The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-04 00:00:00

THE GALE.

The storm which has swept over London during the last
two days is one of the most severe which has occurred for
many years. As stated in The Sint of yesterday, the first
indication of it was a gale from the S.S.W., shifting occa-
sionally to the W.S.W., which broke out about 1 o'clock on
Wednesday morning, and which continued to blow at in-
tervals during the whole day. At 2 o'clock the anemometer
at Lloyd's showed a pressure of 251 b. upon the square foot.
As night set in the wind sligbtly moderated, although still
very heavy, and at 4 o'clock yesterday morning the storm
burst forth again with increased fury. From 6 o'clock till
half-past 9 the storm was frightful. Then came a slight lull
till shortly before 11 o'clock, when it again burst forth in
terrific blasts. The anemometer on the Royal Exchange
showed a pressure of no less than 301 b. upon the square
foot, This pressure is so unusual in the heart of London,
that it was suspected that the anemometer had given a false
indication, but it appears that this was not the case. The
instrument had been recently examined by Messrs. Negretti
and Zambra, and the information derived from it may be
safely relied on. Daring the gales of last October at Green-
wich, the anemometer of the same construction registered
351 b-, while the one on the Exchange only showed a pres-
sure of 181 b. About 8 o'clock in the morning, at the city
end of London-bridge, a sudden gust of wind rushed over
the bridge, driving vehicles in one direction, and in another
immense sheets of water. At the same time a noise was
heard, which led many to believe that some part of the Cus-
tom-house had been blown down. It was occasioned by, in
the first, place, an immense zinc chimney being blown from
the roof of the premises belonging to Mr. J. B. Palmer, at
the corner of Botolph-lane,:Lower Thames-street ; in an in-
stant the brick chimney stalk came down with a crash, strik-
ing a cab horse. Several persons passing were struck, and a
man named Thos. Jones was so severely cut about the head
that he had to be removed to the hospital. A large stack of
chimneys was blown down at Queen's Arms, No. 208, Upper
Thomas-street, but fortunately no person was injured.
Nearly facing a building, known as Broken-wharf, in
Thames- street, when the tide had receded, the body of a
man, with an umbrella lying by his side, was found on the
bed of the river ; whether or not he had been blown into the
water it is impossible at present to tell. The engines of the
London brigade were called out to a fire in High-street,
Shadwell, which was occasioned by the roof of a house
being blown off, The inmates had a very narrow escape.
At 11 o'clock, when the gale was highest, yesterday, a large
piece of lead was blown off the top of the house of Mr. Gar-
rott, 59, Cornhill, and struck a gentleman just descending
from an omnibus, inflicting severe injuries on his head. At
about 8 o'clock the telegraph wires of the London and North
Western Railway Company, extending over the Totten-
ham-court-road, were blown down on the roof of Messrs.
Schoolbred's premises, and, trailing in the road, occasioned
considerable obstruction to the traffic. At the Globe Tavern,
situate at the corner of London-street and John-street, a
heavy plate-glass door was blown in and smashed by the
violence of the wind, and numerous tradesmen in the loca-
lity sustained great loss and damage by the destruction of
exposed goods and by the removal of tiles from the roofs of
the houses, admitting the rain, which descended in torrents.
About the same hour, a youth named Wells, in the employ
of Mr. Anthony, greengrocer, Hampstead-road, was in the
act of fixing a tarpaulin on a cartload of vegetables, in How-
land street, when he was Precipitated with great violence
into the road. The horse at the moment moving forward,
one of the wheels of the cart passed over his leg, fracturing
the bone, and causing serious contusions ; he was conveyed
to the hospital suffering greatly. The morning trains due
at the Euston-station and also at the King's-cross station
were considerably delayed by the effect of the storm of last
night,

