The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1883-05-23
Terrible Gale at Victoria.

Since the memorable hurricane of March,
1875, when numerous buildings were blown
down or unroofed and the steamship Mohongo
was almost blown to pieces off Cape Flattery
and limped into barbor on Good Friday morn
ing with her upperworks, steering apparatus
and her warehouses shattered, there has been
no gale in this neighborhood which equaled
in severity that which on April 18th swept
over this city and vicinity. The wind rose
about 2 o'clock on that morning, and az about
o'clock the steamship Geo. W. Elder, then ly-
ing in the jaws Of the harboT, began TO drag
her anchor with 80 fathoms of chain out. Capt
Hayward increased the chain to IS fathoms,
which held the ship securely, but it was deem
ed advisable, as the wind continued to rise, to
run into Esquimalt, which was done. As the
Elder passed through Royal Roads the follow
ing vessels rode at anchor there in apparent
security: Tho Duke of Argyle, Tiber, Con-
ndugh and Tiger, (British;) and the Gettysburg
and Southern Chief, (American.) Before nine
o'clock the two American ships had been blown
ashore and were beating their bottoms on the
beach outside Esquimalt harbor, the sea max
clean breaches over them, and the Tiger was
dragging anchors. The wind howled and ragged
distressed vessels. Her NJ. S. liittiHe got up
steam with that intention; but had she left the
harbor no good could have been effected, so
she did not move. During the afternoon some
of the crew of the Gettysburg and Southern
Chief got off and were seen on the spit; but
they could not be reached from Esquimalt. AT
o'clock last evening the position of the Tiger
became more perilous as the wind freshened.
About o'clock she took the beach little out
side the Southern ChiJ, and about o'clock
the Conndugh followed. There is very little
hope that either of the vessels will be got off
without serious damage, The CoRHdugh is
laden with lumber for South Africa; the other
three vessels are in ballast. The Captain of
the Comdugh was on board his vessel; the cap
tains Of the Tiger and Gettysburg were on
shore, and the captain of the Southern Chief is
at San Francisco. No particulars Of the (for
this locality unparalleled marine disaster
could be learned last night, but it is feared
that the vessels are wrecks.
On shore the scene was one that baffled des-
cription. The wind tore and ragged throughout
the entire day and far into the night, uproot-
ing trees and blowing down fences and sign
boards, and causing much discomfort and, in
some cases, peril. About o'clock the wind
fell; but until midnight it sobbed and walled
like an evil spirit. 1t is remarkable fact
that during the gale the gloss was compare
lively high, never falling below 1880.
The steamer Alexander, Captain Urquhart,
arrived from Nanaimo last evening about $50
o'clock, after taking up the bark Ella S, Taay-
er, in charge of pilot Thompson. Capt. Urqu- |
hart reports gale blowing at Nanaimo when
he left, but with no damage resulting to ship |
ping or otherwise. The passage down was |
pretty rough one, the spray dashing over the
steamers funnel and some coal being washed
from the deck. As the Alexander passed |
James Island she found the steamers Enter
prise, Mdude and Hunt safely anchored there
Seattle Post,