["The Late 'Willy Willy' At The North West", The West Australian, Tuesday 04 April 1882, page 3]

THE LATE "WILLY WILLY" AT THE NORTH WEST.

From a correspondent.

During the night of the 6th March, the wind rose from S. and S.E. in strong gusts with a falling barometer. At 9 a.m. on the 7th March, the barometer was at 28° 84' ; wind S.E. blowing in squalls. At 11 a.m. the barometer read 28° 79' ; wind being very strong from the S.E., with no rain. At noon, bar. 28° 72', wind, if anything, increasing in strength, and the atmosphere obscured by clouds of dust, causing almost twilight darkness, and rendering buildings at a few yards distance occasionally invisible. At 2 p.m. the barometer registered 28° 58' with violent gusts of wind, and immense clouds of dust,--a sort of dry hurricane. At 3 p.m. (bar. 28° 48') the wind was increasing in strength, and we were almost smothered with dust. At 4 p.m. (bar. 28° 43') the sky became dark in every quarter, the wind blowing South and with great force, with a drifting rain, in sufficient quantities to clear away the dust. At 5 p.m. (bar. 28° 30') the wind continued to blow from the same quarter, driving the rain before it, occasionally accompanied by stray sheets of corrugated iron. At 6 p.m. (bar. 28° 14') we had a strong hurricane gale from the South, attended with rain. Mr. Donegan's blacksmith's shop, a large and somewhat lofty building, with corrugated iron walls and roof, hastily constructed to replace the one recently destroyed by fire, was unroofed, the sheets of iron damaging other buildings in their flight. Parcels of iron roofing from his dwelling house also became detached. This house had not been completed very long and looked outwardly a substantial building. Outhouses and sheds now began to fall in various directions. The verandah rooms at Mr. A. McRae's (Mr. J. A. Hall's cottage) were unroofed, and also a verandah roof pointing East. At 7 p.m. (bar. 27° 86') the wind was blowing terrificly from the S. and E. and it was too dark to witness the effect of the storm. At 8 p.m. (bar. 27° 58') there was no abatement of the gale, but an abundance of rain; the wind being about due East. At 9 p.m. the wind being still East, the gale blew with somewhat diminished force, (bar. 27° 26'). At about 9.20 there was a lull which lasted over an hour. It was not, however, a perfect lull, there being occasionally heavy squalls, but people were able to move about. The barometer reached its lowest during this time (27° 20').

In the lull interval we ascertained the amount of damage done. The Rev. Mr. Hayton's house was, for the most part, unroofed, and the front verandah carried away. The occupants of the place were brought over to Mr. Sholl's, who lived at no great distance. The former tenant, Dr. Bompas, had to take the same refuge during the "Rosette" hurricane. Mr. Laurence's house (he was at Cossack himself) had the front verandah blown away, and was slightly unroofed, the kitchen chimney of galvanised iron also blown off. At the Government offices, the North verandah was gone, also the South porch, and the main building slightly unroofed, while the outhouses, (slightly constructed) were blown down. The old police station, consisting of five rooms, was levelled to the ground. The occupants were removed to the new station before the catastrophe, but the new station suffered, the verandah being unroofed, and the building itself somewhat shaken. A cottage belonging to Mr. Coffen was blown down, and another owned by Mr. H. Sholl unroofed. Mr. A. Brown's cottage also was unroofed. Mr. R. Sholl's house was safe so far, but a building near it used as a store was unroofed, and the South end blown in. Half of the stone wall of the kitchen facing the North had fallen, leaving only the inner lining. A cottage very slightly built, occupied by Mr. Osborne, was levelled to the ground. Mr. Donegan's workshop was blown down, and his dwelling house unroofed. Mr. Stone's house (Moore, Pead & Co.) was much shaken, and his warehouse and stables unroofed. Mr. F. McRae's dwelling house was partly unroofed, and the kitchen entirely so, but the store was not damaged. The wool press was blown down, and a detached building used by the men was blown over a dwarf wall, flooring and all. Mr. Zeddi's buildings suffered much. A house with iron walls and roof was unroofed, and the iron stripped partially off the walls (which had an inside lining of timber). The dwelling house, used as an inn, was also unroofed, and several smaller build- ings more or less damaged. A house belonging to Mr. Zeddi, and tenanted by Mrs. J. A. Hall, lost its roof during the afternoon, and the windows were blown in. She herself and her children took refuge at Mr. Zeddi's. Mrs. Simpson's house was partly unroofed, and the verandah completely so. The public schoolroom had its roof blown off, a porch verandah lifted away, and North and South end walls (timber) blown down, as well as a portion of the Eastern wall. Most of the windows and the two doors were blown in or out. Mr. Eaton's house (pug and stone walls and thatched roof), had the walls shaken and the stones were tumbling about in all directions, so he left with his wife and children. They were, however, separated by the wind. His sister-in-law with one of the children got blown to the back of Cave's public house, but managed eventually to get shelter at Mrs. Simpson's. Mr. Tim Quinlan (in the employ of McRae & Co.) took charge of another child, but he got blown about, he scarcely knew where. He was struck on the loins by a piece of flying timber, and so much injured as to require medical treatment. At last he got to shelter. It is a most providential circumstance, considering that iron and timber were flying about, that this is the only personal accident which occurred.

