The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-12-29
Cur @Io.
An Old Fashioned Storm.

scription. This tempest broke over Eng
land on the 9th of November, 1903, cx-
actly l74 years ago yesterday. 1t wss not
merely short burst Of storm, but fierce
and tremendous hurricane Of whole
weeks duration. At o'clock in the
afternoon Of Wednesday brisk gale set
in, and increased SO strongly during the
night that it would have been memorable
if greater one had not Immediately fol-
lowed. From Friday to Sunday morning
the tempest was at its extreme height.
The affrightened Londoners left their beds
Immediately after midnight and took re-
fugc in their cellars. Many thought the
end Of the world had come. Defoe, who
was in London, says;-"Horror and con-
fusion seized upon all; no pen can describe
it, no words can express it, no thought
conceive it, unless Of some who were in
the extremity of it," Only on Sunday
morning could the boldest venture forth.
The streets were kuee-deep with bricks,
tiles, stones, lead and timber On Sunday
and Monday none dared to go to bed. On
Wednesday it ceased, and there was dead
calm just week from its commencement
Twenty-oue deaths were caused by the
falling Of ehimneys alone After the
storm houses resembled skeletons. Plain
tiles rose in price from guinea thou
sand to f6. Brieklayer's wages doubled.
1t was found necessary to thatch some Of
the public buildings. The Bishop Of
Wells and his wife were killed in their
bed. In tho county of Kent ! 100 houses
we're levelled to the ground. At Pen
hurst, in the ancient park Of the Sidneys
now the property of Lord de L'Isle, 500
grand old trees were Frustrated, 800 boats
and l2O barges were utterly destroyed on
the Thames, and scores Of dead bodies
were washed up and buried Three men.
of-war Of 20 guns each, one GA, two of Sc
and one Of 46 were destroyed Rear-Ad
miral Beaumont and 1900 officers and
men perished with these ships. 1t is only
OF late years that life-saying contrivance.
have come into vogue That the frs
duty Of those living on the coast is to saw
life was not even dreamed Of in the older
time. The English on the coast consid
cred themselves heirs of all property which
Providence cast on their shores. 1t wa
even thought unlucky to rescue a drown
ing man. Seventy years after the grea
storm Of 1903 Burke brought in his cele
brated bill levying the loss of plundere,
wrecks upon the inhabitants of the neigh
borhood. The bill to grant supplies fc
carrying on the American war was onl
carried by defeating Burke's bill, so stronI
was the opposition made to it by the coas
country members. On the morning afte
the storm of 1903 two hundred men wer,
discovered on the treacherous footing O
the Goodwin Sands crying and gesticulat
ing for aid, all of them knowing that a
the turn of tho tide they must perish
The boatmen were too busy bringing il
the wrecked property to waste their time
in saving life.
The Mayor of Deal, monster of hu
manity, besought the custom-house officer
to send out the Government boats. Thi!
was refused on the ground that it was moi
the services for which the boats were pro.
vided. The Mayor and few others seized
the boats by force and saved many lives
The Naval Agent refused to aid the pool
half-drowned creatures who were thus
saved, his duty being, he said, only to pro
vide for seamen wounded in battle. The
heroic Mayor had therefore to clothe anc
feed the rescued people at his private ex
pense. II was during the storm we hav,
been describing that the first Eddyston,
Lighthouse was destroyed Its construc
tion had been left to the supervision Of al
incompetent engineer named Winstanley
who exerted himself more 10 inventing lit
tie mechanical surprises than in executing
properly the great work he was called Il
{ perform. In room Of his house lay al
old slipper. If a kick were given to it, b,
some mechanical contriyance ghost flew
up in an adjoining room If visitol
seated himself in chair in one Of hi
parlors, the arms would fly round his bod
and make him prisoner The light-housl
was just what might have been expecte,
from such superintendent. It was bull
Of wood ard deficient in every element o
stability. Its polygonal form rendered
peculiarly liable to be swept away. Ii
order to insure the wind full power upol
It, il was ornamented with large woodel
candlesticks, vanes, cranes and other use
less top-hammer. Winstanley had take
his model from a Chinese-pagoda. o.
} the outside Of the lighthouse he ha
caused to be painted innumerable picture
Of suns and eompasses with Latin an
English notices, such as ssGlory be b
God" /" "Pax in bellop and the like. Tn
last was in allusion to the faBcied securit
! of the lighthouse amid the war Of th
elements. Inside he had caused to be col
structed kitchen and an elaborated
: carved state room, and he had pictui
Q painted with likeness of himself fishin
! from a window Of the lighthouse. In b
i whimsical insanity he had actually col
: structed shoot on the top from whic
stones could be showered in case the tow
5 should be attacked. All remoustrancl
a failed to convince him of his folly. @
y the night Of the great storm the silly el
! gineer was paying visit 70 ts;,e ligkSboui
!, aud perished, as it was proper than |
should, when the tower was swept ava
2 Five other unfortunate human beings wei
y in the tower with him, all Of whom wei
destroyed.
An interesting literary reminiscence
i connected with the great gale Of I70
! Addison compared the spirit Of tho ator
70 Marlborough, ia return for which rathl
} resounding compliment he received Il