HEAVY GALE IN OTAGO.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 454, 19 January 1869, Page 3

HEAVY GALE IN OTAGO.

(From the Sun, Jan. 4.) During Saturday there was a very strong north-easterly wind ; and in the course of the night it freshened to a gale, which blew its hardest about five o'clock yesterday morning, and then did a good deal of damage, both afloat and ashore. The schooner Dunedin, which was at anchor below Grant's Braes, dragged and went ashore. Before the captain could get off, however, his schooner was again afloat, and it is not known that she has suffered. The new schooner Jane Anderson, with a full cargo on board for G-reymouth, was hauled off from the new jetty on Thursday, and was anchored well out, in line with the jetty. About five o'clock yesterday morning, she began to drag, and despite all that could be done, she drove until she got ashore nearly opposite the Gas "Works, at the head of the harbor. The schooner can, we should think, be liberated by by lightering some of her cargo. The cutter Planet was lying on the weather side of Stuart street jetty, loading timber. The gale ground her against one of the piles, until she rubbed oft* some of her weather boards, and otherwise injured herself sufficiently to cause her to fill with water. Last evening, she was lying with a heavy cant against the jetty ; but the master's estimate svas, that an expenditure of £3O or £4O would set her all right again. The Stuart-street jetty has just now an unusual quantity of cut timber and boards lying on it. Ordinary precautions, such as weighting and tying down the heaps of boards, were taken on Saturday evening ; but these proved altogether insufficient. Long flooring boards were whisked up like shreds of paper ; and away to windward of the jetty, the water was almost timber covered. The force of the wind lifted not only water but boards over the pier forming the little reclamation basin, in which a good deal of timber was fortunately detained. But much was carried on up the harbor, and some was landed well in upon the Anderson's Bay road. The miniature fleet of sailing and rowing boats on the southerly side of the new jetty, was completely dispersed. Very few of them continued to hold to the slight moorings. One, we believe, held until she was swamped after first touching the ground near the Anderson's Bay Road; and several were stranded there. On shore, perhaps the most complete ruin effected by the gale was that of the tall brick chimney at Messrs. Guthrie and Asher's timber yard, Princes-street, south. It was almost new, and was 40 feet high, but was being raised. It was blown over, and

■ may be said to have altogether disappeared. A good deal of damage was done to Mr J. Jones's new resii dence, Manor Place. A stack of chimneys was blown over ; and near a £IOO worth of damage was done jc all. The verandah cottage belonging to Mr J. Barnes, and occupied by Mrs Nye, at the corner of High-street and Hope-street, suffered severely. About 20 minutes before five o'clock, one of the pillars of the verandah was wrenched off and was driven through the window of the bedroom occupied by Miss Nye and Miss C. Matthews ; and, in a very short time, the whole of the verandah had been destroyed, and three-fourths of the windows on the Hope-street side of the house were either smashed by the fragments, or blown in. A large portion of tho shop window of MiTsaat-K, chemist and druggist, Princes-street (no shutter being used) yielded to the wind. The breaking glass aiding the wind, there was smashed one of the 10 gallon show bottles in the window ; and its colored contents flooded the materials in the window. At the South Australian Hotel, Princes-street, north, a large pane of glass yielded. The refreshment room at St. George's Hall was stripped of its roof; and the wind then lifted away several sheets of the . iron roofing on the westerly side of ' the hall. At the Gaol, a stack of ; chimneys on the Stuart street side, and built of Caversham stone, was blown over; and the falling stones shattered the slate roof. They made a terrible crash ; but, fortunately, none of them pierced the roof, for Mr Cald- i well, the Governor, was sleeping im- '• mediately beneath. The Grand Stand J on the North Eecreation Ground, had 1 we understand, a considerable portion J of the easterly half of the roof stripped. J During recent gales, it has been 1 notieed that the finial had been suffici- 3 ently twisted to displace slightly someof 1 the upper stones. Minor damages to houses and gardens occurred in this 1 part of the city. The only intelligence t we have as yet received as to the E effect of the gale up country, is the I following from Lawrence :—"Asevere I storm commenced in this district this t morning. The roofs of Harris's and * the Camp stables were blown off. The \ roof of the house of the gold receiver i was completely stripped, and rafters 1 and sheets of iron were carried away a * distance of 200 yards. The roofs of i the Tuapeha Times office, and the E stables adjoining were partially destroyed. The windows in several houses were blown in, and a number i of chimneys blown down. The Wes- * leyan and Presbyterian Churches are J in danger. So violent a storm has not 1 been felt here before. It has partly t subsided now." We may add, that 3 the Wesleyan Church is an almost I new brick building; and that it was ' so twisted by the gale, that it is con- 1 sidered unsafe to hold service in it. J