The Express.
London, England, 1863-01-27 00:00:00

DESTRUCTION OF THE LYTHAM LIGHTHOUSE

The gales that swept along the Laucashire coast
during the past week have been productive of much serious
damage, and we regret to say in many cases of the loss of life.
The Lytham lighthouse stood on a point callal the
"Double Stamen," between Lytham and Wei:aped, close
to the high water mark. Considerable fear has been enter-
tained for the safety of the erection for some time past, in
senesquenoe of the great imeroachmests of the sea on this
port of the ooast ; and many workmen have recently been
engaged in driving piles around ita base, and more par-
tkularly in the front facing the sea. The lights were ex-
Whited for the last time ea Tuesday evening. On Neuday
night the wind was blowing stiffly from the northeast,
accompanied by mow and bail, but on Tuesday morning it
wedged round to the north-west, and continued to blow io
that direction all day. On Wednesday morning it mode.
sated, and again changed to the south-west, whence
It continued to blow stiffly until Thursday after-
noon, when the lighthouse fell. The keepers left
the building on Tuesday morning, as they found
it was vibrating in the most alarming manner, and to
a much greater extent than had been previously experienced.
When they put out the lights that morning they found that
the framework of the piling in front of the lighthouse bad
given way, and that a great portion of the foundation had
been undermined by the waves. in the course of Tuesday
morning one of the keepers went up to Lytham, and
' was joined there by his moo, who told him that the light.
house was quite leaning over. Information was imme.
diately sent up to Preston to the engineer of the Ribble
Navigation Company, and soon afterwards it was diem-
vend that the north corner of the masonry was worked
out, and the foundation laid bare down to the bottom,
below the concrete, there being • large hole filled with water
three feet below the foundation. The keepers, with assist-
ance, set to work to get everything out of the building, ex-
cept what was absolutely ammeary to keep the lights
burning. They worked until the rising night's tide
surrounded them, and, from the fury of the gale, had
little hope that the place would stand until morn.
tag, but the lights never burnt more brightly than
they did during that evening. On Wednesday morn.
ing, the wind still blowing stiffly, they extinguished
the lights for the last time, the tide during the night
having made greater havoc in the foundation, and
airrying away a part of the south corner. Oa Wednes-
day mowing they took out the glares and all the remaining
proparty—lensea, redactors, furniture, and apparatus. By
noon the waves had made • further breach into the moth
corner, which gave way, leaving an excavation like a man-
hole in the foundation, through which they were enabled
to get out the oil from the cisterns in the ground door.
Wednesday night's tide worked further under the south
front of the foundation, which gradually gave way, until
Thursday at noon, when the building felL The building
was erected by the Ribble Navigation Company about
fifteen years ago, at • cast of 1,4001. For the guidance
of mariners we append the bearings of the miming light:
—Nelson buoy, N.W. by W. W., 64 miles ; N.W.
lightship, Liverpool, 11. W. W., 194 miles ; Great Orme-
head, W. by S. 8., 38 miles ; Point Lyme, W. 3N„ 48
miles ; Douglas Head, N.W. a W., 534 miles ; Xangbold
Read, N.N.W. W., 55 miles ; St. Bee's Head lighthouse,
N. I IL, 51 miles. It may, parkins, be es well to state that
the mew pile light in Moreemnbe Bay. at the entwine of
the Wyre, about 20 miles north of the Lytton' light, ki also
now extinguished, owing to the insecure state of the Inac-
tion through the collision of • vessel with it. There was •
meeting of the managing committee of the Board of Direct
tors of the Ribble Navigation Company in Praetors yester•
day, to consider what steps should be taken with reference
to the restoration of the light. The authorities at the
Trinity-house have been communicated with on the subject,
and it is probable that they will arrange for the remedial
of the edifice, as the coast is one of the most dangerous
aa the kingdom, three of the most dreaded banks lying
mediately in the neighbourhood.

WEATHER REPORT.-(THIS DAY.)

TCISIOLT. JIIVAIT !T. 8 LL

B la.l D. W. P. 12. C. LN. B. L
--i
Nam •30.49381 Law. 1 9 r T ...air
Abordeen 29.6638 W. 1 7 e- I- 4
Leith 19.743$ W. 3 e -1- 4
Aramaean.- 29.8/43 N.W. ,II • 16
18.11 4
Parini& 38.970 W. . 2 b - - 4
Oaimay 16.2619 W. it e - 0.16' 1
Went's' .. 80.371441 N. W. 7 0' 1 0.16 5
„80.3144 W. 19 6 0: 7 0.82 2
olyaue*treed w!.6012641 W.S.W. 10 1 b- - 4
Liverpool -10.04144' W. Ice 4 e 1 '0.03' 1
Pembroke 20.26146 W.N.W. 9• 6 • 8 4
Penance - 30.32147 N.W. 8' 9 • II 6
Jersey
Brest 30.82,62 0 W. 3 0 i 3 IL 6
L'Orient 30.2892 0 W.LW. 7 4 • - - 7
Rochefort _30.4719 1 LW. 2 3 b - - 1
Plymouth _30.26 46 1 W. 9 9 r 916. E 4
Weymouth !30.2345 2 A.W. 3 0 • II 0.47 3
Portsmouth 1:.12'49 6 N.W. 4 7 •- - 3
Kew. , .11148 6 W. 4 -
London 10.0949 4 W. 4 9 • 1 0.01 -
Vermouth W.9W 1 N.N.W. II 11 • - - 3
Searboroughl299.Bl42 8 W. •10 b- - I
Shields t0.8741 4 W.N.W. 9 le b - - $
Heligoland . 1 8.8. W. 1 T • IS. a
alder I - - - - - -. -1 -

