The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-01-12

Not far from Drury Lane, London, is
street called Wild street. in which
there has long stood Baptist chapel
This institution has for l73 years been
remarkable for . sermon annually
preached there in commemorstion of the
greatest storm that has occurred in Eng
land in modern times. Robert Taylo
who survived this fearful visitation after
having been exposed to awful peril,
placed a small sum of money in the pub
lie funds to pay for An annual sermon
which never fails to excite extrsordina-
ry interest. This storm, for several
years afterward mentioned not rs .
storm, but as the storm, was comparable,
says Lord S.anhope, in history of Queen
Anne's reign, to the worst in tropical
climes. It's chies force was spent in the
south and southwest of England. The
Queen was aroused from her bed in st.
James's palace by part of that venerable
structure being blown down, and the
Bishop of Bath and Wells and his wife
were killed by the fall Of . chimney
stack. The Registrar of Eton College
WAS blown from his room into the street
near Ludgate Hill, London. The dam
age done at Bristol was computed at
e150,00o. Portsmouth" says a writer
of the time, clocks like city lombard
ed" the Eddystone Lighthouse was
swept into the sea. The whole country
was strewn with giant trees, torn from
the roots by wiud such as had nsve,
been known before Curiosity led De
foe to count them in ride around Lon
don. He counted 1900, and then 60
tired. But the most terrible disaster
were at sea. Fifteen sail Of the line. in
cluding Admiral Bowater and the who'll
of his crew, together with severa. hun
dred merchantmen and a sixty-four gul
, shin, with Admiral Beaumont on board
perished, the latter in full view Of Deal
r Of 269 men but one was saved-cast b,
, a wave to shore II has been compute,
: that 5000 people were lost.
The House Of Com mons presented a
address TO the Queen derlo-ing the los
j of the navy, and suggesting the buildin
of new ships, this being, says Lord Mi
caulay, the only occasion in Englan
+ when a tempest evoked a public addres
J or the national fast which followed i
o During Queen Anne's reign the day
!" the storm continued. in obedience TO b.
e proclamation, to be solemn:y observe
'e The worst year in England since th'
D. was 1914. In its autumn and winter q
10 sea was covered with wrecks and il
g. coast with corpses. On Nov. 20 fes
ot full tempest swept up from the tumult
10 GUS Atlantic. Tae wind ragged for thy
O. days with appalling fury. The ys
W closed with long remembered snt
ne sto-m which absolutely paralyzed loo
m motion throughout the kingdom
H. nearly week. The foreign mails We
;" sent by sea from London to the Con
y nent because the road through Ke
In despite the efforts of the immense Gro
ew set to clear it, continued impassah
ng "Perhaps," observes writer, referri
N to it some years later, "no act of matt
ell gives 80 high a conception of M
Der than mortal hand-ths rapidity Of
tes effect, the subtle but resistless chemis
'n- BY which the impalpable element
eE turned into a material Of totally
H. ferent form and qualities sufficient
rye sheet millions Of miles" What n
- lad Of human hopes must have b
'ho suddenly thwarted or defsa.ed BY
In visitation, which probably in some il
rect manner affected the course of as
ny careers!-[N. Y. Sun.