The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1871-08-16
Storm on Mani.

~~-+'N-- ---s-s :
storm, which appears to have been a most violeu
cyclone, commenced about ten o'clock, and ragec
for several hours. The following graphic descrip
tion by resident will give our readers an ide,.
of its violence there:
" Thursday Morning.-I hope You are all safe
in Honolulu We, here of Lahaina, have had
one of those terrific, tropical storms, hurricanes,
cyclones, or if there is any harder word in the
dictionary it well deserves it, which we read of in
sensation paragraphs but which few men actually
witness more than two or three times in thei
lives. 1t commenced yesterday morning before
daybreak with fine, steady rain, accompanied by
a rising wind from the North and Northeast,
increasing in violence until about noon, when the
play was at its height, and cocoanuts, breadfrut,
branches of trees and whole trees might be seen
pirOuetting and gallopadng down one street and
up another, while the horrible roar of the gale,
now shrieking like 5000 steam-whistles let off at
once, now booming like magnificent thunder, kept
up fit music to the mad performance. Add to
this an inveterate rain that knew no ceasing
from early morn to late at night, and you may
have an idea of a tropical storm in Lahaina.
Owing to the previous dry spell of weather of
long duration, the swollen streams from the
mountain did not come down till about II A. NJ,
and the water in the canal in front of my house
was gradually rising by the rain alone until it
was full and overfowing At that time down
came the accumulated waters from the mountain
sides in all directions, red like streams of blood
roaring like wild bulls, blowing up channels of
their own, inundating houses, and making confu-
sion worse COMPOUNDED. The damage to fruit
trees, vineyards and cane fields must be very
considerable, but as yet learly Thursday morning.
no accurate accounts have been received. The
wind gradually wore round from North to South
east, and subsidized at 5 P. NJ"
Capt. Makee writes:
We have met with great misfortune, but
not, hope, an irremediable one. At quarter
past ten this morning l went into the Office to
write letters. l had just began to write when the
wind commenced to blow furiously in five
minutes after, it was blowing one of the
most fearful hurricane 1 ever experienced. The
door of the Office was burst in, and took all the
nail it up. just as we had secured the door we
saw the flagstaff fall The hurricane being so
terrific that trees, houses, and everything about
were flying before the force of the wind. 1 was
of course anxious to get to the dwelling-house,
but could see no way of accomplishing my desire.
At this time a servant who had managed to get
10 the Office window informed me that - was
sick. / got out of the lee window of the Office
and made desperate attempt to get to the I
house. The air was literally full of branches of
trees, barrels and shingles. 1t seeHed as though
he Furies were let loose. l finally got into the
garden where the trees were falling in every d.
ectIon, when gust of wind took me aud threw i
ne some ten feet fortunately landing me on a
yrass plot, by which good fortune l received no !
injury. One Of the natives came with great diff q,
,ulty to my rescue, when, with great ex- :
triton, We succeeded in getting into the house. q
found - had swooned from fright. She had /
,een at the cottage and had in passing from there
o the house narrowly escaped being crushed by
he falling trees; arrived at the house. the terri
lie danger through which she had passed over =
anne her. =
" The gale continued in all its fury until two
o'clock, when it subsidized 1t was fearful to see s
be havoc during its duration. Trees were s
rostrate in every direction; the mill and engine
ouse, the boiling house. the bowling alley sugar !,
ouse, cook house, two of the Chinese and r
ne native house were down. One store house at t,
be beach, and all the native houses there had a
cen blown into the sea. For c.
unately no lives were lost and all escaped with e
ut injury except Mr.. Lake, whose arm was :,
lightly bruised Mr. and Mrs A.
yhipple had hard time Although their house NJ
TODD through the storm, every part of it was N
CODED with water. We have
OF room which is not more or less wet 1t 7
ained in torrents, the water finding its way .
verywhere, and through everything So
/" / have not yet seen the cane fields, but fear
I the large cane is destroyed. or nearly So l W
ball 60 to work tomorrow to repair the sugar er
ouse, and dry of what sugar we have, as it is IL
lore or less mixed with water. $
" 1t seems too bad that all the results of our =,
ard work should be destroyed in SO short a nj
iS oNe VIC hohS A"u SouiO PiSoSulC III cetlu8 | To
ne trees grow, and we will try it again We "
ball have lots Of room for starting flower gardens be
nd groves Of trees p re
We sincerely hope that after few hours of =. -
aim, Capt. Makee will find his losses less than an
e supposed at the end of the hurricane and we til
now that his pluck and industry will soon repair of
! damages, however great Al
The gale, at Hama, was very severe. We are tn
formed that nearly all the buildings on the w w
antation there, except the sugar house, were -
riously damaged Some cane was blown down nj,
i'd other damage done At Haiku, some so or is
acres of cane was blown down, and seemed ge
the time Of the gale to he nearly destroyed The inf
VS. scboolhouse at Makawao was moved from an
foundation, and other buildings in that vicinity -
ire considerably damaged. Several buildings a.
re blown down at Makawao, and trash house tir
j other buildings on the Hebron Plantation tw
,eived considerable damage. We have not heard wa
any serious damage on West Maui The gale kn'
ms to have been a cyclone, the centre of 0u'
ich appears to have been in the vicinity of r..
nj the gale having been strong on Oahu cd out
wall up