Ill-Behaved Hurricane

May Have Been a Tornado

IT was not a well-behaved or orthodox hurricane—in fact, I doubt if it was a hurricane at all,”' said Mr. D. A Butler, Suva manager of the Union SS Co., Ltd., when talking to friends in Sydney, where he and Mrs. Butler spent a brief holiday in March, en route to New Zealand.

“There may have been some lack of broadcast warning” he went on.

“But I had the usual shipping advices and, many hours before the storm arrived we knew that there was something dirty going on due north of Viti Levu. According to all other experience of hurricanes, this one should have curled around in such

a way that it would have missed Suva altogether. We were not un duly alarmed, but we had two valuable ships in the port, and we took all the precautions we could.

“But the darned thing cut a straight track from northwest to southeast, right across the most thickly settled and richest districts of Fiji, and then disappeared com pletely away southwards of the Lau islands. I don’t think it really was i hurricane. What are the charac eristics of a tornado?

“We were very, very lucky,” added he shipping manager. “In the cir mmstances, we could have had both ihips very seriously damaged. The itorm at its height just pushed them iround, all over the harbour, and 'et, through one cause and another, hey suffered no damage worth men ioning.”

Mr. Butler was asked about the re haping of the port, following the lestruction of Kings Wharf by the yclone. But this matter is under lose consideration, and he would

not discuss it. He indicated that two or three alternative plans are being examined, and one effect of the visitation may be a much improved system of berthing ships.