W.N.W. to N.N.E. and sooEantt.
back, p and hula.
N.N. to N.E. and back, WEALD.

1111711PDAT,
N.W.to S.W. and to N.,
strong, unsettled.
N. to W., strong.
squally.
N.K., to N.W. and W.,
strong, some rain.
N. to W. and to 110. W.
fresh, unsettled.
M neat above.

W. Ciatiii.

Wes squalls
ES.W. to N.W. and N., N.W.Fasanz.
to fresh.
W.N.W. to N.N.E. and LlV.Zustriao.
back, strong, un-
settled.
As next above. LL IIitaLAND. Similar to above.
N.N.W. to N.N.L. LMaDt. N.W. to &W., freak
and back, strong, simony.
some snow. _ _ .

Drum on ell masts 'Monday.
• Extreme pressure telb. at 10 p.m.

The Morning Herald says that Mr. Francis Sharp
Powell, who was returned r M.P. for Wigan is 1854, will
our forward at Cambridge to the eonanetive interest.

Messrs. Hors:fall and Swart, the members for
Liverpool, and Mr. W. J. Ugh, M.P.. attended the annual
n of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, yesterday,
and part in the proceedings. The chairman and Mr.
Evart very warmly acknowledged the friendliness whichthe;
American people bad displayed in seeding provisions to
the suffering operatives of Lancashire ; for " acts like
them " as Mr. Evart observed, "tend to promote those
cordial relations which ought to exist between the
two countries." On the right of blockade and
the changes nemesary in maritime law, Mr. Hors•
fall laid he held tire same opinions as he did last
year. He did not go so far as Mr. Cobden, but
he thought the country ought to go gradually forward in
the new direction which was pointed out. Mr. Evert
differed with Mr. Cobden on the uosetioa of blockades ;
sad Mr. Leith "had sot made up has mind decidedly upon
the subject " Mr. Hornbill strongly advocated the aboli-
tion principle, but said the shape the question would take
before the house would be the moral claim which the
South had to national recognition. Mr. Ewart, amid cries
of "hear, hear," and • no, no." said the time was really
approaching when the North would have to bow to the
general opinion of Europe, and allow her "erring ratan"
• to go ; and Mr. Legh was of the same *oho.
Arnica. As A PENAL SETTLEMENT.—" Before
leaving," writes Captain Button to the Timm, "and for
long leaving I hope, this delectable land, allow me seas
more to raise my voice in favour of my adopted home—
Africa. The question has frequently been put to me,' What
would be the probable future of a penal settlement on the
Cameroon Mow:amen in the Bight of Biafra, Golf of
Guinea, West Africa?' I reply that such establishment
would work out the general rule of convict settlements—
general from America to Australia—mid that in due season
its convicts would yield due place to colonists. We, who
believe in the future of Africa, ever look forward to
the erptrimentuet rrucia being tried upon her.
Were Eoglaud or any other load a mass of mom
and morass, were her houses clay and thatch beta,
her food raw pine sod poor herbs, and her garments the
hides of beasts, England would be deleterious to civilied
immigrants. Doubtless, teeny a Roman voltigeur ham in
confabulation with his camarada characterised Great Bri-
tain as the • legionary's grave.' So this year of grace 1863
sees West Africa obtain in book' the sense ominous name.
But we, who believe in the future of the dark cootiomit sad
of every other continent, who bold the might of nature to
be fe•Useses be (root of the force of man, desire with due
humility to try the humble experiment whether bash-
clearly( and swamp-drainage, house-building and comfort-
. creatiog, will not render one quarter of the globe equal in
point of mlubrity to the other three quarters of the
MELANCHOLY DEATH OF • LADY. —On Sunday
• morning last, as Era. Tait, wife of Mr. Tait, of the late
• Prince Consort's Model Farm, at Windsor, was returning
' home from a place of worship, she was seen euddeuly to fall
on the pavement. Medical assistance was immediately mo-
o dered by Dr. Ellison, her Majesty's surgeon, who happened
• to be passing at the time, hot life was found to be extinct.
As inquest was held at the Town Hall yesterday, when it
. appeared that death was caused from an affection of the
beset Mrs. Tait was is her forty•sixth year, sod much
repeated.