NEWS BY CABLE

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3221, 4 June 1889, Page 2

NEWS BY CABLE

Extensive Hoods in America^ Eifht Thousand .Persons Drowned. New York, Juno 1, Terrible floods, attended with great loss of life, are reported from Pennsylvania, A terrific freshet in the Covenburgh River burst a reservoir at Johnstown, near Pittsburg. This reservoir is three miles in length and one mile and a half wide. The water, rushed into the town of Johnstown, which was completely wiped'out, and it is estimated that fifteon hundred persons have been drowned. Two thousand of the residents were rescued from : falling houses. The bodies of those drowned are. to be Been floating down the river in hundreds, Large numbers-of the unfortunate inhabitants were washed from their dwellings, and were seen floating about clinging to driftwood and trees, and imploring help, but there was no means at hand; ■. At Bt. Florence alone 85 persons were counted passing iu an almost exhausted state, and all oknee of rescue was hopeless. His feared that the villages of Bouthpbrt, Mineral Point, Covenmaugh, and Woodville havesufferedy and that 8000-pefsons

have been drowned, Many wealthy families of Pittsburg reside in the .and there is intense : excitemenus to their fate./ " '/'

/ The railway line fronrßaltimore to Ohio has been damagedby the rush of water, and seven miles are completely washed away.- At Johnstown there is a pile of debris 40ft high which-is" embankirigihe floods. ;A tremendous fain storm Has deluged Pennsylvania,' Maryland and Virginia,: submerging many of the' towns. Great anxiety is felt for the safety ot the residents, arid this 1 is intensified owing to the suspension of communication by telegraph and railway. It is oslimated that the floods in Pennsylvania and surrounding States resulted in damage being dono to the extent of one million pounds. The

debris from tlio wrecked houses in some way beoame iguited, and it is believed that 100 persons perished in the flames. ' • . The debris from wooden houses at

Johnstown, washed up by tlio flood

into an embankment three-quarters of p mile long and forty: feet high, caught fire, and hundreds of unfortunate people who had taken refugo on,, it were burned so death. 'So far 1100 bodies have been recovered. It is reported that 70 people also suffered a similar late in the debris it a place called Nineva.

Australian,

Sydney, Jur.e 8.

The steamer Fijian, bound from Melbourne to the New Hebrides, Btrucka reef at 4 a,m, on May 18, off Tanna, one of the group. Harley, tho second officer, was'in charge.at the time.. The. vessel struck with a tremendous "brash, and the fore compartment filled immediately. The danger was unseen untill the steamer was almost into it f the officer mistaking the breakers on' the. reef for white water' occasioned -by an approaching squall. As tho Fijian was beginning to settle- down, tho oaptain ran her ashore ona.saudy. bottom, ■ Three hundred armed natives were on thejieaoh watching the movements of the Bteamer, and when the'passengers landed, they were at once surrounded, but suffered no harm. Next morning the natives looted the ship, but Captain Fielding had thoughtfully taken the precaution of destroying all spirits on board.

Hie 'Eey. Mr Watt, Presbyterian missionary, ■ visited the wreck and told them that owing to the bloodthirsty character of the natives he was unable to guarantee the lives of tlio castaways for five minuets but eventually he succeeded in taking the passengers off and also the Captain who was iu rather bad health and conveying them to the mission station,- It is believed the lives of tho passengers were only saved through the attention of the natives being concentrated on plundering tho vessel. The labour vessel Eliza and Mary sighted and stood by the wrick, and the steamer Tenterden whioh arrived from Auckland, brought the orew to Sydney. They Bpeak with terms of approbation of the way in which the six passengers who were on board behaved. They belonged to Suva and Melbourne!

' A raau named Weaver, supercargo on board the steamer Colonist, murdered Captain Greenless at Havannah Harbour, firing three shots into his body. Weaver was brought before a court-martial on board H.M.S.. Opal, and sent for trial to Fiji, ' The two boats missing from the ship Altmore, wrecked on April 22, have arrived safely in Ba river, Fiji.

Commercial.

London, June 1,

Four thousand bales of sheepskins have been sold at an advance of oae farthing.. Wellington, hemp is quoted at £33 10s j Auckland, from £32 to £34 10s, Complaints aro being tnada rs to tha quality of the fibre, June 2. . At the tallow auctions yeßterday medium mutton.realised 25s Cd, beef 245, ThoDugljsh wheat market is depressed, and Continental declining, American 1p unchanged, Forward business is weak at decline. There are no Australasian cargoes off coast or at points of call. ,

' The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Company has received the following cablegram from its London officii, dated ,Hay :—TallowThere is less trade. demand.' Good mutton is worth £27105; good beef,' £26103 perton, New Zealand frozen meat—Quotations are unchanged since last report; Mutton—market is firm. Theroiaan increased demand for New Zealand lamb. Beef—market is improved. New Zealand hemp r-medium quality is worth £3l 10s por ton. ' ~. '..