The Sun.
London, England, 1839-01-09 00:00:00

GALE AT LIVERPOOL.

DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY, AND LOSS OF

LIFE.

LIVERPOOL, TUESDAY.—The weather was for some dap
previously to and on Sunday last somewhat boisterous, though
not more so than might be expected at this season of the year.
A considerable number of vessels (nearly sixty) some of them
of large burden, set sail on their respective voyages in the af-
ternoon—the tide being at its height about three o'clock, and
leaving them little more than an hour of daylight (the moon
being late in rising) to clear the banks in their passage to the
Irish Sea. The wind, during the day, had been S. S. E., and
rather strong. About ten o'clock p.m., it died away for a
short time, and the atmosphere suddenly became unexpectedly
mild and warm. This was remarked by a great many
persons who were abroad at the time, and had the baro-
meter been consulted, we doubt not but that its sud-
den fall would have indicated an approaching storm. In
a very few minutes after this portentous pause of the
elements, alarming gusts of wind began to blow from the
S. W. and W. S. W. Some slight alarm was excited amongst
those who chanced to be abroad at the time; but those gene-
rally hurried to their comfortable homes, unapprehensive, and
cousequently careless, of the event—deeming it nothing more
than a customary winter gale. The night, however, to these
who could sleep, and the following morning, disclosed the
reality of a storm as disastrous to human life, and destructive
of property, as any within the remembrance of the oldest in-
habitants of this town.
Many persons,: in every part of the town, were alarmed
during the night by the howling of the wind, the noise of fall-
ing slates, and, not unfrequently, by the trembling of their
beds, and the shaking of their domiciles from top to bottom.
In Great Nelson-street (now Lord Nelson-street) and the
immediate neighbourhood, as we stated yesterday, the severity
of the hurricane was severely felt.
A widow lady in Walnut-street, too, keeping an infant-
school, terrified by the prospect of having her window blown
in, placed herself in a position against it to prevent so unfor.
tunate a calamity, when the roof gave way and fell at her feet,
and at the same instant the wall fell outwards, leaving her
standing without the slightest injury. A yonng man, named
Lce, a plasterer, lodging at a beer-house in Shannon-street,
was killed by the falling of a chimney through the roof. A
companion of his, who was sleeping with him, fortunately
escaped uninjured.
Numerous other fatalities happened. At an early hour
there were five casualties brought into the Northern Hospital,
arising from the consequences of the storm. Four of a serious
nature.

Amongst the many buildings injured is Kirkdale Gaol ;
the damage done to which is immense. The west wall, to the
extent of one hundred yards, is razed to the ground. The
chimneys of the committee and grand jury rooms fell through
the roof of the former, and forced their way down into the
latter, leaving them both complete wrecks. One of the windows
of the court-room was blown in, a stack of chimneys off the
Governor's house blown down upon the roof, the treadmill
stripped of its covering, and a considerable portion of the weav-
ing shops demolished by the falling in of the outer wall. To
convey anything- approaching a correct idea of a visitation
surpassing any precedent within the memory of the oldest
inhabitant, would be fruitless ; but when wo state that the
wall which yielded to the blast was three feet thick at its base
and two feet at its summit, surmounted by a coping-stone of
nearly three feet wide and about nine inches thick, we shall
leave it to our readers to form their own estimate of the fury
of the elements. A messenger was immediately dispatched
for additional assistance ; a number of police officers were sent
for the safety of the prisoners' custody.
The damage done in Kirkdale, and indeed every where else,
is very serious.
The effects of the storm in the docks, the river, and the
adjacent coast, were even more disastrous than its raysges on
shore.

Near the old bathing-house (south shore) a schooner, the
Susannah, of Maryport, has gone on shore.
The Bridgewater, Runcorn steamer, a total wreck under
the wall of the Brunswick Dock pier.
Three flats sunk in the Brunswick Half-tide Basin.
CLARK'S Sup.---Four flats sunk.
QUEEN'S DOCK.--A large fishing-smack sunk-
number of vessels have lost their spars in this dock.
KIND'S DOCK BASIN.—Four flats and an anchor boat sunk,
and most of them much injured.
KING'S DOCK. —Several vessels lost spars, &c.
KING'S DOCK PIER-lIEAD.—A flat and a fishing-boat sunk.
Two other flits sunk in the adjacent basin.
CORNHILL.—The schooner Harriet, of Lancaster, ran ashore
with considerable damage. Several flats damaged. The
Woodside steamer, Ribble, came alongside a total wreck.
Some of the parties in these vessels were indebted to the ex-
ertions of the Master of No. 1 Quay for the preservation of
their lives.

