The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-24 00:00:00

THE LATE GALE AT BOMBAY.

Since the 9th June, when we experienced the
first heavy fall of rain of the season, we have had
rain nearly every day, with occasional squalls from
the southward. On the nights of the 10th and 11th
inst. there was a good deal of lightning with distant
thunder over the ghauts. On the night of the 13th
it rained heavily for several hours, and there were
some very heavy showers next day ; but it was not
until the night of the 14th that we had the real
burst of the monsoon. From about 11 o'clock p.m.
till noon of the 15th it ble w a fresh gale from S. S.AV
with hard squalls which came up about every half
hour. Fortunately the shipping in the harbour were
well prepared for bad weather and no serious acci-
dents have occurred. The ships Virginia and Zouave
dragged their anchors for a short distance and got
foul of each other ; but we are glad to learn that
with the exception of some injury to the stern
frame of the former vessel and to the bulwarks of
the latter, caused by the collision, no serious damage
was done to either vessel. The Childwickbury also
dragged her anchors and got foul of the Good
Success, but happily without much injury being
done to either. The Veteran and the Joshua were
also in collision, by which the former vessel sus-
tained considerable damage to her bulwarks, &c.

The tide of the 14th inst. was the highest that
has been known in Bombay for the last twenty
years. The sea made a clean breach over that
portion of the Apollo and Arthur Bunders
which jut into the sea, but without doing any
material damage; and a great part of the sea-
wall on the Esplanade has been washed away. A
portion of the Lady Jamsetjee Causeway, which
unites the island of Bombay with Salsette at Ban-
dora, has been seriously injured on the Mahim side,
and it was for a time rendered impassable to
wheeled carriages. A large number of cocoanut
trees were blown down in different parts of the
island during the gale.

The Peninsular and Oriental steamer Odessa,
with the outward China mail, took her pilot (Mr.
Coward) to sea, having had to slip the pilot boat to
prevent her from filling and going down, owing to
the heavy swell just outside of the harbour. The
Orissa only made three miles in three hours after
starting on her voyage—the wind and tide being
dead against her.
On the 15th the Peninsular and Oriental Com-
pany's steamer China arrived with the English
mail of the 18th May from Suez and Aden, and it
was found impossible (owing to the heavy gale
then blowing), for several hours after her arrival,
to land her mails and passengers.
During the gale the wreck of the Beechworth
went to pieces on the Caranja shoal, and was drifted
on shore in different parts of the harbour.
The gale has done considerable mischief on the
sea board at Mazagon. Several native craft laden
with grain, cocoa-nuts, &e., were driven on shore
near the dockyard, and three lives have been
lost. A number of men belonging to the crews
of the wrecked boats swam ashore, and two men
who clung to one of the wrecks until they were so
exhausted that they would have been drowned but
for the timely assistance rendered them, were saved
by the exertions of Mr. Murphy, the Assistant
Superintendent of the Harbour Defence Works,
who caused a boat to be manned and sent to their
rescue when no boat would leave the shore.
Large quantities of timber in logs, several hun-
dreds of which have since come on shore, were float-
ing about the bay at Mazagon in all directions.
These were washed off from the land at the War-
ree and Tank Thinners, and have caused great
damage to the sea-walls and the harbour and dock
works at Mazagon, as well as to the sea-wall in the
course of construction by the Elphinstone Land
Company. A great portion of the Warree Bander
road has also been swept away, and a deer
cut through it. Imes of India. channel
--T