The gale swept along the Thames with great fury, and
almost stopped the navigation for the larger classes of ships.
In some of the lower exposed reaches there was almost as
much sea as could be seen below the Nore. There were se-
veral disasters caused by vessels driving from their anchors.
One of the most serious happened shortly aster six o'clock
yesterday morning off Blackwell. The tide had jest begun
to ebb, and while the gale was at its height a tremendous
crash was heard at the upper end of Blackwall-pier, in the
direction of the:Brunswick (Lovegrove's) Hotel. It was
then discovered that two large ships had been driven from
the mooring (Conservancy) buoy, off Green's-yard, and
driven alongside the hotel and pier, carrying away every-
thing before them. One of the vessels was a large 1,000•
ton ship, called the British Lion, which had only arrived at
the buoy on the previous evening from Calcutta, waiting to
go into the East Dock, and the other was the American
ship Harraseekit which was light and had lately been un-
dergoing some repairs in Somes' Dock. They had been
riding together at the one buoy throughout the whole
night, and it would seem that owing to the fearful strain
the ground moorings yielded, and both ships came ashore
together, The jib-boom of the American ship caught
the circular balcony of the Brunswick Hotel,
carrying it away and driving in a large portion
of the brickwork of the frontage in a line with
the large dining-room on the first floor. The
timber staying and steps which were used for discharging
cable from the continental steamers were also crushed in,
and other extensive damage done. Efforts were at once
made to get the ships away out into the stream, as the tide
was rapidly falling. The Harraseekit was at length hauled
out and anchored in the middle of the river, but, unfortu-
nately, all exertions failed to move the British Lion, which
was laden with a valuable cargo, Owing to her drawing 21
feet of water and the strong Wind which was blowing right
on to the pier, she took the ground, and as the tide receded
she gradually listed outwards over to the port side. In order
to guard against the possibility of her going completely on
her beam ends, thick hawsers were laid out from the star-
board si& of the ship to the stones on the pier; but so great

was the strain that the pavement round one of the stones

was torn up. Ropes were also laid out from the maintopmast
and secured to the warehouse on the pier, so as to lessen'

itnhea onvrie=gpninsftiwone,igwhata.
lying. At
wweaitieaar thcnenishdipb,e although
under the circumstances. It was thought that she was on
her bearings, and that she had not sustained much strain-
ing, and that she would come off in the course of the even-
ing's flood tide. At present, however, it is difficult to state
the amount of damage she has sustained. Another serious
mishap happened higher up the river, which, in consequence
of ;the large amount of property in peril, excited quite a
sensation among the dock people. The ship Celestial, laden
with tea and silk from China, arrived off the entrance to
St. Katherine's dock about half-past 9 o'clock, three hours
after high water, intending to lie at the buoy until she
could be taken into the dock in the course of the evening
flood. She was in tow of two steamtugs—one ahead and
another at her quarter, and had a pilot on board. The tugs
had somewhat slackened, and the hands were making the
best of their time in securing the ship's hawser to the buoy,
when, owing to the strong ebb tide which was running, and
the heavy westerly wind, the Celestial drifted broad on
athwart the stern of the tier of Irish steamers moored off the
British and Foreign Steampacket Company's pier, and
remained there. The tugs endeavoured to tow her out, but
to no purpose. She kept athwart the tier, and as the tide
receded she took the ground, and gradually went over
almost on her beam ends. More unfortunately still, it was
one of the lowest ebbs that has been known for some time,
which necessarily added to her perilous situation. It was
thought that her cargo would not shift, and in the event of
her not having sustained any damage in her bottom it was
anticipated that she would right as the flood made in the
evening and be taken into dock. Capt. Stewart, of Lloyd's
Association, had been appointed to take charge of the opera-
tions, and steam tugs and gangs of labourers were in attend-
ance, and everything done to secure success. The ship and
cargo are reported to be very largely insured,
DIE CRYSTAL PALACE.—The wind has been felt in this
lofty and exposed locality (Sydenham) with great severity,
but up to this time (noon, Thursday), beyond a few trees
torn up and boughs blown off and a chimney pot or two
demolished, no mischief has been done. The Crystal
Palace has not suffered any damage.
Telegrams have been received in London which state that
in all parts of England, and particularly along the coast,the
gale has caused great loss of life and property.
At Chatham the gale is reported to have raged with great
fury on Wednesday afternoon until about 6 p.m., when it
fell. The night was fine and clear, with a moderate wind
from the S.W. About 4 o'clock yesterday morning, how-
ever, the gale again arose, accompanied by a heavy fall of
rain, which continued for some hours. About 9 o'clock it
blew down a stack of chimneys on some property belonging
to Mr. J. L. Levy, of Chatham, which in falling carried
away a portion of the roofs of the adjoining houses. In the
harbour no casualties have been reported. A large fleet of
vessels remained yesterday at anchor at the entrance to the
river.
In the exposed district round Aldershott the trees have
for miles been rooted up by hundreds, and are now lying
about in all directions. On the road between the Club-
house, at which the court-martial is being held, and the
Farnborough-station, there are thick clumps, chiefly of fir
trees, to which great injury has been done. In some direc-
tions the wind seems to have cut a path right through
them and torn them up in a long tat aigfit line, leaving
those on either aide untouched.
The high wind yesterday morning caused a singular ac-
cident on the Great Western Railway, near the Reading
station. About half a mile to the west of this station there

