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

GALE AND SNOWSTORM.

we never care fin snow bare ; snow never lies
lima in Weyrneutle" was the conlideut remark of old
inhale tants when the we suer trim, perhaps with a thought
of Yankee propbecies, predict el on Monday afternoon that
the next fall would be gime. Bet even the oldest inhabit-
ant was unprepared for 190 h a furious gale and such
thick and longlesting snow as attacked the town on
Monday night, so that c Tu. clay morning the unusual
sight of a snowy Weyiuditb was pre.ented. Chafey's
had been the scene of eine merry gatherings on the ice,
such joyous &ore-weavings, such laughing star-makings
by thee.' who fell, that ihsugh om Monday afternoon the
ice sea. rather tremulous. rod h-re and there was danger
of a cold souse for any serk•ar I one, yet the pleasure-
seekers did not welcome inch a hardening over as had bees
effected by Tuesday monies, or • bitter wind blew in
from K , them KN.E.., and thee N.H..** that the wind had
backed a quarter of toe pouts around the compass sines
Moeda, afternoon, when it had been B.E. Aid now the
snow covered every part whence it was not swept by the
violence of the c in gale, no be piled up in drifts. all the
deeper elsewhere. In fact we were visited by the
snow storm predicted for as by the Americans, who were
only a few hours out in tbeir calculations. Of course
all the fair women and brave men who had
osteotatious'y dangled their skates up and down the
Front, were " not in it it" now, unless a few et
the stoutest pulled their snoweespe over their ears, and
went forth to look at the sea For, driven by the fierce
wind, it was heating for ously on the Esplanade and
dashing in storms of spray on the harbour bar. No
easy matter was it to get to seaward, for whenever eon
faced the north or the east, the gale In its tantrums
clamoured against you striving to blind you with the
snow, or to run you Into some shop-front. Upper St.
Mary-street, always an awkward passage in northerly
winds was almost impasuble, and atßond-street,
Albans-street, Belle Vue, it was difficult to get to the
eastward without tacking, while round the north-west
earner of St. Thomawstreet swept so fierce • Sale that
females were obliged to take to the road in order to pt
round. Yet it was so exposed on the front lathe gale and
the snow that immensers towards tire railway station
generally took the back street'. Everywhere were signs
of the storm's violence in smashed slates, tiles, dower Pete.
Re.. .a few lamps were much damaged, and opposite
Christchurch the great advertising boerds on the wall in a
line with the Queen's Hotel had been entirely blown from
their fasteaings, and thrown in • heap with the snow in
the middle of the road, where they remained for a long
time in • deep drift of snow. The milk-sellers were
almost the only ones about, and they reported miserable
journeys in from the countey, in some places the roads
being swept by gusts so violent you could hardly get the
horses on, while in the dales the snow had drifted so as to
be &Intend impassable. The Chickerel-road, near "Mar-
quis," was as bitter as any, but everyone agreed 'twas a
fearful journey. Of course wrapped up as they were and
covered with snow, like igures of 'Father Christman"
from the sheet, the sight of a weather-beaten traveller
mvoured of the grotesque; while the poor women seemed
hardly any of them to have enough clothes for protection
agaiust the wind that blew them into figures more
picturesque ttein comfortable.
Those who were on the NOW Quay End in the early fore-
noon. seitorsald two exciting scenes, the passage into
harbour reap ctively of trio Great Western and the South
of heisted, Cnerbourg steerners. The latter ship had left
Waytuoutt Heftiest. for Cuerbourg on Monday night' but
alter getting out she was so battered by the wind and sea
that she was only able to proceed a short distsnoe, and
Captain Pawn put her back into Portland Reads, where
she remained till three o'clock ; when thinking the gale
Was moderating, he again put out, but was ultimately
obliged to return.
Before, hoe-ever, the South of Ireland arrived off Wey-
mouth Barb iur. her cons.rt., the Great Witten), appeared
in ,i,ht between eig it.nt iiine. At this time • furious
sea Was running on the far. the spray driving over too-
mut high, and tossing the at a oer up and down and from
side to side, sometimes as if she had gone on her beam
ends, and must sink. A considersble number of sp ctators
were there, some twins to sae • terrible accident occur,
as the vessel was hurled to and fro ; but Captain Blampied
exhibited splendid seamanship, and eventually got her
alongside the staging, with coesiderable loss of running
gear. She reported the weather was favourable when she
left France; but the gals sprang up when she was in mid-
channel, and she had a very rough passage across. She
arrived in P 'rased Road if out two in the morning, and
remained till she could have the advaotage of daylight in
entwine the harbour. cargo was said to be shifted,
so that it could not be discha•ged on Tuesday, and she
could not make her usual paeage the following night. It
was about an hour later that the South of Ireland
re-appeared od the harbour. She had, as we stated, put
to sea from Portland Rsa is about three; but on getting
out a short distance, she carried away • good deal of her
gear, and Captain Learn thought it best to put back.
The gale was even fiercer wean she arrived, and she
was nearly driven agaioat tie Pile-pier, and two or three
times was so heeled over that one set of paddles was
submerged. A great deal of anxiety was felt about her
alas; hut Careen Pears was not behind his fellow captain,
Mr. Blampied, and the South of Ireland was also got in,
though some cables were gimped before she could be
secured. She hai sustained considerable damage to her
, paddle-wheels, which were beaten out of their socket' and
only held no hy the main sbeft. She will have to undergo
eonsideratee repelr before taking the sea again.
