Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1864-12-03
The Terrible Cyclone MT Calcutta.

The English papers received by the Mora
vians mails to-day bring full accounts OF
the terrible cyclone at Calcutta, previously
reported briefly by telegraph.
This cyclone was unequalled within tue
experience of persons who have resided in
India for forty years. 1t burst over Calcutta
on the 9th of October, ard desoated q tract
of country one hundred and twenty-five
miles long. Out of more than two hundred
vessels in the Hooghly river, only eight or
nine escaped serious damage, and great
many lives were lost. 1t appears that during
the whole night of Tuesday, October a, the
the weather ut Calcutta was marked by
succession of squalls and heavy rain from.
the north-northeast, and it maintained the
same character ill about half past ten on
Wednesday morning, gradually increasing
in violence. The wind then veered to the
east, and began to blow more steadily and
with increasing fury. The weaker trees
were uprooted or broken short, but for the
first hour or 80 no greater damage was done.
| Between / and IL o'clock noise like that
! of distant thunder gave warning, as itgradu-
| ally increased, that something worse was
| coming. In about two minutes from this
| time the true cyclone was upon the town.
| Wherever there were tress they were either
uprooted and fell, carrying with them, in
many cases, walls, railing and buildings, or
! their branches were snapped off like reeds
aud hurled away with the wind. Carriages
pulkecs were apset, and strewed the roads,
mingled with the debris ofroots, ,vcrnandahs,
gates, and fallen trees; corrugated iron roof
ings were torn, doubled up, and blown
away like sheets of paper. BY two O'Clock
| the eastern and southern suburbs OF the city,
and those parts of it to the westward which
trnn hta1r INN fn thn J,,s, MI
the river were the most exposed, were more
or less a wreck. Excepting cocoanut and
other palms, scarcely tree was anywhere
to he found standing. The beautiful avcn-
ues in Fort William were entirely destroyed
the Eden gardens turned into u wilderness
In Tank Square the trees and shrubs were
biowE away, and in many parts the iron
ratings torn up and overthrown. In Gar.
den Reach the roads were blocked up and
rendered impossible from trees that fell
across them. The splendid avenue of usotl
trees in the compound of the school oppo
site st. James Church, some of which mus,
have been four or five feet in circumference
was entirely destroyed, the trees being snap
ped off above the level of the wall which
protected them, but which is no Longer
standing.
The scene presented by the shipping (sayt
the Calcutta Engiishman of the l0th) is in
describabe. There must be at least ont
, hundred ships ashore, all huddled together
, in tangled masses in inextricable confusion
Yards and masts are hanging about in every
, conceivable form OF wreck, and the scene i:
!, one of the utmost DISSOLUTION and ruin. The
loss of boats of every description is ais,
enormous probably nine out of ten wert
capsized and sunk by the stormwave whicl
+ followed the change of the wind from cas-
to south, and many of the remainder have
. been cast on shore. The utmost difficulty i
, from this cause experienced in communica
ting with the shipping.
The Lady Franklin, one of the wrccke,
vessels, is supposed to have foundered will
all her crew on board, and the Govindpore
off the Bankshall also went down. Ther
were nine men on board the latter vessel
including the captain, and, were it not 10
the singular gallantry and courage display
:. cd by u seamen named Edward Ceary. the
o probably might have all met with n water
/. grave. Mr.. J. II. Roberts was at the CHA
v with some Of the police, endeavouring t
G pass on rope to the ship. which WAS nea
v the middle OF the stream, but could not &c
r II single man among the large pumIsr thu
1 were there to venture out into tto rirrr
4 though he offered a reward al one hundred
4 rupees 20 any orc who woald do so. T.
= swim 90, yo1fhe ship in such gale wa
!. next to hopeless. Despite the danger
t Cleary, who had Just then came up. an,
D without even knowing anything about re
0 ward having teen offered volunteered t
n swim overi o the ship with the cable IIe'iu
n the rope round his waist dashed into til
l. water, like u true Brton, and succeeded i
!, reaching the ship and fastening coe of fh
j. ends to her bow, and returned amid trC
j. mendous cheering, ashore. The nine me
safely came ashore by means of the rop
the captain being the last man who |, fl he
Cleary has had his hundred rupees and vii
no doubt, get many more for his exempar
conIct.