Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-03-23

reason they appeared to wish to keep us all on
the island in this wrctehed state. osd grant
that We may never witnes, suSI a sccfe hgain.
HURRICANES.
The West Indes in the vicinity of The Mau
ritus, seem to be two principal foci of hurricanes,
from their frequency and tremendous violence in
those localities. Of thirteen hurri3anes describ
ed by Colonel Reid in his interesting attempt to
develop the law of St rms, eleven tool place in
the neighborhood of the Maurlius and ,ladagas
car, which sanct ons an opinion prevalent among
scansn that gales are commonly ayold?d by the
ships steering in course so as to keep well 10
the eastward of the Malfilus To give some
ida Of tropical hurricane, the particulars gath
cred by Colonel Reid from various sources, re
specling that whicn desolated several Of the West
India Islands in the year 1881, aIe here 'n,roduc-
el 1t passed over Barbadoes St Lucia, St
! Domingo and Cuba, swept the north m shores
If the Calf of Mexico, ragged simultaneously at
pansacoa Mobile and New Orleans entered the
adjoining Stdes, and seems to have beea dlsor
ganized by the opposition offered to its progress
By the mountain region Of the Alleghan!es.- -
The hurricane accomplished the distance Of 2C00
miles in $50 hours, at an average velocity of l3
- miles an hour, but the rate of its progressive
motion was insignificant in comparison with that
of its rotarory movement, Il feature he,eatter TO
be advertpd to- Before its arrival at st Vincent
cloud was observed to the North by resident,
so threatening in its aspect and peculiar in its col
Or, that of olive green, tEat, impressed with
sense Of impending danger, he FASTENED home,
and by mailing up his doors and windows saved
his house from the general calamity. In this
island, the most remarkable effect of the storm
was the destruction of an extensive forest at its
northern extremity, the trees Of which were kill
ed without being blown down In 1889, these
trees were frequently examined by Co Rid and
} appeared not to have been killed iy The wind,
.but by the Immense quantity Of eles@,,e m s,er
rendered active during the storm. When al It's
height two negroes at Barbadues were greatly
terrified by sparks of electricity passing off from
one of tn m, as they were struggling in the dark
ness in the garden of Coddring'on College, to
s reach the main building, after the destruction OF
S their hut. Such was the quantity Of spray car
rled inla'd from the sea by The wind that it rain
cd salt water over the whole is and which kl led
: the fresh water fish in the ponds, and several
h ponds continued salt for some DAYS after the
+ storm. The afternoon thai ushered in the hurli-
: cane, that of the lllh of August, was one o
: dlslnll gloom, but about four ocock, there was
c an obscure circle Of Imperfect light toward the
zenith subtending an angle of 35 or 10 degrees
Varlab squalls OF win and rain, with 'nterven
y ing Gains, prevailed till milui.h, when the
lightning flashed fearfuily and gale blew fierce
; ly from the North and North east IA NJ
the wind incr ascd but Suddenly shifiedit its quar-
II ter, bowing from North W, st and intermcdiaI,
II points. Toward three ocloct, after little in
c termsson, the hurricane again burst from tn
" estern points hur ing before it thousands o
c missiles--he fragments of ev,ry unsheltere,
h work of human art. The strongest houses vi
brated to their foundations, and the surface of tn
a earth trembled as the DESTROYER passed over it -
81 There was no thunder at ally time distinct
Is heard but the horrible roar and yelling # til
d wind the noise of the ocean, whose waves threa'
II e"ed the destruction Of every thing in Barbadoe
Is that the other elements might spare, the catter
5 ing of ties, the falling of roofs and walls an
II the combination of thousand ether sounds, form
lc ed hideous and APPALLING din. AS soon as tn
N dawn rendered outward objects visible, and. tn
n storm abating permitted the iuhabitans of Bridge
q town to venture out, grand but distressing pic
lie ture of ruin pres nted itself. No sign of vege
: few patches of sicky green. The surface of th
i, ground exhibited tn scorching and blackenn
Of effect of the lightning. A few remaining trees
ii stripped of their boughs and foliage, wore co,
10 and wntry aspect; and the numerous villas i
the neighborhood formerly concealed amid thic
Of groves, were exposed and in ruins
10 Ia the year 1887 three hurricanes occurred i
'e the West Indies and adjacent parts of the Allan
OF tic, the narratives of which, as collected by Col
N Reid, from different observers, present some sin
D. gular features. The first passed over Barbadoe
'r on the Goth of July. The sky assumed blue
IN black appearance, with a red are at the verg
ls of the horizon. The flashes Of lightning wer
N accompanied with whizzing noise, liks that ,
is are -hot iron plunged in water. The barome.t
ne and sympiesometer fell rapidly and sunk to .
n As inches. The Antigua hurricane the secon
g. Of that year, commenced in the Atlantic, on III
C. night of the 3Ist of July, and was encountere
b. by Captain Seymour, in the brigantiae Judith an
es Esther, of Cork. He observed near the zenil
vt, white appearance of round form, and viii
he looking sted lastly at it, sudden gust of wir
so carried away the topmas, and lower scuddr
sails. During the hurricane the eyes of the ere
'ir were remarkably affected, their sight became din
gs and every one of their finger nails turned qui
he black, and remained so nearly five weeks afie
We ward. The captain inferred from the uniyers;
nd ity of the effect that it could not have been pr
Ike duced by the frmness of the grasp with wh
IN, they were holding by the rigging, but that Il
de whole was caused by an electric body in the ,
iw ements, On the ID of August, in another 81,