Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-12-14
rho Reeept 0yeIons % BengaI.


The recent OyCIons in Bengal.
The Calcutta correspondent of
.he London Times, speaking Of the
terrible cyclone in Bengal says !:
Estimates based on official returns
from each police section put the
loss of life in the districts Of Back
ergunge, Noakholly and Chitta-
gong at not less than 215,000.
Probably this figure, enormous as
it appears, is Still short of the
truth. Three large islands-Dak-
hin Shahabazpore, Haitian and
Sundeep-and numerous small
islands we're entirely submerged by
the storm wave, and also Che main
land for some five or six miles in.
land. These islands are all stu
ated in or near the estuary of til,
Meghna, river formed by the con
aueuce of the Ganges and Brahma
pootra rivers, the largest bcini
Dakhin Shahabazpore, in exten
800 square miles, with population
of about 100000. The population
of Haitian and Sundeep togethe
is about 100000. Up to II p.u
on the night of the catastroph
there were no signs Of danger, bu
before midnight the storm sweI
over the islands to a depth in place
of twenty feet, surprising the pee
pie in their beds. Happily it
! the custom in those districts
plant dense groves of trees, chief
cocoanut and palm, round the vi
lagos. The trees afforded sheltC
to the villagers, and almost all IL
survivors saved themselves /
climbing among their branche
Some took refuge on the roof
but the water entering IL
houses burnt off the roofs, an
the receding waves carried the
out to sea with the people sti
clinging to them. A few were ca
ried thus from Sundeep across IL
channel, ten miles braad, to Chi
touong but the vast majority we
never ne Z hear, Of again. The coul
try is perfectly Lit; Gr@t; and thereto
trees were tn. only secure reiug
Almost every one persisted VT
failed in reaching trees. There
scarcely household in the islam,
and adjacent coasts that has n
lost many Of its members, II
cattle were all drowned. All u
boats were swept away, and
wheeled carriages were unknov
in these delta districts, the peop
were thus deprived of means
communication. Almost all d
civil officers and police officials
Dakhin Shahabazpore, except b
deputy magistrate in charge, pc
ished.
; A strange fact about the disast
is that, in Dahkin, Shahabazpo
and Hattiah, most of the DANA
D was done by the storm wave iro
sweeping down the Meghna. Se'
> raj theories have been started
account for this. One is that t
!, cyclone forming in the bay stru
the shore first near Chittagor
: and went north for some distar
). and then turned southwark aga
N Another is that the wind bl
m back the waters of the Meghl
~ which rebounded with terrific foi
when the pressure relaxed. A tn
m @ supposition is that there were t
,, parallel storms, with a centre
n n calm between them. The first
o. third theory seems most probat
@rn @ as in supdeep and Chittagoug
"A destruction came from the south
The condition Of the suryiyor
es better than might have been
pected. There was much dist
for two or three days, but thi
~ are now improving. Baoker-gu
is a great rice.producing distr
Its peasantry is the most pros
GUS in Bengal. Their stores h
mostly been kept uRder grou
= and have been, Of course, thorou
ly soaked; but it is believed :
S are not seriously damaged WI
~ 4. ever Sir R. Temple went he
VI the people drying their grain
re- re- the sun. The cocoanuts will
Ii to give subsistence till the bar'
rfss .aN.