The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-03-01
Two Great Storms.
rErom the Cernhilll MasazIne,

from the CornhiIn Magazine
The most terrible storm which has per-
haps, ever occurred, is that which has been
called the Great Storm. II occurred, or
rather its worst effects were experienced,
on October 10, 1870. Generated probably |
in mid Atlantic, not far from the Equator,
it was first felt in Barbadoes, where trees
and houses were blown down. Captain |
Maury, in his physical Geography of the
Sea, gives a rather exaggerated account OF
the effects produced by this storm in Bar
badoes, apparently from memory-some of
the details being like, but not quite the |
same as those actually recorded. He says
"the bark was blown from the trees and the !
fruits of the earth destroyed; the very bot
tom and depths of the Sea were up rooted
forts and castles were washed away, and
their great guns carried in the air like
chaff." The bark of trees was removed,
but, it is believed, rather through the eff
fects of electric action than by the power
of the wind. Cannon, also, were driven
along the batteries, and flung over into the
fosse, but not carried in the air like chat"
At Martinique the storm overlook French
| transport feet, and entirely destroyed it
| There were forty vessels, conveying 1000
| soldiers, and the Governor of Martinique
reported their fate to the French Govern
ment in three words -"The vessels disap-
peared." Nine thousand persons perished
at Martinique, and one thousand at St.
Pierre, where not a house was left standing.
| St. Domingo, ST. Vincent, ST. Eustache
and Porto Rico were next visited and de-
vastated, while scarcely a single vessel
near this part of the cyclones track was
afoat on October IL. At Port Royal the
cathedral, seven churches and fourteen hun
dred houses were blown down, and sixteen
hundred sick and wounded persons were
buried beneath the ruins of the hospital
At the Bermudas, fifty British ships were
driven ashore, two line-of- battle ships went
down at Sea, and twenty-five thousand per-
sons persisted. Perhaps the most remark
able effects of the storm in this portion of
its course were those experienced in the
LeewaId Isles. The hurricane drove a
twelve ,ounder cannon a distance of 400
feet. Those who lived in the Government
Building took refuge in the central part,
where circular walls, nearly yard thick,
seemed to afford promise of safety. But at
11:3O o'clock the wind had broken down
parts of these walls, and lifted off the roof
Terrified they sought refuge in the cellar
ege, but before long the water had risen
there to the height of more than yard
and they were driven into the battery,
where they placed themselves behind the
heayier cannon, some of which were driven
into the battery, which were driv-
en- from their place by the force
, of the wind. When day broke the
country looked as if it had been blasted by
fires; not leaf, scarce even branch, re.
mained upon the trees AS in great floods
! a common terror preserves peace among
animals which usually War upon each
| other, SO during the Great Storm human
passions were for the time quelled by the
t fiercer War of the elements. Among the
ships destroyed at Martinique were two
English war-ships. Twenty-Five sailors
who survived, surrendered themselves pris
! oners to the Marquis OF Bouille, the Gov,
t ernor of the island, but he sent them to St
> Lucie, writing to the English Governor Of
: that island that ''he was unwilling to retain
as prisoners men who had fallen into his
hands during disaster from which so ma
: ny had suffered" The great storm of 17SC
must not be confounded with the storm re.
membered for many years in Great Britain
as the Great Storm. The latter occurred
on November 26, 1908, and its worst effects
. were experienced not es usual in the trop-
les, but in Western Europe. The reader
will remember Macaulay's reference to il
in his essay on the Life and Writings Of
, Addison" In his famous poem. "The
: Campaign" Addison had compared Marl
a borough to an angel guiding the whirlwind
3 "We must point out" writes Macaulay
! zone circumstance which appears to have
: epcaped all the critics. The extraordinary
( effect which this smile produced when il
/ first appeared, and which TO the following
: generation appeared inexplicable, is doubt
less to be chiefly attributed to line which
r N ost readers now regard as feeble paren.
E thesis
g Such as, of late, DER pale Britannia passed.
: Addison spoke, not of a storm, but of the
storm. The great tempest of November
1908, the only tempest which in onr lati
l tude has equaled the rage of tropical
hurricane. had left dreadful recollection
in the minds of all men. No other tempest
= was ever in this country the occasion of a
f parliamentary address or of public fast
Whole fleets had been cast away. Large
mansions had been blown down. One pre-
late had been buried beneath the ruins o.
e his panied London and Bristol had pres
t ented the appearance of cities just sacked
< Hundreds of families were still in mourn
ing.
'The PROSTATE trunks of large trees, and
]. the ruins of houses, still attested in all the
i southern counties, the fury Of the blast
He strangely omits to mention one of the
-. most striking events connected with thi
terrible storm-the destruction of the Ed
r dystone Lighthouse. Winstanley, thu
] architect ofthe first Eddystone Lighthouse
was confident that it could resist the ierces
storm which ever blew, and expressed
y hope that he might be in it when such
: storm ragged. On November 26 he arrived
8 with party of men who we're engaged t,
@ repair the building. The Great Storm
soon after began to blow, and raget
!" throughout the night. On the morning O
y the 9th no trace Of the Lighthouse vas t
+ be seen.
From the Chicago Inter-Ocean.]