The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-02-01 00:00:00

(From the Scotsman of January 27.)

. -
Reports of accidents, all more or less serious, ani not a
few of them great and calamitous, continue to reach us from
all parts of the country ; and in regard to Edinburgh, even
the long list of casualties we published on Saturday did
not complete the painful and extraordinary record. Some
idea of the destruction caused to property in various parts
of the city may be gathered from the fact that on Saturday
forty cart-loads of rubbish, consisting of broken bricks,
tiles, and stones, and weighing in all upwards of sixty
tons, were lifted from the streets by Mr. Torrance, con-
tractor for the cleaning of the city. Movement along the
streets was not quite safe even on Saturday, for loose stones
were falling from shattered walls and chimney-stalks in
many places with most alarming crashes, and showers
of powdered plaster were to be encountered with every
passing breeze. Still, all the principal thoroughfares were
unusually busy, for the weather was bright and pleasant,
and many persons were naturally curious to view some of
the more disastrous effects of the storm. Duke-street, the
seene of the terrible calamity by which four persons lost
their lives during the height of the storm, was, it need

—hardly be said the place tii—which .ighaisers mos
eagerly flocked. The accounts we have received from our
correspondents in various parts of the country show that
the storm was very general, and almost wholly impartial in
Its severity, though, fortunately, it Is only in our own city
that there is any loss of life to record. In the Northern and
midland districts great quantities of snow fell, and by
drifting added greatly to the general inconvenience ml
con! union In Morayshire a large quantity of farm produce
has been destroyed, very few farm steadiuga having escaped
Injury, and in some places every stack has been swept
an ay, the country for miles round being strewn with the
spoil Similar reports are to hand from Banffshire. though
the losses there are less numerous than in the adjoining
counties The destruction of trees over the country has
been very general In many places the trees fell across the
road, coda good deal of inconvenience was caused by these
obstructions The villages on the north batik of the
Clyde have suffered very severely. Roads bordering on the
river have been swept away for miles, and a number of the
piers have beau greatly damaged, while others are wholly
swept away. Several of the Clyde steamers had to run for
shelter along the coast . mid trains: generally has been in-
terrupted. At the exposed points on the east coast, the
fishing boats had a serious time of it Not a few of them
were carried many miles from home before they could secure
a haven of safety. Creel alarm and anxiety of course pre-
vailed in the ports during the gale. At Eyemouth a fishing-
beat was turned completely round in the water, and the poor
fellow at the helm was pitched out and drowned ; and at
Dunbar a large decked boat was observed by those on shore
to be blown almost out of the water—her whole keel vies
.everal times seem Reports from the south-west of England
show that the storm had been working up fn. Wednesday
nult or Thursday morning. Several vessels are reported
to be lost front Llanelly, and it is feared that upwards of
forty lives have been sacrificed through the unfortunate oc-
currences. Dwasten are also reported from Greencastle and
from other parts of the coast.