The Express.
London, England, 1865-11-22 00:00:00

SERIOUS GALE IN THE METROPOLIS.

DUVET TO SEVERAL PERSONS AND DESTRUO-
TION OF PROPERTY.—(THIS DAY.)
This morning a violent gale broke over the metro-
pals, doing a great amount of injury. Happily it bed been
piegeld, and warnings had been sent to all the sea-
-14'4. From about 9 o'clock the wind In London
blew with great violence, and the rain wee dashed
by its force in perfect sheets signet the houses.
It was at its height about half-put 9, when is
any part of the metropolis chimney pots and tiles might be
assn dying about ; scaffold poles used in the erection of
sew houses were blown down, and it is no exaggeration to
elate that at times the passage of persona In the various
streets was 'Hooded with groat danger. Is violence the
lam of the gale was equal to a hurricane, and this
`borne out by information received that in many of the
rob and other spaces round the metropolis, trees have been
sostpletely uprooted. At Hackney, a hone* in course of
ecedniction was almost levelled with the ground, the wood-
work being carried up in the air like so mach paper, and
two man received rather severe Wadss by the fallingsbr
Achimney stack fell in the Whiteehapel•road, at time
when several persons were passing along, and one, a man
about 50 years of age, was knocked down sad
injured.
At half-part 10 o'clock upwards of 300 square feet op
the zinc roofing coveting the labour shed attached to
the limylebone Workhouse was blown off in cue sheet,
and after whirling round and round high in the air, fell with I
a heavy crash into the middle of the Marylebone-road. In I
Hs docent it struck the wheels of a waggon which waa
pawing by, and the driver from fright fell into a fit, and re.
emitted insensible for several minutes.
A suck of chimneys fell at the corner of Thornhill-square,
Wellingtmestreet, Camberwell ; another from the house of
dyer in Weet-street, Walworth. The **naive stacks
and piles of timber in Hr. Hall's yard leading from South-1
ampaorestreet as far as Edmund.etztiat, Osmberwell, were
blown down, and falling upon a large number of hothouses
sod ptiblichoupe mahogany frames, demolished them, and
id other mischief.
The most serious digester, however, is that which has
befallen the new city terminus in Cannon-street of the South
Lantern Railway, one of the largest in the metropolis
Between 10 and 11 o'clock, while the gale was at its heighk
pose the S.W„ the wind took a portion of the large
=wive plates of zinc which run along outside **summit
of the roof, some 150 feet from the basement, and tearing
*am away from the framework or crib of the roof as if
they ware go much paper, swept them clean over the roof
en to the other aide of the station, causing much
damage to the glasswork in the roof. The dun
plates were blown completely across Allhallows-lane, in
Upper Thameeatreet, and some portion of the heavy plates
fell in the church-yard of Allhallows church, mutilating
the trees, and others descended on some oat offices and
stables of the City of London Brewery, breaking in
the roof end minim great havoc. A few of the
plates fell in the lane leading to the brewery
there persons axe constantly passing. As may be
imagined, the event created quite a patio on the works,
MOM especially as it was feared that some other portions of
the roof would yield to the fearful pressure of the wind.
As soon as practicable the workmen were got on the roof ;
and when this was written they were endeavouring to
make all secure, but they seemed to be placed in consider-
s* peril.

Another account says :
"At the entrance of the station, near Cannon-street,
where the new City Hotel is being built by Messrs. 14110110
a labourer lost his life. The heavy wind had loosened many
of the boards which had been used for roofing the station,
sad about a quarter to 11 o'clock one of these boards was
blown off the roof by a fearful gust, and in falling struck
labourer named Longnins, who was on the scaffold-
ing on the Dowgate-hill side of the new hotel•
The poor creature was killed instantly, his brains
being scattered on the staging of the scaffolding. This
led to further alarm amongst the large number of work-
people, and many of them left their work, it being feared
that the lofty scaffolding would come down, as it was seen
to sway to and fro."
A large stack of chimneys and the whole of the brick.
work underneath were blown from a house at the corner of
St. John's-court, King•atreet, Smithfield. From the
boarding erected at the north end of Farringdon-atreet
for the construction of the railway work, many of
the huge advertising boards were blown down with great
force. In New Southwark.street, a large building in the
course of erection was blown down. Nearly the whole of
the brick and stone work is a wreck, and the police have
had much difficulty in keeping the public at a distance from
the ruins, in front of which a tall scaffold is still standing.
The greatest confusion prevailed on London-
bridge, the traffic beiog carried on with diffi-
culty ; and in the docks, and generally below bridge,
considerable damage was done by vessels breaking from
their moorings and coming into collision with others. Off
Blackwell a boat containing three men was swamped, but
fortunately a steam to;; was near the spot ►nd rendered se
'Mance. It is feared, however, that one poor fellow
belonging to a collier brig moored off Deptford, who fell
overboard, has lost his life, as he was carried away by the
tide, and bar not since been seen.
Above Londou-bridge several collisions occurred, but no
serious results are recorded. Two barges came in collision
between Vauxhall and Chelsea, and such was the force of
the concussion that one of them had a hole knocked in its
aids and immediately sank. The man in charge of it jumped
on the other barge just in time to save his
life. The captains of several vessels which have arrived in
the Docks this morning, state that there is a fearful sea
on, and that a great number of vessels have had to seek
shelter at the various ports in the °oast. Several vessel'
had been men which had sustained great damage by the
Net.
The railway guards describe the water near Gaildford sad
E'her, and between Datchet and Windsor as being of ex-
traordinary depth, owing to the rains, and on the Essex
shore very little of the green is to be seen.