Much damage was done to the buildings at the "Roebourne Hotel," the property of Mrs. Cave. The public house lost a good deal of iron roofing,

as did also the billiard room. The kitchen was not only unroofed, but some of its walls (timber) were down, as well as a stone chimney. Much property, china, glass, culinary utensils, etc., was destroyed in this kitchen. The stone cottage occupied by Mrs. Cave had the verandah taken away, and the walls (stone and pug) being very shaky, the occupants had to make to the billiard room for safety. Mr. Bassett's residence was unroofed, as well as some stables in course of erection by him near Cave's. Mr. Burn's habitation (very slight) was unroofed. He himself was absent, and his wife and children were removed after the storm to Zeddi's. A strong, stone, partially-completed building without roof, had a portion of the Western wall blown down, and the Eastern wall similarly treated. It was built with good lime mortar, and had withstood every gale since that of 1872.

The lull continued so long that many of us thought the gale was over, although the glass was at its lowest, but at about 10.30 p.m. the storm came with much force from the North, the barometer commencing to rise with the Northerly wind. This gale continued until about 1.30 of the morning of the 8th, and even after that time until daylight, there were violent gusts of wind with rain. We found that the river was running during the lull. It does not appear that there was much damage done by the Northerly wind. Mr. A. McRae's new and unoccupied house had the North East corner of the verandah roof damaged by some travelling timber or iron. Mr. Sholl's kitchen, already weakened by the fall of the outer section of the North wall, was completely levelled, and a room in the South West corner of the verandah blown down. The destruction of property (exclusive of buildings and stock) was on the whole small. The owners of the two public houses (Mrs. Cave and Mr. Zeddi) were the greatest sufferers in this respect. Owing to misapprehension as to the lull being permanent, several persons were caught in the Northerly gale, which came on very suddenly, and one gentleman was out during its continuance, and exposed to some danger from travelling sheet iron. This roofing material is the most dangerous of any. When timber is blown away, the danger for the most part ceases when it touches the ground, but the iron sheets are lifted up by the wind and are continually on the move. Judging from the effects, - for it is impossible to judge otherwise, the hurley burley of every hurricane being alike, - I should say that the force of the wind was as great as (if not greater than) in 1872. The gusts were, if possible, more sharp, but less prolonged. Generally, we have had steady rain for some hours before the hurricane, which swelled the timber and thus tightened the fastenings, but on this occasion, after a long season of drought, the combined burst of Southerly wind without rain had the effect of shrinking and loosening the dry materials. To this cause I attribute a considerable portion of the damage done to timber buildings.

It was not until the evening of March 8th that we heard of the effects of the hurricane at Cossack, respecting which much uneasiness was felt, for it was high spring tide, and the combination of tide and wind caused forebodings as to the safety of that town. It is stated that if the Northerly wind had continued for another hour, the town must have been overwhelmed; but I cannot speak from experience--merely from hearsay. I doubt the accuracy of the assumption. I will tell you in brief the amount of damage. Bridges on the Marsh causeway have been rendered impassable, if not wholly destroyed. The jetty is dashed away, leaving only the piles and stone work. The Custom House, a substantial well-built edifice of flat stone, cemented with good lime mortar, was blown completely down, and the post office attached, under a covering common to both, unroofed. McRae & Co's. warehouse was partially unroofed, and some damage done to the store. Mr. Craig's public house was levelled, and Mr. E. Martin's house, from which he had removed his family early, knowing that it was lightly built, was knocked down. Mr. Patterson and Mr. Pead's verandah's were blown away, and the school house windows were driven in, while other buildings were more or less damaged. The police boat was swept away, and completely broken up. The 'Rob Roy' drifted about the creek, but received no further damage. Fancy the steamer coming to grief in a high spring tide without wind, and escaping the effects of a still higher tide and a 'willy willy' to boot.

We have very little detailed news from the country as to losses during the blow. Viveash's buildings were damaged, but there is no return of lost stock. At the Table Land the hurricane was not in such force; and, as far as known, little damage was caused to the stock. Comparatively little rain fell; in fact, at Roebourne the rainfall was not very great, and the river soon shallowed. At the Sherlock, the river came down suddenly, but there was not much rain. Very trifling damage was done to buildings, and but few sheep lost--some 200 or 300 as far as at present known. The George River did not even run. Clarksons, at the Maitland, lost about 1200 sheep, including eleven imported rams. The gale there commenced South, und ended West. It did not begin until 7 p.m. Some buildings at Lockyer's (Harding River) have been much injured, and also at Mr. Hickes's, a few miles higher np the river. McLeod (Maitland) lost 800 sheep and had some of his building unroofed; H. W. Sholl & Co. (Harding) also lost 200 sheep. At the Yule there was much more rain than with us, and also at the Turner. No report to hand of the damage done. The gale commenced at these places on Monday, the 6th inst. All this must he taken cum grano, as really we have not had a detailed account. As to large stock we have no reports. Several horses and cattle have been found, dead, either bogged, or killed by being thrown down or dashed against rocks.

The Clarence Packet, under repair, lost a top-mast; the Swan had to cut away her mast in Hampton harbour; Mr. McVean's boat, the Mary, was "piled up" at Lewis Island, and his buildings blown down. The Planet, on her way from Fremantle, lay in Yamaderry creek (where the boats came to grief last year), and merely experienced a stiff breeze. The Annie Benton, also from Fremantle, experienced heavy weather off N.W. Cape, and lost about 15 sheep. The Ruby, which sailed on the 5th or 8th for the Eastward, we hope is safe. She must have had a taste of the gale which occurred on the 6th at the Yule and the Turner, but Tapper is a cautious man, and doubtless ran into some creek, probably Port Hedland, for safety. We have not heard from the DeGrey.

It is impossible at present to entimate the value of property destroyed, but guessing roughly I should say it would not be under £10,000. The people bore the trial quietly and patiently, and the work of reconstruction began the next day. Unfortunately the place is short of building timber, (I hear a small quantity arrived per Annie Beaton), but there is a good supply of roofing iron, an article now even more in demand than timber.

Roebourne, 21st March.