' It required some deterrnisation to get about on the other
I side of tee Harbour. for, bsseles the storm sweeping over
the temporary bride's, there was some difficulty in getting
'rem thence to the Cove, the wind meeting you with much
violence. At the Cove Rasa the greatest damage had
been done. Across the month of the Cove was moored
the Aquila, Weymouth aid Channel Islands steamship,
and outside of her was the Wallace. • very large New
York barque, in bonito, erbeth had come in for repair.
The Wallace, lain; light, pre.ented an immense surface
to tbe wind ; but she .as mo r td with two-inch steel wire
warps, The force of the gale was so great that she broke
her stern warp, and drove spinet the Aquila, which aim
foetid from her moorings on to the quay wall. In this
wall the ton' of the Aquila movie a ',reach some yards
square, an-I her bowsprit etr ark the house which completes
the proj 'mites corner at this point, smashing her bowsprit;
but not damaging the hoes Ii the affair the old staging
which led across the Cove was entirely knocked to plum
Mr. Chute Csrter and others also lost • boat, each being
smashed: but Mr. Attwooll, of the Red Lion. Hope-square,
set early to work, and was the me ins of several other boat/
being hauled on shore before further damage was done.
The Aquilies stem was meet, dam tied, iron plates bulged,
and rivets broken, the Needles ese have sustained • good
deal oilnew.bief, and the Aqiela's berth wee thought • very
dangerous one, lying as she did between the great barque
and the quay. The Yankees on board the barque were,
however, e smut lot, espeei ilty the manse, and in • sheet
time the greet vessel was additionally secured with cables,
though it was remarked she was big enough to knock •
town down.
Further down an awkward accident had occurred on
board the steam crab-dredges to Frank Ford, a man
employed on board The dredger was exposed to the
gale, and Ford endeavour t Procure her by another
warp, when, by the violates of the ma, he Wall thrown
down, and broke • leg. Fortunately the dredger wag
metered, and poor Ford was rescued, although with di&
culty, and removed on a stretcher.
It was curious during the st um to see some thrushes
attempting to shelter themselves in the Aquila's paddle-
wheels. though pelted by the boys, and further down near
the steam-dredger, a "dal'. 'hick" was coolly swimming
swi diving &trine the height of the storm. All day the
gale esetieued to rage, yet the poor were evidently in need,
for ',entity dressed women wet girl. were battling AMOS
the temp r try bridals and so Ceituelry stairs, with vessels
twee with dowsing soup, though it seemed difficult to
keep their footing against the worm. Many of the shops
remained eland, and in those which were open little Of no
business seemed to be doing, and many of them were
blocked up by snow. This tonal ifs way iv...y.1,...,95=
in the Market-house so much was blown through the
louvre boards, that there was a steady fall inside, and the
things were covered about two inches deep. In SR
Themasstreet • chimney fell through the reof of Mr.
Rendall's workahip; but no 009 was at work there at that
time. On the Portland Railway the first train went and
returned in safety; hut it was soon found that the DU had
washed away the ground from underpart of the rails nest
the cease and the subsequent trains only went as far as
the Ferry Bridge. the passengers having to walk the reel
of the journey. -A
gang was ebtlined from Portland, and
the damage was repaired, ballast trains going from Ways
mouth, and the ordinary five o'clock train ran as suual. A
keteh and • billyboy were ashore on Portland Mere. Later
In the seeming the gay in the Weymouth Quay Wall bad
been temporarily repaired by barge hags of sand. The brig
Catherine bed moved to a very awkward position IMMO
the harbour: hot the wind hut somewhat lessened by the
Sims the night tide came in, and by about eight o'clock the
snowfall 00010,91 to have sound. Yet such a visitation of
snow and wind is not reinemborod to have occurred In
this town for at lead 23 rears,
thge;slt corhmimonfeTTsutesateweinearleurlirotrilliiir.haßevimandalf&Paan—odaurtingof
whose eork.hoo a boy rushed stenithhheishiteter_dmthrozrowckinsiucg
onf°l3i7rmahrgehanahimHanoudse7wr.Pmehimney fell them:o:dt:: reoeof
t.
Into the room where he was standing; Mr. Roles's of the
*ethos in Parvo, StalleSa place; Mr. Smith's,
lir. Moore's, Bend•eivet. B,t Mu most destruction was
probably caused by the fall of a large stack of four
chimneye. net far from the R syel Baths. Mr. a Benson
was at the end of the Royal Terrace early in the
afternoon, being unable to cross for a few moments, on
account rif the sudden gust of wind. While there be saw
the chimney stack rocking, although it was bound by an
her at once to leave the house. It was rather an
elahrom:d:;Ths taoeure7nitinitidmredNean:nbb, ap:useled:darwfhorLi—hh7:"::WwllhdPelty:C•hirair:alealsytehlin6dntinc:::go I7v: weaßt4uthttheo.dren,
explanation she eecaped from beneath the danger
imminent, and oli et two o'clock the stack came down
with e tremendons crash int. Mr. 'Christie's, Miss Nobbe's.
and Mo. N9115,'S t,09,5. doing, e. is 'unused, £lOO worth
of dims:,