The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-10-22 00:00:00

THE GREAT STORM.

The severe gale which prevailed during Friday in
last week occasioned the loss of many lives, and
caused great damage to property throughout the
country. In some places the wind had the force of a
hurricane, and over the Channel and the south of
England the gusts were exceptionally heavy. All round
the coasts the sea was high, and much rain fell during
the day. Telegraphic communication was interrupted
with all but the southern portions of the kingdom.

Very many shipping casualties, as might have been
expected are reported, and in these are involved a con-
siderable loss of life; while on the other hand, the
rocket apparatus and the lifeboats have been nobly
serviceable in rescuing a large number from certain
death.
From all parts of the country accounts have been
received of severe damage inflicted by the gale.
Several people have been killed and many injured.
Houses have been unroofed, trees blown down, and
the traffic in the streets of the different towns has been
interrupted in consequence of the danger arising from
falling chimney pots, slates, and tiles. Amongst the
many casualties reported are the following :
In London, a brick shaft on the works of Messrs.
Hancock and Co., indiarubber manufactures, Goswell-
nad, fell upon the adjoining premises, breaking through
the roof and doing other considerable damage. More
than a dozen young men and women were employed there
at the time. One of them, Henry Nobes, aged 17, was
killed on the spot, and at least tive others received in-
juries of a nature sufficiently serious to call for their
immediate removal to the hospital. The body of
Nobes was shockingly mutilated.—A little girl aged
four years died in the St. George's Hospital from in-
juries received in St. James's-park by the falling of a
branch of a tree, which had been broken off by the
force of the wind and knocked her down and crushed
her leg.—ln the afternoon a man supposed to be a sailor
passing along High-street, Shadwell, was felled to the
ground by a falling chimneypot. When he was picked
up it was found that life was extinct.
At Birmingham an elderly man, named James
Trueman, was struck by the falling of a stack in the
Moseley-road, and so severely injured about the head
that he died shortly after his admission to the hos-
pital.—At Oldbury many houses were wrecked and
unroofed.—At Smethwick a child was fatally injured
by the fall of a chimney.—At Darlaston a chimney at ,
some nut and bolt works fell on a workman, causing
injuries from which he died.
In the vicinity of Coventry the gale terminated
i
about seven on Friday evening n a tremendous hail-
storm, the stones descending in extraordinary quantity
and size. Although the hail only fell for the space of
about five minutes the roads were more than an inch
deep with hail at its finish. Owing to the number of
trees which were blown down and fell across the roads
in all directions, farmers and other country people
were in many cases unable to reach the city. It is
estimated that within a radius of three miles from
Coventry nearly 500 full-grown trees have been up-
rooted. At the residence of the town clerk a great
branch of a tree was sent crashing through the draw-
ing-room window.
It is estimated that the damage done in Leamington
by the recent storm is over £2,000.
In North and West Lancashire the gale was one of
the sharpest and most severe experienced for a long
time past. At Walton, near Preston, a large extent
of land was submerged, and there was nothing to be
seen but vast expanses of water dotted here and there
with occasional hedgerows. Some of the inhabitants
, of the village were obliged to leave their homes, and
many persons had to wade through the water to get
to their work. In the Fylde of Lancashire there have
been serious floods. At Sowerby and near Inskip the
streams burst their bounds and laid extensive farms
under water.
At Halsall a chimney-stack fell through a roof into
the kitchen of a cottage, and a baby was killed. At
Jarrow part of the Wallsend Slipway Engine Works
extensions were blown down, and five workmen were
buried in the ruins. Two were severely injured, and
two were killed.

In Scotland the gale is described as the severest
since the destruction of the Tay Bridge. Many
districts are flooded, hundreds of magnificent trees
have been uprooted, and telegraphic communication
was completely destroyed for many hours. From the
east coast great loss of life is reported. Twenty
fishermen were drowned off Dunbar. From Dundee
it is reported that on the north-east coast of Scotland
serious damage had been done to the crops, the result
in many cases being practical ruin to farmers. Late
on Friday night the barometer fell suddenly about
an inch, and the weather, which had previously
been mild with a south-east wind, became stormy,
awl the wind changing to the north-east. Rain
began to fall in torrents, and in Aberdeenshire dis-
tricts it continued without intermission for about six-
teen hours. In some parts of the north snow and
sleet took the place of rain, and in the neighbour-
hood of Balmoral the ground was covered to the
depth of about an inch. The corn was scattered over
the fields, and many reports represented the ears as
being as effectively threshed out as if they had passed
through a machine. Large tracks of land were under
rater, the Dee, Don, Tay, and other streams having
overflowed their banks at different points. A terrific
sea was running along the coast. By the detention
of mails and other untoward circumstances arising
from the storm, the inhabitants of the Shetland and
Western Islands has been subjected to much incon-
venience. It was not till Saturday afternoon that the
gale entirely subsided.

