The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-11-24 00:00:00

The Woodside and other ferry steamers could not start

precisely at their usual tim

from the violence of the

waves lasuing against and occasiona ,
and their efforts to perform their trips, f
the middle of the day, were, notwithstandine thei

over the sea-wall

traordinary difficulty, and uo little danger. The landing
and embarking on this side particularly was hazardous,
yet the adventurers were, considering the circumstances,
pretty numerous, including even the fair sex, who in
these days of steam transit by water, are becoming

George's Pier, (the principal landing place on this
that the writer.of this, who crossed at the time in c

the powerful Woodside boats, could not help thinking
that, bad the new landing pontoons, now in course of
construction, been afloat, they would have met with a
buffetting and displacement, by the wind, the waves, and
the tide, which would have shown the inefficiency of the
projector's plan. The first storm from
will probably realise his apprehension of their

any westerly point

The Skerryvore steam-tust went down about half-pas
• • •

one o'clock,
her funnel, ri

ter Basin

notes alone to t

a. Happily no lives were los

vessel was soon broken up, iin her upper , works and por

were got out by means of boat-hooks, but by. far the
greater quantity floated away down the river, piobably to
be seen no mote.

At this time the Woodside boat with difficulty effected the
passage across the estuary in about an hour! though the
ordinary passage is but tea minutes ! Another fine
steamer, of the same ferry, " The Wirral," carried away
her ropes twice at George's Pier, narrowly escaped run-
ning foul of the landing floating stage and some flats,
started about an hour before the other, but being
driven down the river to nearly opposite Seacombe, did
not reach her destination until nearly half-an-hour after

the other

One of the Irish mail steam-ships lost her funnel dor-
inF the storm, early on Friday morning, but got otherwise

safely into the river. A tug-boat, dragging I
ran into one of the City of Dublin Company'l
and both of them were drifted down the river

her anchor,

_ its parted from their moorings, and got aground
outside ; but such is the strength, buoyancy, and general

large f

these clumsy-looking, bui most r

river-craft, that few of them susiained any m

storm in the mit

the stream,

and while riding at anchor continued to ply their paddl
wheels to ease the strain upon their cables. Ono

came 8

George's Pier, was dashed with such violence agaii
parapet wall at the top of the stairs as to throw do

eps at
st the
vu the

nugc stones or Which it was composed, together with the
adjoining strong iron railing. The waves broke furiously
over the little light-house at the extremity of t
planade

new es

Island. Shortiiitit;rnoon a brig was seen with her
mainmast gone in the outward channel. She was after-
wards taken in tow by a tug. The ship Lowther, from
Alexandria, and the Wakefield, from New Brunswick,
were stranded in Bootle Bay.

A report obtained circulation on the day of the storm,
that the steamer Severn, from Sligo, had been lost, and
great distress prevailed amonest numerous nartie4 velin

expected friends or relatives from 'that quarter. The ru-
mour, however, proved to be unfounded, and if maliciously
put forth, was an execrable offence in the heartless origi-
nators. The vessel arrived in dock in perfect safety on
the previous night. The sea walls on'this side of the river
did not sustain any injury that we can ascertain, the ma-
son work being of the best description. On the Cheshire
side the damage was rather extensive. Mr. Willoughby,
of the Blrlecnhead Hotel, was particularly unfortunate.
His coal-yard, for the supply of fuel for his ferry boats,
and which is at the top of the slip, at the south side, was
broken into by the sea, and about 200 tons of coal were
washed away. Thee had been landed from three flats on
the previous day. The shed on the north of the coal yard
was also flooded, and a number of sacks of flour, &c.,
were washed out, and carried down the river to beyond the
pleasure.grounds north of the hotel. A flat bringing coal
for the same deptit, was sunk between the Tranmere and
Birkenhead slips, but having been skuttled to keep her

from being driven further up, was after Ards got ott
• The middle portion of the sea wall, Jr quay.
parallel with the river, between the slip and the pleasure
grounds, was thrown down, to t
length, and 16 in depth, although the sty
spectively from 1 ton to 91

or quay, running

he extent of 40 feet in

gress of being completed by the Corporation of Liverpool,
who own the ferry, and was not commenced until the ne-
cessity for additional lauding accommodation had long
become obvious. It is to be regretted that the work, from
mistaken, notions of the security of the Cheshire side as

compared with this—the prevailing gales being from the
westward—was not stronger and better secured, by greater
breadth of wall, or abutments towards the westward.
The damage done affords sufficient proof that though
sea• walls in that locality, may endure or escape for
a considerable time, any strong gale especially with
casting in the wind, (as was the case at the beginning of
the storm in question,) will be toppled down, if not built
as securely as the sea walls on this side the estuary. The
crew of Mr. Willoughby's river steamer, the William
Fawcett, gave the utmost assistance to the flat noticed,
otherwise she would probably have been lost. She was
got into shallow water at the back of the coal-yard. The
sea wall of the yard, though of four years' standing, and
the stones clamped together with bands of iron, was
nearly demolished. The surf broke over the south end
of the whole line of gardens and pleasure grounds south
of the hotel, the spray and spin-drift reaching many
yards up each of them, and doing considerable damage.
Mr. John Entwistle, the overseer of the masons employed
in building the new pier at the ferry, was most active and
expert, with his men, in saving the stages

