THE LATE GALE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 202, 25 August 1880, Page 2

THE LATE GALE.

The Post of Monday says:— The Volunteers' Drill shed, which has just been erected on the reclaimed land, was announced to have been opened on Saturday evening by a grand concert, in which the principal amateur performers of the city were to have taken part. Everything was prepared for the occasion, but shortly after 3 o'clock on Saturday afternoon a portion of the wall at the north-western end of the building suddenly gave way, owing to the terrific gale that was blowing at the time. There were several ladies and gentlemen in the building when the accident occurred, and the first intimation they received of approaching danger was the snapping of one of the straining rods, the end of which fell heavily on the temporary platform erjeted for the performers. A gap of many feet was next made in the brickwork, in consequence of the semi-circular gable bulging iv. It may be mentioned that the gable is 76ft long and 45ft high, and the brick-wall measures 100 ft in length. 10ft in height, and 9in in thickness. During the rehearsal on Eriday night it was more than once observed that the building trembled to its foundations when exposed to an unusually violent gust of wind, but as no accident then occurred the misgivings of many were dispelled to some extent. Large numbers of persons have visited the building since the catastrophe, and the soft crumbling nature of the mortar employed in its construction has been the subject of much comment. Under the heading of "Opening of the New Drill Shed," the Chronicle gives the following humorous account of the effects of the gale upon thas structure : — The opening of the new Volunteer Drill Shed on Saturday evening will long be remembered in musical circles in Wellington. Never before has such a powerful orchestra performed here, and the wonderful effects attained by the wind instruments were simply astounding. They played admirably in concert, and produced entirely unexpected effects. There was, of course, a large and fashionable audience, and the brilliantly lighted and lofty building presented a gay and happy scene." Circumstances over which the promoters had no control necessitated some changes in the advertised programme ; but tbeße were of a singularly appropriate character, and in.no way suffered from want of rehearsal. The splendid Bong "Blow, blow ye wintry winds " was the first number to demand attention, and it elicited such I a hearty response not only inside, but oat-

side the building, that the massive structure absolutely trembled to its base. The next piece, " Cease, rude Boreas, blustering railer," scarcely elicited the same response, the fine bass voice of the singer being occasionally overpowered by the angry growls of the wind-god he was invoking. A young lady finding that the appeal to rule Boreas was unavailing, next essayed a little flattery by way of tribute to the ungentle daughter of JEolus, who was assisting the northern deity. Her graceful "O£ a' the airts the wind can blaw, I dearly loo' the west " was, however, of no avail in quelling the elemental warfare ; and the first part terminated with the fine quartette, " When the stormy winds do blow " (Beethoven.) The second part was commenced by a magnificent overture frtiin " The Tempest " (Arne). This was succeeded by & superb rendering of "The Heavens are telling" (Creation — Haydn). The next number introduced to the audience "was a recitative and aria (with trumpet obligato) from Mendelssohn's little known oratorio Jericho, "And the wall fell down fiat." This literally brought the house down, and was accompanied with such realistic scenic effects that some alarm apparently was excited even amongst the performers, the next number, " I will arise and go/ being taken up altogether too hurriedly, and a certain tremulo movement being perceptible throughout ; the voice of the gallant Captain of the Amphibi being especially unsteady. The sole from Mozari's "Babel," "Not one brick upon another," was given with much greater precision by the gentleman entrusted with it ; and in the final chorus from the same oratorio, "And the builders mourned," the performers had perfectly recovered, rendering the difficult music in a highly satisfactory manner,- the fine alto of Mr S. Brown being specially noticeable. This concluded the musical portion of the entertainment, and the Drill Shed having been formally declared to be open, the audience were enabled to leave the building by the end opposite to that in which the ordinary entrance is placed.

The following account, of the gale of last Thursday night is coniensed from the Christchurch papers of Friday : — A terrific nor'-west gale has been blowing all day, exceeding in violence the Btorni in September, 1878. The principal ravages are confined to trees, verandahs, windows, fences, &c. Some valuable trees in the Domain here were completely destroyed. A branch of blue gum was torn from the trunk at Cashmere and hurled into a buggy, driven by Henry Alexander, groom in the employ of Sir J k C. Wilson. The man was nearly killed, and now lies in a critical state, and the horse was injured. At Lyttelton, a prisoner named Patrick Moss was at work on the roof of a buildicgin the gaol yard. The hurricane tore the roof and man bodily off, and by the fall (of some 30 feet) he received such injuries that his recovery is doubtful. The high fence round the Maori prisoners' quarters was levelled with the ground. Another man on the roof of his house was blown off and badly cut by a sheet of iron. At Leitbfield the Presbyterian Church was lifted off its foundation. The stock of chimneys at a large hotel just erected at Rangiora, in imitation of Wain's Hotel at Dunedin, was blown down. The tents of the unemployed at Weka Pass have suffered severely. The railway station at Selwyn has undergone considerable damage. No damage was done to the shipping in port, as the gale was foretold by Captain Edwiu at Wellington, and precautions were taken. This afternoon it gradually softened down, and eventually subsided, being succeeded by vivid lightning on the mountains.

From February, 1878, to February of the present year, the numbers of marsupials destroyed in the Warwick (Queensland) district were 247,313 kangaroos, £8678 Is 9d ; 50,916 wallabies, £636 8s 9d; 4680 wallabies, unpaid; total, 302,91)8 marsupials at a cost of £9314 10s 6d.