Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1876-12-06
GREAT CYCLONE IN BENGAL

des olive on the Vice Presdentf f.....
S. In such cases what Is his title Of oiicci
GREAT CYCLONE IN BENGAL
TERRIBLE DESTRUCTION OF LIFE AND
PROPERTY.
Later news from southeastern Ben
gal, says the New York Sun of the 2Sil
OF November, confirms previous rumor
of immense loss OF lie and property
occasioned by the cyclone of October
3lst. Storms nre frequent enough il
those latitudes, but Calcutta CORES
pondent Of the London Tines says that
this storm was inorc severe than ans
since the great cyclone OF 1864, and
that fuller details will doubtless show
it TO have been even moro destructive
than that memorable tempest.
Tho October cyclone arose some
where in tho Bay in Bengal, and rush
ing northward in tho track OF vessel.
bound for Calcutta, dismasted many
large ships, and did much other dam.
age. But this was trifing compared
to what il did on shore. Calcutta IT,
self narrowly escaped its violence. AT
Chittagong it stranded every vessel in
the harbor, and almost destroyed the
town. Three large islands, Hattiab,
Sundeep, and Dakhin, with numerous
smaller islands included in the Bacher-
gunge, Nookholly, and Chittagong dis
tricts, were entirely submerged by the
storm wave, as was also the main land
for five or six miles inland.
These islands are situated in or near
the estuary of the river Megna. They
have been formed by the deposition OF
carth washed down by the sacred river
Gangcs during its periodical inunda-
tiens. The waters of tho Ganges pour
into the Bay of Bengal by fourteen
principal channels. Some of these
channels are so narrow that the rig
ging Of coasting vessels is often cntan.
gled in the trees on tho banks. Plcn-
tiful supplies of fish for tho Calcutta
market are procured in the numerous
water courses Of this region, although
with difficulty and danger, as crocodiles
and formidable serpents abound. The
forests and jungles are crowded with
tigers and other forocious animals, and
everywhere rcigns the deadly malaria
which makes tho "Sunderbundsp las
the low, marshy lards Of the delta are
called, from being covered with the
soondru, or sunder trec-thc most in
hospitablc and unhealthy, as il is the
hottest part Of British India. Govern
ment has made vigorous efforts to clear
and to people the Sunderbnnds. 1t has
offered special inducements to settlers
in this extensive maratime district and
its adjacent islands, and relays of fresh
victims to accident and disease have
been tempted there to fill up the gaps
lcit by their predecessors A large
portion OF land has been cleared, and
timber, cotton, rice, sugar cane, honey,
and the mulberry tree for feeding silk
worms, have yielded rich returns to
enterprise and labor The biggest OF
the submerged islands, Dahkin, was
800 square miles in extent, and had a
poPuiall1n W oi aoou, Afv,ovV. iaI',an ,aa
anu anu ouhueop .oBo'nor nau aoouV. wv
WV 'hn"o''an's'
I Up to IL o'clock on the night OF Oct.
81, according to despatch from Cal
cutta, there were no signs OF danger !
but before midnight wave swept over
the country TO depth IN many places
of twenty feet, surprising tho people
in their beds. Dense groves oil cocoa.
nut and palm trees around tho villages
enabled many persons to save them
selves by climbing among the branches
and some took refuge on the roofs OF
their houses, but The water burst the
houses asunder and swept them out to
sea. Some were thus carried across
the channel, ten miles, to the Chiita-
gong district, but a vast majority were
never heard OF again. Tho country Is
fiat, and almost every one persisted
who failed to reach the trees More
than one tree presented the queer
spectacle often witnessed during an
inundation OF tho Gangcs--a happy
family scrpents, birds, and beasts OF
divers and hostile kinds, waiting aloft
for the water to subslde. All the cat
tlc were drowned. The boats were
swept away ana other means OF com