HURRICANE IN THE SOUTH SEAS. (By Telegraph.) Auckland, May 13.

North Otago Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 1888, 15 May 1878, Page 2

HURRICANE IN THE SOUTH SEAS. (By Telegraph.) Auckland, May 13.

Further particulars of the hurricane at Paumota, one of the Lagoon Islands, have been received. The island was only from ten to twenty feet high. Unfortunately, the centre of the cyclone swept the most populous and commercial islands of the group : Kaiapo, Apati and Kaukaura having it on the 6th ; aiid Amoa (the seat of Government in the group, where there is a British Resident) and the adjoining islands having it on the 7th. In Rairau the full hurricano made a clean sweep of all the settlements, washing away houses and oven the bodies from the graveyard, some of which were eaten by piga. The inhabitants saved themselves by getting on the highest points of land, or by tying themselves to cocoanut trees until the wind and soa abated. Two schooners were lost on the Island, and an American was drowned. At Kaukaura, the sea from the lngoon and outside met on tlio land in a most extraordinary manner, making the whole land quake, and submerging it to the depth of six feet. The inhabitants got frightened and took to boats. They were carried out over the reef and oapsizod, and 117 persons drowned, including one white man, one half-caste, and two Chinamen, the rest being Natives. The white man was named George Heaton, and was late of Auckland. About twenty boats, averaging from four to five tons, were lost. On this island, besides all the houses, many thousand cocoanut trees were washed away. The remaining inhabitants, with four Europeans, saved themsolves by climbing rooks and trees until the morning of the 7th, when the storm abated. On Apati, two schooners belonging to B-iudor were thrown ashore, but no lives lost. On Amoa all the houses, stpres, and the Residency were washed away by the sea, thousands of cocoanut trees blown down and broken, often halfway up, and the whole place covered with about three feet of sand. The people saved themselves by retreating to the highest point of the island, seme eying themselves to tiees, whilo the sea washed under them. They lost all their boats. A schooner which left the island the day before was capsized, and all the hands 1 18) drowned, three being Europeans (one named Peter Hemans, late of Akaroa, New Zealand). The Fiench Government gout a steamer from '1 jihiti, to ascertain the extent of the disaster. It is estimated

that mure than one hundred and fifty lives were lost, and fifty thousand pounds worth of property. The copra trade is ruined for years.