The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-01-25 00:00:00

THE GALE AND SNOWSTORM.

'rue violent gale which commenced on Tuesday was
*overly hit on this exposed peninsula. and, although
the Harbour of Refuge efficiently protecta large and
well found vestals which get into good bertha, yet the
force of the wind was Do great that it found Oct any
weakness of year or position, and the unfortunate
easel had to suffer. At the same time the blinding
snow which filled the air, and rendered locomotion
most difficult so concealed the actual extent of
damages that wild rumours were afloat, it being
reported that a whole fleet of vessels were ashore at
Cast'Mown and the Mere, and the number being
variously stated from 13 to 16. We are happy to state
that, excluding small boats, only eight vessels took
' the ground, and these were mostly of small size, and
the damages, it is hoped, will be trifling—always
supposing that the gale moderates, which is by no
means certain, as it has blown with fresh violence
after two or three short lulls already. The principal
casualties appear to have happened in the first part of
the gale, when captains and crews were, as it were,
taken by surprise. Mr. liounsell's pilot boat was
driven with violence against the steamer landing pier
(where the halfpenny tolls are paid) and she knocked
down • lot of rails and did other damage to the pier,
herself sustaining serious hurts, the full extent of
which will not be ascertained till she is overhauled.
The largest vessel in danger was the German barque
August, which having Lot her anchors and chains, drove
about one o'clock of Tuesday on the sands near the
Ferry-bridge, but was rescued about midnight by the
Commodore steaming from Weymouth, as stated in
our Weymouth news. One small vessel went ashore
near the castle, close to the slip of the bathing
machines, some damage to which she is supposed to
.bye done. H. NLS. Warrior was ready for any
emergency ; she had steam up, and eased the strain on
her cables, and her officers paid the liveliest attention
to signals from the shire or the West Bay; while the
training ship Specimen was tossed about like • cork,
near the Breakwater opening, and the boys had • lit Is
taste of rough work even in Roads. on shore the
snow WWI as troublesome am the wind; the postal tele-
graph wire was broken down, ant one of the railway
wires bet its insulation eo that messages could not be
sent; but, fortunately, the one used to signal the
messages for the block system was all right, and the
1410 was blocked as require I, from early morning when
it wal found to be unsafe, until the five o'clock train
Mr. Humphrie, permanent way inspector, with Mr.
Tyrrell, engineer, and others came down, and by their
presence and liberal dealing out of refreshment to the
men, got the line repaired very smartly indeed. On
the shore the c ,astituard, under Chief Officer
had the rocket apparatus all ready to render help, and
two horses were preparel in Mr. liodsdon'e stable at
the Victoria, to hasten off with the apparatus were
required, and greatly would extra help be needed, foe
the fast-falling snow made travelling more and more
hr..vy every (peter of an hour. The gale an the snow
were the C4IIIIO of incideots, the wind blew in two
pane. of glee bodily loin • bedroom wind ,as, at Dr.
Niclaan's. and the young man was waked by the gusts
carrying the blanket off his bed. Later • carriage and
par conveying Captain May, ooinmanchr of cant-
guard, came in from Weymouth, and essayed to go up
the COU1111,)11 road to Fortune's-Well, they managed to
get as far as the Stan lard Inn, but then their progress
was entirely stopped by the deep snow, and they had
to take out the horses and leave the carriage behind.
Opp 'site Mr. liodision's, on the pathway thence
towards Qinen's-r /w, the snow was in placee as high
as the passenger's neck, and there was a remarkably
heavy drift near Mrs Brown's saddler's shop at the
foot of Verne Yates, the snow reaching nearly to the
height of tho door. Near Mr. Score's grocer's shop
the snow d ifts use nearly even with the window..
Fortunately in the middle of the road, where the wind
has full power, the depth is not so teat, and the
street is passable there; but the whole appearance of
the place is such that those who have seen Canada
declare it reminds them of that snow-buried country.
A4out seven o'clock on Tuesday night the o .astguard
discovered a ship oda* in to the shore ,4 the West
Bay, and Chief Offic.Y Colwill immediately fired a
couple of rockets to warn her off. The watchful
officers of the Wareor immediately ti,nt up another
r icket, and despatched their cutter to the shore to
make inquieries. The Tomei, which it WM thought was
• barque, must have come in by mistake, her captain
not perceiving the land through the driving snow; but
she soon backed out of danger, the wind being
favourable to carry her off shore, and she anchored in
the Bay for the night. On Wednesday morning the
weather was so thick that she could not be seen, and
probably she had lift there for a harbour. On that
morning communication between the railway station
and Castletown was still more difficult, the drifts in
hollow parts being very deep and the snow driving
more than ever in the face. The mail cart bad not
arrived, nor had the mail coats in by train, which was
the course adopted on Tuesday morning, when the
cart could not come. Both by land and sea, the
appearance of the elements was more threatening, and
it was very likely that • great deal of the communica-
tion between different parts of Portland would be
entirely stopped. The names of the vessels ashore at
Portland were—the Corsair and the I Hobe, pilot
cutters; the Aquila, of Goole, Maggie, from Little-
hampton ; Lion, from Fareham, Hefei*, and "Mark
That," the majority of them from Goole. The
Weymouth and Portland Railway trains werllllllllDin
on Thursday and Friday, and kept moderately good
time.