THE NOR’-WESTERS.

Temuka Leader, Volume I, Issue 97, 20 November 1878, Page 2

THE NOR’-WESTERS.

The nor’-wester of Friday afternoon appears to have been very general, having 3 been felt, as far ns we know at present, 3 from Dunedin South, to Wellington north. 1 It does not seem to have attained at any point to so great a degree of violence as that of September 25 in Canterbury, but 0 it was nevertheless very strong throughd out the whole of the east of the Island, d The captain of the Hinemoa reported at 0 Wellington that between 3 and 4 p.ra. it J blew the hardest he ever felt in his life. 10 On comparing telegraphic reports from d different quarters we conclude that it was d most severe in the neighbourhood of 7 Onmarn. At this pla r, e a considerable e amount of injury, in many small 18 portions, was done. At Timaru two lives 18 were lost by the falling of a cottage chimney, pulled down by a badly built roof. A At Camara a young man had his leg r - briken. At Dunedin several roofs and g fences and windows suffered, and a vessel a was blown from her moorings. On MonA day afternoon the gale sprang up again, 111 but did not attain its previous strength. The appearance of the western sky he'd tokened heavy weather in the hills, and ; h on the West Coast, and it is probable that - we shall I mar of further floods on the coast, and in central Otago. The most 2 calamitous consequences id the gales 3 were 5 THE BUSH FIRES, 6 which raged with great violence at .3 Waimate, near Dunedin, and at Geraldine. 2 Friday last was an exciting, and a sad 8 day for Waimate. There had been a 3 couple of fires burning in the bush for a week or more, and the strong nor’-wester ? of Friday morning caused these to spread g at a rapid and alarming rate. Certain houses being in manifest danger, the q fire brigade was called out, and their _ efforts were successful in saving them. r 5 The wind increased, and the fire burned more and more fiercely, so that a(teixxpts| n made to save other houses proved xxn--3 availing. The total loss, considering the 0 size of the plae, ■•is imraexxse. Either q t :re« or four saw-miils, with all tier q. plant and workmen's houses, and a large 1 quantity of cut timber and standing bush 2 were destroyed. Thirty-two families 3 were burned out of their houses, and 2 there was little or no lime to save any--4 thing in the ua’ rity of cases. Sever. 1 9 narrow escapes are reported, several per--7 sons being sevoiely scorched, and two 3 suffered broken limbs through the hurry 1 and excitement. It is said that LBO,OOO “ will xxot cover the money losses. Mr 0 Sind holme, the owner of the lax’gcst mills, is the heavest loser, his loss being e>-' 2 timated at L 40,000. The houseless 3 families were lodged in the immigration 0 barracks, axxd tlx ir immediate needs 6 kindly supplied by M ssrs Manchester and ® Goldsmith. A public meeting - was held 1 o i Saturday, to consider what should be 3 iioxxe to rlieve the distress'd ones, and s relief committees appointed. L 246 was 0 subscribed in the room. The strong 0 wind of Monday again raised a fiex - ce fire, 5 but no further damage to household 1 property xe-sn Iterl. 4 ff’he fire in the R uxkapuka bush was - ahnost completely out on Monday nxorn--2 ing. Mr Postlethwaite caused the smouldering logs and stumps on his be extinguished, and we are assured that a tittle labour shnilax'ly bestowed on other sections would have put axx exxd to all e daegiT. This was xx>■ t done, however, I and when the wind rose agaixx the flying i. sparks soon rekixxdled the fire in greater p strength than ever, and the wind forced it forward at a rapid rate. The heavy cl smoke was carried over the town of Geraldine, almost suffocating its inhabi- , tents, and giving rise to greater fears for d the safety of their dwellings than the a real danger warranted. The fire certainly made straight for the township, ■, ami as several buildings were situated too - close to the bush to be safe should the s fix'e travel to its edge, their fears were g not without foundation. By six o’clock p the fire had reached the brow of the hill hxxmediately above the town, ha’ ing travelled a distance, ns we were informed, ,s <>f about a mile since its commencement. , At this point its progress was checked, e the wind not having much power to cause - its advance down the lee side of the hill. About this tiixxe too—naxxxely, six o’clock, , —the wixxd fell considerably and com- - menced to veer about, and the fears of cl the residents were proportionately less:l exxed. In order - , however, to render the x buildings near the edge of the bush more , secure should the nor’-wester return with r its former violence, the Tenxxxka fireexxgine was telegx’aphed fox - . The brigade 11 was aroused by the unaccustomed sound cl of the fix’ebell, and the members nxxxstered t with alacrity, their energies and intex'est II being aroused by a number of baseless a rumours. It was reported, for ixxstarfcxy f that the Catholic Church and a numbjw b of dwelling-houses near it were alreadydestroyed, and that the town generally r was on fire. These rnxxxoni’S caused a - stampede to the scene of everyone who e could by any means cbtaixx conveyance, t Fortunately, the brigade found on arrival r that there was really nothing for them to do; so, after placing the engine near the • river and running out the hose where it

seemed most likely to be required, if at all, they joined the other visitors and (he townspeople in treating the fire as a spectao'e. We have as yet found it impossible to obtain ..ny reliable estimate of the amount of damage done, but hope to do so Lefore the end of the week,