is a long narrow gauge siding running parallel with the up
main line. Yesterday morning a truck which was standing
on it was, by the force of the wind, blown in the direction
of the points that lead to the up line. By inadvertence the
points appear to have been left in a wrong position ; and as
soon as the truck reached the spot it was turned upon the
main line, where it got off the rails. In consequence of the
darkness that prevailed no person noticed the obstruction,
and a goods train was allowed to proceed towards the sta-
tion. However, it had not gone far before it came in contact
with the truck, smashing it to atoms. As far as we have
been able to ascertain no one sustained any injury; but the
permanent way was blocked for some time. About the same
time several other trucks on another siding were blown some
distance, and were not stopped until they had run over the
stop-block and done considerable damage. The signals at
different parts of the line have been blown down.
In the Eastern Counties the gale was very high through-
out the whole of yesterday. The trains on the Great Eastern
Railway were slightly delayed, but no serious casualty had
been reported as having taken place on shore. It was re-
ported last night by telegraph from Great Yarmouth that a
sloop, the Peace, of:Arundel, had foundered in the roadstead,
and that two of the hands hai been lost. A. brig and crew
aro also said to have been lost on the Scroby Sands.
At Peterborough, one of the pinnacles of the Cathedral
was blown down into the garden of the Bishop's Palace.
The gable ends of several houses had been blown in, and
entire stacks of corn were strewn about the country. The
railway signal posts in various places near Peterborough
had been blown down. Last night snow was falling, and the
gale had scarcely abated in fury.
In Staffordshire the gale raged with great fury. At
Hanley, in the district of the Potteries, tho high wind
was for several hours accompanied with fearful flashes of
lightning, loud thunder, and a heavy fall of hail. The wall
of a factory fell and did serious damage. A shop-front in
Market-square and the end of a house in Broom-street were
blown in, a house in Cannon street was thrown down, and
several roofs were completely stripped. The roof of the
Town-hall was injured. The minor casualties were innu-
merable ; for several hours all street traffic was suspended.
At Burslem a potter's oven was blown down and a man was
buried in the ruins. The roof of the Washington Works at
the same place was partially destroyed.
At Nottingham yesterday the storm raged with great fury
and continued with scarcely abated violence during the
whole day. Houses were unroofed, and walls and chimneys
everywhere blown down. At Lenton, a mile out of the
town, the roof of a barn was blown right over into an ad-
joining field—a distance of many yards. Numbers of per-
sons have been injured but no lives have been lost. The
gale is supposed to he the most severe ever known in Not-
tingham.
At Manchester the gale broke out with great fury yester-
day morning. A Welsh chapel in course of erection in
Upper Medlock-street, and nearly completed, was almost
entirely demolished. A high factory chimney at Pendleton
was blown down, and many house chimneys were destroyed,
carrying in the roofs of houses near them. A new house,
nearly finished, was blown down at Longsight : trees on
Ardwick-green and o her places were broken down or up-
r oted, and though no serious accident attended with loss
of life had been hoard of up to last night, it was said that
no storm for a long time past had done so much mischief.
At Liverpool throughout the whole of Wednesday night
there was a high wind accompanied by heavy rain. Towards
daybreak the rain 2eased, but the wind rose, and by eight
o'clock it blew with terrific force. Such a storm had not
been known in Liverpool for many years. The anemometer
indicated a pressure of 431 b. to the square inch. The gale
continued to blow with power for a very considerable time,
the shipping in the river, as was to be expected, first
suffered. Soon after 9 &clock the whole line of wall in
front of the extensive range of docks was studded by large
vessels, which being forced from their anehorage were
driven against or in dangerous proximity to the sea wall,
pier-heads, and landing-stages. Many of these were placed
in imminent danger, and not a few sustained seri ,us damage.
Between 9 and 10 o'clock the screw steamer Albanian, be-
longing to Messrs. Bibby, outward bound, after being in