Lloyd's agent at Berwick writes under date of
October 15 that a large number of deep-sea fishirg
boats were caught in the gale on the 14th inst., and
had to run for shelter. Two attempted to make Ber-
wick harbour, but drove on the Spital Point, two men
being drowned. Another was lost with all hands
behind Berwick Pier. Besides these, 27 boats, with
crews amounting to about 140 men, are missing, and it
is stated that about 100 men, all belonging to Eye.
mouth, have been actually drowned in this sudden and
disastrous gale. The James Keler, steamer, which
arrived at Burntisland from Rotterdam on Monday,
reported that a large number of fishing boats had been
seen GO miles off May Island. It is supposed that
these are the missing boats.

A public meeting was held at Eyemouth on Mon-
day afternoon to take steps to raise a fund, which, it
is hoped, would be national, for the relief of the
widows and orphans of the fishermen who have perished
in the recent gale. About £l,OOO was promised in the
room, Mr. Edward Majoribanks, M.P., for the county
heading the subscription list with £2OO. He gave
-the following statistics regarding the disaster : ,
On Friday morning 45 boats started, with 279
men. Of these 63 are known to be lost, 151 are saved,
and 65 are missing. Supposing all these latter returned,
there would be left in Eyemouth 40 widows and 126
orphans. At the Cove there wzre 11 men lost, leaving
four widows and 17 orphans. At Coldingham there
were three men lost, leaving three widows and six
orphans. At Burnmouth there were 17 men lost,
leaving seven widows and 13 orphans. Total--94 men
lost, leaving 54 widows and 163 orphans. On Monday
afternoon the funerals of Peter Patterson, skipper
and owner of the Wave; John Burgon, of the Blossom;
and Alexander Cribbles, of the Forgct- Ale- Not, took
place at Eyemouth. All the shops in the place were
closed, and large numbers joined the procession, while
groups of mourning women and. children stood weep-
ing in the streets. Religious services were conducted
in the houses from which the funerals proceeded. The
coffins were interred in silence, without any service at
the graves.
On Tuesday afternoon a public meetir; was held in
the Council-chambers, Edinbu. Ji, fur the purpose of
organizing a fund for the relief of the sufferers by the
recent storm on the East Coast of Scotland. Lord
Provost Sir T. J. Boyd occupied the chair, and moved:
"That this meeting desires to express its deep and
heartfelt sympathy with the many sufferers by the
sudden and disastrous storm of Friday, and recognizes
the duty incumbent on the country generally to do
whatever lies in its power to alleviate the suffering
thereby occasioned." Lord Moncreiff seconded the
motion, which was unanimously adopted. The
Rev. Vlr. Miller (Eyemouth) gave some account
of the distress in that locality, and said he could
take them to a house where an old man had been
bereft of three sons, two brothers, and six nephews.
In another case a woman who was left with five un-
married daughters, had lost her husband, a son, and
nearly all her male relatives. The Lord Advocate
moved—" That a subscription list be immediately
opened for behoof of the sufferers." Mr. Duncan
111' Laren seconded the motion, which was unanimously
agreed to. At the close of the meeting a,stun of upwards
of £BOO was subscribed. At a meeting of the Merchants'
Company of Edinburgh, it was agreed, on the motion
of Sir James Falshaw, the Master, to vote 50 guineas
towards the relief of the widows and children of the
fishermen lost on the east coast during the storm,

At a meeting of the Leith Town Council, held on
Monday, it was unanimously resolved to open alfund
for the relief of the widows and orphans of the fisher-
men who were drowned last week belonging to New-
haven. It was stated that at least 17 men belonging
to the village had been drowned, 10 of whom left
families, numbering 44 persons, in poor circumstances.
The Town Council resolved to contribute £3O to the
fund, and Councillors Scott and Simpson offered £5
and £lO each respectively,

During the gale a spark was blown from a black-
smith's shop, at Thaxted, on a cottage, which it set
on fire. The flames, fanned by the high wind, spread
with amazing rapidity from street to street, and
twenty-three dwelling-houses and six barns were burnt
down. Th 2 fine old church and the market-hall were
only saved by dint of great exertions.

During the gale the ship Ganger parted from her
cables in the Downs and drifted on the Goodwin
Sands. The Ramsgate lifeboat, in tow of a tug, went
to the wreck and saved thirteen of the crew, landing
them at Ramsgate early on Saturday morning. Some
others were saved by the Deal boats, but five were
drowned-before they could he rescued.

Dismasted and derelict sailing vessels are being
picked up at sea every day and towed into the Tyne.
The large iron ship Culzean, of Greenock, bound with
a valuable cargo of jute to Dundee, was thoroughly
crippled in the gale. She was picked up by the screw
fishing smack Iteistbos Wave, and, with the assistance of
two tugs, brought into the ,T.-n- Her crew were on
board.
wh,

A telegram from Scarborough rep9rts that vessels
Lich have suffered in the late gale arrive by each tide
that port. During the gale, a pilot coble belonging
South Shields was swamped in making for port, and
cr‘ew—viz., Thomas Young, John Ramsey, and
\ omas Tindell—were drowned.
is tatirilatikd that nq ksiEt A 433 touL3 prior
duce, .&c., were lost at sea during the gale/ —The loss

i Th,