TERRIFIC HURRICANE AT SAVAGE ISLAND.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 373, 1 June 1889, Page 3

TERRIFIC HURRICANE AT SAVAGE ISLAND.

Ox Monday, the 18th of last month, ,wo days after the btorin in Apia harbour, the fiercest and most disastrous hurricane which has been known for the last quarter of a century swept over Niue. On arrival at that island early on Tuesday morning last the whole aspect of the coast was changed, and the damage done was apparent a mile or two away. At Avatele the church, which was the largest on the island, was completely wrecked, the large pillars being all laid low. The water ro»e aboutlOOft, washing up to the verandah of the principal dwelling there. The most serious damage ia done to the churches, six of which have been swept out of existence, and to the native houses ; of these no less than 700 are in ruins. The damage will seriously affect the natives for a couple of years at least, as besides hating over 2,000 cocoanut trees uprooted, some thousai.di of nuts are lost from trees still standing. At Uhumotu the damage was less, although the sea ran higher. The principal residence is that of Mr Head, the Deputy Commissioner for Niue, who, with his wife and one daughter, was absent in Auckland. The daughter left in charge had taken such precautions that there w»s no visible damage to either house or store. To give an idea of what a hurricane means in those parts, I have only to state that a very heavy mahogany log was moved out of its plare on the top of a cliff by the force of the sea. Captain Boss, of the schooner Olive, and myself afterwards measured the height of this block approximately, and tound it was 120 feet from the ordinary sea level. The highest point in the island is only about 200 feet so that an additional 80 feet would have drowned some 5,000 people The old natives do not remember anything worse. News just received from the same island states that wreckage from some vessel had been strewn along the east coast. The full account is altogether mysterious, but there i 3 no doubt that not a single soul survived. It appears that towards the end of December a ship passed along the west coast dismasted, and on the night of December 28th these remains came ashore. There was no trace whatever of the vessel's name nor anything to guide one to identify her except the word *' China" printed on a life-buoy with the ordinary stencils used for packing cases. The Roy. Mr Lawes, of the London Mission {Society, has had every search made for further particulars without success. A detailed report which Mr Lawes has wx-itten out can be seen by any firms interested in shipping, on boaid the schooner Olive in the harbour.

The flax boom is cerbainly proving a veritable bonanza to the North Island. The Rangibikei "Advocate" says that it is estimated by trustworthy authorities that there will be senfc Home from the Wellington provincial district alone during the current year at least 12,000 tons of flax, which at £20 per ton would represent nearly a quarter of a million sterling. The New Zealand " Trade Review " has collected from official sources a return of the exports of flax trom the whole colony for the three years ending with 1888. For the year 1886 the value of this export was only £15,000. Next year it took a leap of £10,000, and in 1888 the record of 1887 was, trebled, the amount being £75,000. Now we find, as indicated above, that from one provincial district alone the export in 1899 will be £240,000.