The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-02-12
UNEQUALLED SEVERITY OF LAST
NIGHTS STORM.
Oldest Kamaainas Never Saw Such an
Electric Display-Night of Terror
on the Water Front.

The Kona wind blew last night, and
with it came the greatest electrical
storm in the memory of the oldest kd-
maainas. 1t blew a gale in the even
ing, which increased soon after mid
night to hurricane. The rain came
too in torrents. 1t was a terrible
night, with no sunshine at daybreak.
Considerable damage was done in
every quarter, principally to trees
and shrubbery. 1t was a night of ter
ror on the water front, while many
vessels had narrow escapes from be-
ing toppled over by the force of the
blow.
The electrical display was sublime,
The flashes of lightning followed each
other with such rapidity that at times
the heavens seemed blaze of light.
The thunder was terrihc, fairly shak-
ing the earth, and the roar of the
surf and shrieking of the wind
through the trees played an accom-
paniment that will long ring in the
ears of the timid ones who witnessed
the fury of the storm. There are
memories carry them back thirty, for
ty and even fifty years, and yet none
can be found who will say that they
have ever witnessed such storm on
the Islands.
The storm probably reached its
height between 3 and 4 o'clock this
morning, when the velocity of the
wind must have exceeded fifty miles
an hour. Houses were rocked on
their foundations, sheds blown down,
corrogated iron roofs rumbled. trees
were up-rooted and other damage
done. but all other sounds were
drowned by the crashing thunder
The rain added to the confusion, foi
it came in torrents. The downpoul
was perhaps heaviest at the beach
where Cecil Browns guage showed 4
precipitation of 2.10 inches this morn
ing. Down on the plains, Frank
registered on his guage.
| Cool heads and hard work alone
saved some of the vesse.s in port. The
ship Henry b. Hyde, with 400 tons OF
ballast in her hold. heeled over so that
had it not been for the iron ship
| Fort George, moored alongside of her
| she must have been capsized. Capt
| Colcord and his crew worked all ,nt
night to keep her on an even keel
carrying lines from her masts in shore
She jammed the Fort George pretty
hard, but saved herself The ship
1 p. Hitchcock, in ballast and anchored
| in the stream, broke one of her moor
ings, and threatened to go on the
reef or turn keel up, but Capt. GATES
managed to hold his anchorage. L
was fortunate that the Babcock haC
received sugar ballast, for had tn,
storm come u week ago, she mus
J nave lufneu over.
No estimate can be made of the dam
age done to trees and shrubbery. Al
along the beach the damage was per
/ haps the greatest, although man,
trees are down in town and over tow
7 ard Eva. All streams are swollen ant
! considerable harm was done by tn,
/ flooding of streets. The cellar OF ]
Hutchings' grocery store on Klns
street was flooded to depth o
eight inches, and a lot of stock dam
aged About 100 bags of sugar on tn
Inter Island company wharf wa
soaked by the driving rain whicl
seemed to penetrate everywhere.
There are signs of clearing wealth
er this morning, but fears are enter
tanned that the storm may be re
newed.