The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-11-25 00:00:00

THE CYCLONE IN BENGAL.

The Calcutta Correspondent of The Times says that the
following further dot :its received regarding the cyclone of
the 3tst October, prove it to have been one of the must
terrible cslamliies on record

- "Estimates based on official returns from each police
section put the less ot life in the districts of Backer-
gturre, Noakholly, and Chittagong at not less than
215,-of,o. Probably, this figure, enormous as it appears,
is still short of the, truth. 'area large islands—Dathin
Shahabazpore, Hattiah, and Suneleep—and numerous
small islends were entirely submerged by tho storm
wave, and also the mainland for some five or six miles
inland. These Islands are all situated in or near
the estuary of the Meghna, a river formed by he
coLflaence of the Genges and Brahmapootra rivers,
the largest being Dakhin Shahabazpore' in extent
800 square miles, with a population of about 240,000.
The population of Hattiah and Sandecp together is
about 100,000. Up to eleven pm. on the-Light of the
catastrophe there were no signs of darner, but before
midnight the storm uave swept over the islands to a
depth in places of 20 feet, surprising the people in their
bed.... Happily it is the custom in those districts to
plant dens' groves of trees, chiefly cocoanut and palm,
round the villages. The trees afforded Blather to the
villagers, and almost all the eurvivora Navel them-
selves by climbing among their branches. Some
t,,ok refuge on the roofs, but the water entering
the houses burst off the roofs, and the receding waves
carried them out to sea with the people still caging
to them. A few were carried thus from Sundeep
across the channel, ten miles broad, to Chittagong;
but the vast maj zity were never heard of again. Toe
country is perfectly fiat, and, therefore. trees were the
only secure range. Almost every one perished who
failed in reaching trees. There is scarcely a house-
hold in the islands and adjacent coast that has not
lost many of its members. The cattle were all drowned.
All the boats were swept away, and as veteeled car-
riaees were unknown in those delta districts, the
Leople were thus deprived of means of communication.
Almost all the Civil officers and police officials in
Dakhla Staahabazpore, ‘xcept the Deputy Magistrate
in charge, perished.
- - - -

"A e-trange fact about the disaster is that in Dahhiu
Shahabazpore and Hattiah most of the damage was
done by the storm wave from the north sweeping down
the bleghna. Several theories have been started to
account for this. Oee is that the cyclone forming in
the bay struck the shore filet near Chittagong, and
went north for some distance, and then turned south-
ward again. Another is that the nind blew back the
waters of the Meghna, which rebounded with terrific
force when the preseure relaxed. A third supposition
is that there were two parallel storms with a centre ( f
calm between them. The first or third theory seems
most probable, as in Sandeep and Chittagong the dee-
traction came from the south.
"The condition of the survivors is better than might
have been expected. There was much distress for two
or three days, but things are now improving. Backer-
gunge is a great rice-producing district. Its peasantry
are the moat prosperous in Bengal. Their stores are
mostly kept under ground and have been, of course,
thoroughly soaked; bnt it is believed that they are not
seriously damaged. Wherever Sir. 11. Temple went he
saw the people drying their grain in the sun. The cocoa-
nuts will help to give subsistence till the harvest. The
growing crops, which were nearly ready for reaping,
and which gave splendid promise, have suffered greatly
but will still yield a fair harvest For some days
mewl disorder prevailed, and robberies were attempted.
Tuis state of things was soon reetified. About 60 relief
centres have been established. Persons eeitually desti-
tute will be relieved, but no large sums will be spent.
It is believed that all danger of distress wiil be ovee
after two or three weeks. The district officers are
acting with great energy. Sir It. Temple started for the
scene of the mitiortune immediate', the news was re-
ceived in Calcutta, and he personally visited the suffer-
ing dietriota, going from village to village, and making
iequiries regarding the extent of the disaster. He re-
turned to Calcutta on Thursday.

"I said last welt that this was the most destructive
storm since 1861. Fuller infcrmation shows this to
have been infinitely more disastrous, se the loss of life
in the great cyclone of 1861 wa3 estimated at only
ZO,OCO. The question naturally arises, can anything be
done to avert such calamities in future? A vast extent
of country is exposed, and the manner in which it is
cut up by rivers and watercourses apparently renders
a system of dykes impoesible ; but, perhapv, skilled
engineers rul,.y be able to ednEg,sst something which may
avail t.l protect the residents on the coasts and islands
of Eastern Bengal hem the risk of being carried from
their bees by Es-e.rm waves and swept cut to sea with-
out a moment's warning.
"I shall CO3 ncy remarks on the subject, of the
cyclone with th 9 "following extract from the last
Government Gazette :

Wherever the storm wave passed, it is believed that not
one-third of the populaticn is surviving. The islands have
barely ono-fourth of their former inhabitants. The stanch
from the rutrefying bodies is insufferable, and a general out-
break of cholera Is hourly expected.'

.-
" Let me add that this fear, happily, has not yet
been realised except in Noakholly, where the disease
has unthifeated itself."