Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1865-03-30
THE CALCUTTA CYCLONE.

The Spectator, protesting to write from an
offleial report on the Cyclone, gives the follow
mark, that 1t is on 'the level OF the great his.
toric calanites of events likoa tdns destruction
of Pompeii. the earthquakes q I5s6an, or the
e Sssa1s,o2 Which, in ear e half
The storm of the 4th of OCTOBER, bsg ottsn, ap-
parently about the Andaman Islands, rushed
in q northwesterly direction along the coast alta
pace which rose to twenty seven miles an hour
struck places as widely distant as Hidgellee
and Calcutta with undiminished furyY and
from the seas to Pubna and thence eastw ard to
the Garrow Hills-say from outhampton TO
Chester, and thence in bold cur We to Iihco In
1T left broad track of desolation. BehindIt,
or rather with Ii, travelled storm wayefrom
the bay, over thirty feet high, which "swept
over the strongest entertainments, doodinK the
crops with salt water and carrying away
entire villages
Indeed, II the storm had been sentient 1t
could not have chosen better spot for its, des-
tructive play. Right through rich spangy
brackish creeks, covered. with low oaosa jun>
gle, and full OF shallow, mud lined. seugy
marshes, the Hooghly eleavesfor it a road often
miles W ide pnst the Indian metropolis, past
the railway center, right away through the
riee-land TO the Ganges, and the br DAD fndiGo.
producing counties of the East Ats frskstre.,
mendous blow was leyelled a 3, Midnapor8 the
great maritime country west of the H0oghly
bearing much the relation to- Calcutta that
Kent bears 10 London, and though the great
dyke OF Hidgellee stood the shocks till the
waves overlooked villages by the score. the
police report the deaths at %, 665 and sin the
track from Kedgeree to kookrahuntte, dis
tant OF many miles, ee-fourths OF the whole
population, with their cattle and other 5prpp.
erty, may be said to have perished ~ - gst
To realize such a catastrophe we must i'm.
aglne an English county crossed by abody OF
water such as that which first poured out Of
the Helmtirth reservoir, but salt, Sc that whea
the gale lie over the soil is still almost united
Tor cultivation, and there is no fresh water TO
drink. In Tumlock, the salt mart of thIe dis.
trict "out OF 400 houses MY "a remain stand.
ing" The wind hitting harderthan tine wave.
THIS was all on the west side of the aYiyerA
below Calcutta on the opposite bank-ahfo ON
the east the destruction was stlI greatsrs IN,
Saugor Island, desolate, thinlY populated
district OFFS square miles, INHABITED CHIEF ysby
foresters and tigers, with q Mw peasar,fs the
storm wave literally Glove the cof1ntrv1f n tun
The wave was is feet above tne soif, aLdIso
terrible we're Its weight and force, driven on n
1t was by the hurricane that cit cut aeS shnel
right across the island, sevepiae II - n v,sa
halves" q sentence which reads rather HSss
tory than Of any Il ia a
Imagine the Isle of Wight cioven in u {. ain 81
miles an hour. Fifteen feet OF wafer, some
ninety yards broad and. three hund1edsmies
deep, hurled on you at the speed ofs8 passen ger
express ,sl train Rushing % torn THIS ehaaNct
which all this low coast IS protected, tfutefly
destroyed all houses, has, st0rehoneees A1d-
otnsr buildings; 1856 W nun hstsdre4aad x6D'
sonls only iss those a 1Ha psscsSea "a IA b
esnsf oy climbing the large trees br by ff68tf2R;
On tne TOOLS OF their own houses, whieh = VEL,
tns sv ant ha On the Tainlaad mauymueaY
at distance OF eight nnes from tSs IN sssH6H
wherever tnronghout the Twensysfbuf Fstsg
gu sns ,nS Q. .ns si r
that the missionaries foand Ina peoSI "
dened with hupgerA. faugns,ana - h.
thesalt warehouses ct. Mr. Fraser ~ ssr.lsx.s
European salt manufactufeH wereS{OftS ~ 49, -
by the people, "who,' saYA tie on gaf 6cdfkSS
chad been, driven aimots@Rd by kStds - ~
OF grass which they ale eagerly. psnes - 80 =
Al diamond Harbor sayg the StpgfnnfsN,s
dent Of Police asEnropeansaSW1e asSsh9S a.
SIX niles,'.t 10 fnrosaisl 70 20 Sosys1s0h'
,s,ssas !. ;. AGO.. seest Ma ~