A great

GEORGE'S PIER lIEAD.—The Runcorn steam-boat, Eclipse,
went down. The fireman, an old and worthy servant of the
Company, missed his footing in attempting to get ashore,
and, falling into the river, was not again seen. The tent for
the camera obscura was washed away. The basin, or small
dock,l at the George's Pier, for the accommodation of boats,
presented a lamentable scene of destruction, the water being
covered by planks, boxes, &c., chiefly from the wreck of the
Eclipse and another vessel. The Landing-boat Pier drifted
from her moorings into the entrance of George's Dock Basin,
and is water-logged and damaged.
GEORGE'S DOCK BASlN.—Three fine brigs, one of them cop-
pored, got adrift, and coming together against the S. E. cor-
ner of the basin, were much damaged, after sinking a
schooner l:
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fromYoP nor moorings moorings in the river, and early yesterday' morning
was perilously situated at the south end of Prince's Dock
Pier-head, with her stern almost within biscuit throw of the
shore. She had two anchors a-head ; but great fears were
entertained that, being so near to the pier (the ground near
which is shallow and rocky), she would ground abaft when
the tide retired. This apprehension, however, was happily
not realised, and by dint of good seamanship in bracing up the
yards in the teeth of the wind, and other appliances, she rode
out the tide without damage. On the rise of the evening
tide (}'esters}') her condition (from her proximity to the
quay) appeared
edared to be yet more perilous; but she stood
her ground to the great satisfaction of numerous specta-
tors. The large sum of 1,0001., we understand, was offered
to any steam-vessel that would tow her off. The gale was,
however, so strong, that none of even the powerful steam-
tugs of the port accepted of the proffer. We lament to add
that about half-past three in the afternoon eight men, riggers,
who Rent to the ship in a boat to render their assistance,
which was not required, were capsized on their return, and
three of their number drowned close to the quay, in the view
of numerous distressed spectators, who could afford them no
assistance in the moment of need.

Lower down, and near the outward wall of Prince's dock,
Marine-parade, a sloop was sunk, the top of her mast being
alone visible. The master and a boy were drowned.
The Admiral, Seacornbe-ferry steamboat, sunk a little fur-
ther on, and only a small part of her topmast could be seen.
It is said that two men were drowned in her.

The fine new Dublin schooner Vestal got against the quay
wall, and stove in the upper works of her stern, unshipped her
rudder, and was otherwise considerably damaged. She was,
however, got off, and towed into the Brunswick-dock basin.
PRINCE'S Dock BASIN. —Here the damage sustained was
equivalent to that in the other basins. Several vessels, chiefly
of small tonnage, were sunk and much injured.
About two o'clock in the afternoon, the pilot-boat No. 6,
came into port with loss of mainboom, bowsprit, and bulwarks
on one side.

About the same time, the N. W. light ship, which had
drifted from her moorings, came into the river, and anchored
saf,ly under Seacombe.
The Fondale, after drifting into th© Victoria-dock basin,
sunk, the crew saved with difficulty.
Many other vessels have been injured in the docks and basics.
BOOTLE BAY. —A great number of vessels were thrown
ashore in this bay. The Oxford, from New York, lay on the
sands with nothing standing but her bowsprit and mizenmast.
The passengers had all been landed with their luggage.
The following vessels are on shore in Bootle Bay :—The
Jarro, Elisha, Alexandria, Hark quin, Pearl, Ailsa, Fortune,
and Redwing.
No communication can be had from the Telegraph-office'
the Bidstone telegraph being blown down. It was stated that
a ship was wrecked in the new channel.
LIVERPOOL SIIIPPING.

The Mary, Bibby, for Trieste, and the Majestic, for New
Orleans, which sailed yesterday, have put back. The first
ship has brought back her pilot, but the second had parted
with her's.
The wreck of a large vessel is visible in the new Channel.
She appears like a ship.
The Eclipse and the Duchess of Bridgewater steamers have
sunk in the river.
The Elizabeth and Johanna, for Kirkcudbright, and Fa-
vourite, for Pwllheli, and the schooner J. R. Askew, are sunk
in the Prince's Dock Basin.
The Thomas and Nancy, for Drogheda, has lost both masts,
and the Commerce, for ditto, her main-mast, in the dock.
One ship and several small vessels are off the port.
Late last night a signal of distress was flying off Bidstone.
The Oxford. New York packet, is still on shore near Bootle
land-marks, with six feet water in her hold.
A vessel is on shore on Benbo.
A great many bales of Brazil cotton, marked "1 D B,"
arc washing up near New Brighton.
A ship or a barque is on shore on the West Hoyle, with all
her masts gone. The Seacombe steamer has gone jsut to
attempt to tow the life-boat, which had made severaUneffec-
tual attempts to get to her.
The Endeavour, for Drogheda, sunk in the river on Sunday
night.
The Cambridge, New York packet, is riding safely in
the river. .

--The storm revived on Monday night with great violence,
accompanied with thunder, lightning, and hail. At this hour
it is not known whether any loss of life is to be added tn the
above list.

Walton was a scene of dire destruction yesterday morning.
Amongst the many narrow escapes from the violence of the
storm we may mention that of the children of Mr. J. Holmes,
who were only removed from bed a few minutes before a stack
of chimneys fell through the roof of the house, and would,
most certainly have killed them had they remained. Hay-
stacks, large trees, walls, roofs of houses, and outhouses were
swept away.
The storm of Sunday night appears, from all the informa
Lion we have been able to collect, to have spread its ravages in
every direction around, several houses in Chester having been
unroofed by its violence, and partly reduced to ruins; and the
road from that city to the ferries on the opposite side of the
Mersey, being, in Many places, so thickly strewed with trees,