collision with the Scottish Belle, drove upon the Plucking-
ton Bank, off the Albert pier-head. She was there placed in
a situation of great peril, being exposed to the full fury of
the gale, which, although subjected to occasional lulls,
manifestly increased in intensity as the tide began to flow.

About 3 o'clock three powerful steamtugs were made fast to
this vessel, and endeavoured to avail themselves of the
rising tido to get her off. For a long period the efforts
made to move the vessel were unsuccessful, and lively fears
were entertained for her ultimate safety, and up to the
moment when our despatch had to be made up it was
questionable whether she would be got off or not. The ship
Star, belonging to Mr. S. It. Gravas, was, early in the fore.
noon, driven against St. George's Landing-stage, and was
there moored in comparative safety. Shortly before noon
the Liverpool lifeboat was despatched from the Prince's
stage, in tow of a tugboat, to the assistance of a vessel. out-
side. At 10 15 a schooner was driven ashore on the Little
Hilbre Island, at the mouth of the Dee, and was break-
ing up. The ship Lew Choo, from Bombay, was dragged
ashore close alongside the north end of Prince's-pier.
Two flats were on Pluckington Bank, with their crews
in the rigging; the lifeboat had gone to them. The
Margaret Campbell (brig), of Waterford, was ashore at the
entrance of Bramley-Moore Dock, with signals of distress
flying. A large ship dismasted was ashore off the North
Docks. A flat was sunk about 11 30 off Seacombe Wall,
and all hands on board were supposed to be lost. The ship
Lampedo, inward bound, was drifted a considerable way
down the river, and was aground at Harrington Dock. A
flat went down early in the morning off St. George's Land-
ing-stage. The John Bunyan had drifted against the North
Landing-stage, had to get all her masts cut away; she was
towed off, a wreck. The Jean Francois, a French brig,
sunk eff the Waterloo Dock. A collision took place be-
tween a steamer and a ship midway in the river, when the
bowsprit of the latter was carried away. In different parts
of the town the effects of the storm were also very severely
felt.

In Birkenhead the gale was quite as destructive. About
20 minutes before 9, when the wind was strongest, a chim-
ney 40ft. high was blown down at the Albion Oilworks,
Duke-street North, but fortunately no one was injured.
About the same time the large plate-glass windows in front
of Mr. Hinson's, ironmonger, Argyle-street, were blown in
with a terrific smash, and a number of crystal chandeliers
and other valuable property destroyed. The damage to
stock alone is upwards of £2OO. At 10 o'clock the skylight
of Mr. Styan's furniture shop on the opposite side of the
street gave way, and the wind thus gaining entrance blew
out several of the large plate windows at the front and west
side of the shop. In Hamilton-square and many other
localities windows were blown in. Slates and chimney-pots
falling continually made the passage of the streets very
perilous. _ _

At Leeds the storm was severely felt. Damage was done
to the extent or £2OO to the Smithii. Id Foundry in North-
street. In several in,tances incoinpleted buildings were
much injured. In Consequence of a heavy fall of rain, the
river Aire was much swollen, but up to yesterday after•
noon there had been no unusual inundation.