timber,

S.E., and gradually veered to the S.W. at high water.
An the damage (which cannot yet be estimated in
amount) was done in about two consecutive hours—that
is, between ten and twelve o'clock in the day.
! As Birkenhead ferry had suffered so much, it was with-

rally apprehended that the new dock works north of
Woodside would also have suffered; and this fear we are
sorry to find realised. Part of a stank, or embankment,
near Woodside ferry, was washed down, and the loss con,
-t t' 't • •

sequent .nereon is, it is said, considerable, the water
fsom the river having forced itself .into a gut which was
being excavated. The water will have, we believe, to be
pumped out, and the works will be delayed for upwards
of six weeks. The loss occasioned by this disaster we
have heard named at a sum which we almost fear to re-
peat, although it was mentioned on very competent au-
thority ; the space into which the water has rushed being,
we are informed, the size of our Prince's Dock. Some
timber was washed adrift on one of the bites of Wallasey-
pool, and a number of men were busy in endeavouring to
recover it, up to their shoulders in water, in which they
were successful. The tide washed up upon the new street
running from Corporation-road to Seacombe.
The esplanade at Rock Ferry has been considerably
damaged, and a meeting has been called to take steps to
repair the injury.
The Harlequin exhibited signals of distress on the
north-west lightship; and, on Friday evening, the steam-
tug President towed out the Magazine lifeboat and brought
back the whole of her crew, save two men. These two,
we regret to say, were drowned during the height of the
gale. They were aloft when the mast was carried away,
and with the falling mast they fell also, and perished.
On Saturday, the President and Mona steamers pro-
ceeded to the lightship and found that the Harlequin had
drifted two.orAhree miles further in at the back of Burlio
Bank. They succeeded in towing her into Liverpool, and
she now liesiffi the Queen's Dock basin.

The Saranak, American ship, from Philadelphia, rode
at anchor off II ilbre Island. The Liver tug-boat, which
was riding outside her, received considerable damage, and

lost her starboard paddle-wheel.
One of the iron smoke-funnels on the Too' of the Town-
hall fell about midday, with a tremendous crash, on the
footwalk in High-street, and two persons, who were pass-
ing at the moment, had a very narrow escape from serious,
perhaps fatal, injury.
The barque and ship which we have noticed above. as
having been driven ashore in Bootle bay, still remain
there, although attempts were made during Friday and
Saturday to tug them off. The ship has rafted off a
quantity of timber to lighten her. A flat of stone for
the new fort was also driven in ; but has been got off.
Anothar Runcorn flat, empty,is lying atprescnt high and d ry,
The storm raged the whole day at Dublin, and consi-
derable damage was done to the Kingstown railway near
the Booterstown station, the sea having washed over and
damaged the wall so as to occasion a stoppage of the trains.
Two vessels were driven from their moorings in the har-
bour but sustained no damage.
At Douglas, Isle of Man, much damage was done. The
new pier, or red quay as it is called, was completely co-
veved with water as the tide rolled in, and the surf broke
over the watch-house. The sea wall at the ship-yard was
carried away, and the end of the smithy which abuts to
the bay washed down—the water making a complete in••
road upon the loose timbers in the yard, and the frame of
a schooner recently laid down received some severe
shocks. In spite of every exertion a good deal of the
loose timber floated off, hut was subsequently secured on
the beach. In Strand-street the devastation produced by
the inshore wind was beyond the ordinary run of casual-
ties. The street was completely flooded. The back
premises of Mr. Clague, watchmaker, behind those of
Mr. Backwell, bookseller, were laid bare to the "ocean
wave," by the breaking down of the projecting wall, and a
stack of hay in the yard was the sport of the turbulent
surf, a great portion of which is spoiled, and a stable wall
in the same premises also gave way before the repeated
rush of waters. Further over, in the same street, Mr.
Christian the baker, suffered some loss by the flooding of
his cellar and the sudden inundation amongst his flour,
whilst his neighbours on each side fared even worse.
The beach wall which protects Mr. Croughan's back pre-
mises was completely levelled, and that of the adjoining

Premises, belonging to a Mrs. Gelling, much shattered.
Altogether, the residents in Strand-street have seldom
been more alarmed at the roaring of the tossed waves, or
more aroused than in the gale we are noting. All the
cellars on the north quay were full to overflowing, and
never watt known a greater abundance of water in cellar
kitchens before.
The South Devon Extension of the Great Western
railway has been stopped by the water of the river Exe
being carried over the line in great quantities and break-
ing down the wall along the whole distance where it skirts
the shore. The streets at Starcross are under waster, and
the road between Teignrnmith s..A 17- *

ld flies to the number of
put in requisition in consequence of the
iiiwnv

y, chaises, omnib

fifty having

i-Tyne the storm Was at

fearful destrUClloll
after four o'clock on I
attempting to enter th

n in, her
The life

)n, also

thrown c

fLernoon a brig v

'ded by a
Shortly
observed

nd in d

rit carr

manned, and after

in res

t ween

the yes

on Thursday

ineffectual
proached the vessels, but as the tide
crews refused to leave them. A galliot, st

done to the shim

Jamag€

ascertained to b

dashed on the rod
Mr. John Ruddocl
saved. Daring Fri

LL CON

of the Lady Fevershit

which