe position, where it still remains. Small buildings find outhouses have been raz ;d everywhere. The damage however is chiefly superficial, bringing a harvest to the glazier rather than to the builder."