Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-05-29
A FEJEE HURRIcANE

=, N~SAA8 AST0tO R1vo0 the
following details Of disastrous hurri.
cane: Those most familiar with Levuka
as the trim, picturesque little town, nest
ling amid palm leaves ana tropical
greenery on the verdant hill slopes over
looking its usually placid harbor, would
now hardly recognize it under it's std-
denly changed aspect. It is an assem-
blage Of torm-battered and ruined
houses surrounded by Zen and shat
tered wreckage, and standing in set
ting of torn and twisted foliage, present
ing an appearance utterly disreputable
and desolate. The sudden metamorpho.
sis is the effect of a hurricane which
visited it on the night of Sd and morning
of the 4th, and short of utter destruction,
its ruin could scarcely be more complete.
The storm was the most severe Ell.
perienced here for fifteen years. Itcom
menced with fitful gusts and rain squalls
from the southeast On Tuesday, the I'd.
these continued and increased in fire.
quency, duration and violence through
out Wednesday, and as the night set in
it was blowing heavy gale from the
southwark, while the barometer went
steadily down. Before midnight the
had increased to true hurricane force,
and still the glass was steadily failing.
BY this time the rain had become heavy
and continuous, and the force with which
it was dashed by the furious blasts
against every defence added to the roar
of the wind and the crashing of riven
branches, bore testimony to the violence
of the tempest. This still continued to
gather strength as the hours wore on,
and when daylight broke the signs of
devastation were ample. But from day
light to 80 a. m. the hurricane attained
to its greatest degree of violence and
then the wreck and ruin became general.
From 2 to II a. m. the hurricane very
gradually abated; yet up to the point of
time last mentioned the work of destruc-
ton still went on. By this time the two
creeks which run throug the heart of the
town were coming down bank high, and
all low-laying lands were flooded with
the storm water from the hills. For
tunately the tide was now out, and gave
free debouchure, or the flood would have
completed what little the hurricane had
left undone.
The appearance presented by the town
was truly pitiable. The main roadway
was blocked with rocks, loose stones, and
shingles, and with the ruins of the fall
ing buildings. At least one-half of the
houses were either leveled or wrecked,
The shipping has suffered less, and
YET the damage is more than enough.
As the storm gave ample warning to its
coming, the craft ran for shelter to
Naikorokoto, and the harbor was left
bare but for one little cutter, which held
ON CALAMITY till, after she had weathered
the worst, her owner sank her to avoid
the risk of her breaking away. Among
the refugees two cutters sank, with the
loss of one life-that of a German named
Wilder-and four went on shore The
vessels parted their chains and had to
run before the gale for shelter, but they
may yet turn up all safe.
The report from the native towns
around the coast. is pitiful. 1t has meant
to them all but clean sweep, and it has
done their breadfr1lit, cocoanut, and bana-
ma trees more harm than their houses.
The latter can be regretted in week;
the former are torn up badly, broken of
short, or SO injured as to leave no hope
of yield for year or eighteen months.
Such general destruction has not pre-
viously been caused within memory.
Several deaths are. reported among the
natives, caused by the falling trees. The
only report from Hillside yet to hand is
that brought up by the Gunga from
Suva. Capt. Calder describes the hurri-
cane as being of equal force there, with
the accompaniment Of phenomenal de-
luge of rain. The houses at Sava are
newer and sounder, and as the storm
swept across the hill which partly shields
the town, the damage on shore is confn-
ed to the swapping of the houses by
the extraordinary downpour. The ship
ping suffered badly. The colonial steam
er Clyde sank alongside the wharf No
one was drowned, because no one was
aboard of her. The schooner John
Hunt and three others are on shore, and
doubtless others have come to grief Of
which we have no present news. Fears
are entertained for safety Of the bark
Bella Mary, from Sydney. She left
Suva on the Tuesday for Levuka, and
has not yet arrived.
All the native villages on the coast
line are totally destroyed. At Wairiki
and Somosomo every house is down, or
more or less damaged. The Alpha tea
estate has been uprooted and the trees
blown away. One man was killed and
many injured. ella is a mass of wreck
age and some Of the settlers houses
above this have simply disappeared.
The wrecks Of seven vessels are reported
from this quarter. At Rembi ten dwell
ing houses were leveled and Capt. Hills
family took refuge in two tanks. The
labor lines were washed away by wave
which dashed two hundred yards on
shore and drowned four of the people.
ALI the buildings on the estate have suf
fered and the injury to the nut trees Is
fearful. The worst part Of the matter Is
that the people, already sorely straitened,
can not afford the losses they have sui
fered. It will mean real restitution in
but too many individual cases, and to the
colony it will mean depths of depression
vet untouched. II the eastern part of
the group has suffered as severely as
Levuka the copra yield for the next two
years will also be seriously affected.
Drew the Line at Forks.
New York Tribune.
I saw in one OF the Sunday issues of