A NOR'-EASTER. RESULTS OF THE GALE. TWO YACHTS LOST. MR FRED. DUFAUR DROWNED. Auckland, Dec. 2

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 425, 4 December 1889, Page 4

A NOR'-EASTER. RESULTS OF THE GALE. TWO YACHTS LOST. MR FRED. DUFAUR DROWNED. Auckland, Dec. 2

Captain Edwin predicted on Friday that Auckland would be favoured with a bib of a " blow " in the shape of a gale from the east or nor'-east, and his predictions have been verified. The strong wind from the north-east which sprang up here on Saturday morning developed into a gale by the evening, and during yesterday and to-day quite a " snorter ' was blowing. On the East Coast the weather must be pretty heavy, and from the force with which the gale was blowing in the harbour to-day it must have attained almost hurricane violence out of shelter of the land. A pretty high sea was running up the Waitemata yesterday and to-day, and we have unfortunately to record considerable damage, to the extent of two pleasure-yachts being totally destroyed, and also the loss of the life of a well-known yachtsman, Mr Fred. Dufaur, of Gisborne. Quite a number of small craft in the hai'bour were also considerably damaged and battered about, and in the various bays about the Waitemata quite a number of mast heads can be seen just above the water, betokening the sinking of some luckless open pleasure boats. Amongst the coasting vessels which sustained damage were the cutt Sarah, at the Quay-etreet Jetty, and a fishing-smack near the breastwork. The Sarah had on Saturday evening been hauled clear of the wharf, but she dragged down yesterday forenoon on to the wharf and the island schooner Fleotvving, and smashed her bowsprit off at the stem. Hei bulwarks forward were also considerably smashed up, and she sustained some damage to her side through bumping against the wharf and the schooner. She was e\ entualiy hauled clear. The Fleet wing suffered some bumping last night and to-day, being on the weatherside of the tee. The fishing smack damaged was a seven-ton craft. She carried away her bowsprit through drifting against the breastwork. A silt-punt which broke from its anchorage drifted in amongst the small vessels lying to the wind ward of the Quay-street jetty, and its presence did not improve matters during the gale, which was afc its height about mid-day to-day. The gale has had its effect in the destruction of two well-known pleasure yachts, the GUance and the Canaille. The Glance's shattered bones are now lying off or floating about the Mechanics' Bay breastwork, for she was literally smashed to atoms by the force of the gale. She was a 6-tonner, owned by Messrs Sinclair, Rirey, and M. Laybourn, who had only bought her this season, and had not had her out more than once or twice. She was moored off St. George's Bay, and early this morning she started to drag from her anchorage, the strain on her lines being too much. She rapidly drifted up to the Mechanics' Bay stone breastwork, against which she starting bumping with great force. A high sea was breaking over the breastwork, and in a few hours the destruction of the little Glance was complete. She soon parted amidships, and then commenced to break up into bits. By noon today she was in a thousand pieces. She had been a very comfortable little pleasure-boat i v day.