Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1843-01-09
TIE CALAMITY Al MADEIRA

The W ashington papers contain full accounts of the
destructive which laid waste the beautiful Island
Of Madeira. IN October last; and which we have already
noticed briefly. 1t in this Storm that The Creole
was wrecked. he soil and vegetation almost en-
trey swept of into the sea. and the face of the Island
exhibits the appearance of deserits land marks s.,
completely destroyed and altered that It Is said il is hard
y recognizable The loss Of property is estimated a,
s. 800 600 not 10 speak of the injury the lands Fif
" lives were lost There Is some effort be made in
Washington with view tosuccor the distressed nhab
itsnls OF the island, and hope they will be followed
by like elir,s elsewhere.
The following account from the Liverpool Mail will
be found interesting
AWFUL STORM.
.3nd bursting ia Uoter Spout on the Island of ,faei
ra-and SIR resscls Jrcckcd Nth Great De,truc
tion Of Propertyand Loss Of Lircs
Funchal the capital Of Madeira aud the whole of the
Island has been visited with one OF the most dreadful
storms mat has occurred since the flood IN 1893 when
upwards Of 400 persons swept into the sea; and
had the late deluge occurred in the night as was The
case In tho former catastrophe, there is no doubt but
hundreds oil persons would have been drowned in TN,
city; however, as lar as can be learnt present few
lives are lost. except in the distant parishes where s
veral hundreds Of persons have been carried into the
sea.
The last summer was exceedingly hot and almost with.
out RAIN the weather remaining beautifully fine mill
the 10Th oi October when the clouds began 10 enyene
the mountains. winch brought, on the following day
seven thunder storms accompanied with heavy rain
tinuhg almost without nicrmssion until the morning of
the 2iih OF October, when the rain partly ceased Al
ten O'clock the Royal West India steamer Dee arrived
and landed fifty Two passengers for the island: she WA,
however. prevented from proceeding on until the f,ow
Ing day. as the Admiralty agent " no had come ON share
wilhth mail could not get on board again-Abont mid
day the whole island appeared buried in one vast cl,nJ
threatening TO all darkness tic barometer fell o,ir
blythe air became very oppressive with s,,onn snI
phuous SMELL and the wind yeered about to nearly
~ point Of the compass.
AT one o'clock the rain began TO a in torrents and
Bout an hour afterwards perceived at distance of
o"ui mile from shore, an immense rising in the sea
which was soon connected with mass of dark clonJ
overhangg the bay TO appearance charging themselves
ordrawing tho water from the sea- for The spoce of 10,
MINUTES. followed immediately by heavy swell or ri
sing OF the ocean. which swept towards the shore and
although was at considerable elevation above III.
level OF the sea- appeared high enough To sweop over
inc CITY; us force however, was broke, and it suhsed
on the beach, The rain still continued to fall in torrents
ana az O'Clock the roar OF the in the river which
was 4o ieet IN DEPTH began to give me some alarm when
looking out OF The window of my house. perceived thai
Tie bridge was being swept away and that the v,o,
washhning INTO the streets Immediately left the house
ana on reaching the street, the appalling sight that an
Peaed III every direction was enough make the stout
est heart quake with fear-The street in front ne ,h
garden ofmy house upwards of three fet deen viii
wafer. ana hundreds OF men, women and children wa
ding their way up the stream flying towards the noun
ta'ns, whilst others were flockng the town. not know
ing where TO go for safety amidst the mos, dre,dG,
s'Heks and cries that can possibly be imagined. As i
approached towards the river the scene became sill
more awful, and the having burs, open The win,
lodges, and the contents were being swept into the sea
whilst streets in the neiglborhood all overlooked
with waer and the inmates of the houses escanino by
ladders and over the roofs Of the buildings Upwards Of
9U houses have been dstroyed become unenantable
BY this disastrous flood, and the wne corn &c. SVEN,
INTO the sea and destroyed very great but at prsen, il
u.'elaoly impossible to state anything like estimate
VI the amount Of damage DONE
DIX vessels were at anchor in the bay bu, to me il
appeared utterly impossible or them to ride out the gale
asthe sea broke with terrific fury over them. and The
so being dead into the bay. gave them no chance Of
-; - y "ah'ne sail Al hve O'Clock, the Amer
lean brig Creole dragged her anchor and was soon on
snse the whole OF the saved, about an hour after
saros observed the English schooner Wave was DOOM