At Shields on Wednesday the wind suddenly veered
round from the S.E. to N, W. The harbour and docks in
the Tyne are quite crowded with laden vessels. Although
a storm warning was hoisted in the port on Tuesday, so
venturesome are many of the shipmasters and seamen that,
though the weather had a most unpromising appeal ance some
laden vessels towed out of the tiers on Wednesday evening,
about 4 o'clock, and proceeded out to sea. On Tuesday after-
noon, as a coble, manned by Charles and William Hood and
William Hastings, pilots, was making, under sail, for the
West Hartlepool harbour, a sea broke over her when about
100 yards from the entrance, and half filled her with water.
The next sea washed the men out of the coble, and capsized
the boat. Several persons witnessed the occurrence, and
the pier was soon lined with spectators, doubtful as to the
probability of the men keeping above water until assistance
arrived, as not another boat was in the bay. There was a
danger attending the attempt of any of the tiny boats at
hand putting off to the rescue of the poor fellows. However,
the crew of a fishing-smack manned their boat, and pro-
ceeded out of the harbour, but they soon found the difficult)
of pulling against a heavy sea and wind. They had nearly
reached the men, when a sea struck their boat, and sent them
a distance of 20 yards into the back sweep around the pier.
It was impossible for them to regain their lost position, and
as they were in the midst of heavy breakers they then
studied their own safety, and made for the shore. Another
boat, belonging to a Hartlepool pilot, succeeded in rescuing
the men, who were quite exhausted, having been about 25
minutes struggling in the sea. Several times they lost
their hold of the keel of the boat, and were washed a short
distance from it, but the) always managed to roach it again.
The smack's boat drifted among the breakers behind the
pier, and the boat filling with water, the men jumped out
and swam to the shore, which was not a great distance.
At Newport, Monmouthshire, on Wednesday afternoon,
a boat was capsizod in the river, and a boy named Pitman
was drowned. The drum has been hoisted at the docks, and
all the vessels in the docks and river have had to strengthen
their moorings. Chimneys, roots, &c., have been dismantled
in exposed parts of the town, but fortunately, though pro-
perty has been considerably damaged, no other lives have
been lost.

In Cornwhll the storm broke out on Wednesday morn-
ing, and reports from various places show that few, if any,
parts of the county have escaped • withoui. injury fr m the
violence of the gale. At Truro a chimney-stack was blown
through the house of a Mr. Greenwood, and fell with great
violence on a bed from which a corpse had a few hours be-
fore been removed. The legs of the bedstead were forced
through the flooring. A house was partly blown down near
Helston. Great injury has everywhere been done to
stackyards. Several vessels of the Cornish coast have been
greatly damaged, and it is reported that a French schooner
has bean lost with three of her crow. On Wednesday the
Friar Tuck, of Liverpool, from China, laden with tea for
London, drove ashore at Scilly. T Go other English vessels
and four French vessels parted anchor and drove ashore.
In the Bristol Channel, on Wednesday, two vesse,s—one
the Epeney Lass, of Glocester, the other the Swansea
Packet, ot Bridgwater—went down, and were entirely lost
at the tail of the Gore, near Burnham. The crew ofthe
Swansea Packet, consisting of Captain Watts, the owner,
and two men, were drowned. One of the crew of the Epeney
Lass was also drowned, the others reaching Burnham in a
boat. The two vessels went down in sight of each other.