GREAT STORM AND LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY AT MELBOURNE. (Abridged from the Melbourne Papers.)

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 390, 9 January 1850, Page 3

GREAT STORM AND LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY AT MELBOURNE. (Abridged from the Melbourne Papers.)

On Sunday, November 2f>, during the forenoon, the temperature of the atmosphere around Melbourne was oppressive in the extreme ; towards noon a cool biecze spiling up from the south -west, mid as evening approached the sky became oveicnst and gloomy. On the Monday the gathering; clouds gave indication of what was approaching, first in the form of drizzling rain, and subsequently in heavy torrents, which continued all night, the wind at the same time freshening into a heavy gale. On Tuesday morning, the gale and had wrather still continued, the barometer sinking to 29°. The streets presented a curious spectacle, most of them being (ravened with streams 18 or 20 feetbioad. and from three to four feet deep. Almost all the shops | were closed and such was the fury of the elements, that | scarcely a house in the city had a room in it that was pcifectlydry. In the police office, which is a substantial stone building, the efl'ect of the weather was perceptible a'ong tho ceiling and down the walls, which in some places appeared to ho saturated with the rain. Thcie wai (i very great amount of damage done— a house in La Tiobc-slrcet wns levelled by the wind on Monday night. The family who were in bed providentially escaped unhurt. The storm continued great part of the following day, and the Yarra Yarra rose to an unprecedented height, and as the hank of tlie river opposite la Melbourne is low, there was an immense loss of property. Mews. Philpotts sustained a severe losk, by having upwards of 2000 sheep destroyed by the watery element. A man was found dead, whether from ox* posure to the inclemency of tho weather, or otherwise, ho 9 not transpired, near Major Davidson's. Main's bridge was nearly swept away, after having stood the bruot of six winters and perhaps us many inundations. i Two men here lost their lives ; the body of one has ; been found. The water at the wharf had risen so high, at to make a clean sweep through Mrs. Shnnks', Mr. Pitttnan'i, and the adjacent premiies. In Mrs. Shauka' it was even with the counter, and ingress or cgreis to the premises was forced to be had through the upper windows by boat*. The destruction to property must have been imraenic— as bullocks, sheep, ducks, hens, casks of tallow, and other more or less valuable articles ore floating about at the butt of Baitmau's hill, in indiuritninate disorder. Messrs. Jackson and Rae lost about twenty bales of wool ; and a large quantity of sugar belonging to Mr. O. Brown, and lying at Colca' wharf, has been completely destroyed. The people resident at the Swamp lost, some of them almost all they possessed— and others very seriously, by the sud« den rising of the river, 13urrhclt'8 tannciy wa«, we hear, nearly all destroyed— the buildings are all down ; the d image done to the properly is estimated at i?30()0. Mr. Murphy, the brewer, 10-t much piopcrty, and suffered to the amount of XJ2OOO.X J 2000. On tho Salt Water River, also, great damage has been sustained. In the country districts the damage was also considerable. A brickmaker lesiding near IVchmond was missing, supposed to have been drowned. The punt belonging to Mr. Lynch, of the Rising Sun, at the Salt Water ilWer, has been sunk through the violence of flood ; and several head of cattle and a large numbpr of sheep have perished along both sides of the S.ilt Water River. In the locality ol the Deep Crock the vehemence of the rushing torrent was fearful, and two men fell viutirtiB to it ; others are supposed to have shaied the same fate, but two of the hapless individuals aie iJentified as loit. One of these is named Brace, and tha other Chips. Mr. lirodie, settler on the deep Creek, lost 400 sheep, and the man in charge of ihem is missing, and is supposed to be drowned. A bullock- driver, with his team laden with woo), passing a small creek near Ktsilor, the dray capsized into it, -md the bullocks by some chance breaking tho pole escaped drowning, the driver is missing, and supposed to have been drownrd. Several accidents happened near Main's bridge, where it is thought that more than one will prove fatal. On Tuesday evening seven men left the Flemington Hotel to cross over, but three of them apprehending danger veiy prudently returned ; the four however went on, and one of them was drowued. In the height of the floods on Tuesday evening several persons in tho employment of the Messrs. Fhilpatt, Brothers, at their boiling down establishment, rushed from the spot to effect their escape ; ons of them, (a young man named Wade) was subsequently missed, and his (lead body was yesterday found near Main's bridge. Information was received by the chief constable Bloomfield that the body of another man was found near Main's bridge ; it was covered with bags and was not identified ; a constable was immediately despatched to bring it into town. It was estimated that about 200 pigs had perished from the swarops in the city. A house containing three pigs was carried off fiotn the South Yarra and literally sailed down tho river towards the bay, and hai not since been hcaid of. The body of a butcher hoy named Buruei, drowned on Tuesday evening at Main's bridge, has been found j he had a mother and a sister to support. Mr. Kclls, the boat-builder, i* a severe suffarer having lost a number of his pigs ; Mr. Barry '» tannery was ulso Btnppod of much property. The beach, from a mile above Liardets to St. Kildn, was strewed with casks of tallow, empty casks, boxm ofcandleB, posts and rails, furniture, bcantliny, and many articles of value which had evidently been waihed down by the fresh in the riyur, and thrown up upon the beach by the violence of the gnlc.