The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-02-08
THE BENGAL DISASTER.


b, an I.yr-N Nitncss.
Tho Gasft,f uf Hidia contains the fol
lowing minute uI the eheuteuuut-goyornu
uf Bengal. SIR Richard Temple, ON
the cycluuu and storm wave IN the dis
tricts Of Backuguuge and Noacolly.
In am area of Suuv q. 600 square miles
out Of 1902. 600 persons suddenly
thrown INTO more ur less of danger, 2l5,-
600 must have perIshcd. Tins, ut course,
Is only an estimate the exact number
cannot be known Vet awhile, perhaps
never will bc known. We inuudm some
villages thirty per cent. ut the mhahi-
tgmts lost, IN others nifty per cent, III
some even seventy per cent There MAS
severe cyclone IN the huy Of Bengal on
the night of the thlrty-hrst al October.
Bat il WIS not the wlud which proved 81"
destructive. though that Was bat enough;
II WAS the storm wave, sweeping along
to height ui from tcu feet 10 twenty
feet, according to different localities /.
IN some places, where II met with amy
resistance. II mounted even higher than
that In the evening the weather Was a
little windy and haZy, and had been
somewhat hot but the people, "a million
ur therrabuUts uf souls, retired Ia rest
apprvhcuiiug nothing. But before
eleven o'clock IN, wind suddenly fresh,
eucd. and about midnight there arose "a
cry uf " The water Ia ou us, aud great
wave burst over the country several feet
high II was followed by another wave,
and again by third, all three rushing
rapidly southWari. the uir and Wind he-
ing chilly cold The people were thus
caught up before they had time even 10
climb on their roofs, ami were lifted IA
the surface uf thr water, together with
the beams and thatcLes uf their cottages.
When the storm burst there Was All
abundant re, crop ripculug Tor the har-
yest-thc well known drltAic ucc crop
which is much beyond the ucv,ls ut lucUl
consumption, and quantities lmcasurci
by thousands al toms annually Tor rA-
purtatiuu % distant districts, 4 part rs
lost. that IN which the plant had NOT ad
yauCvd beyond the stage uf lowering
and part is .,ill safe. that IN which tEc
grain had formed ur begun % form.
Ii even uur-thlrd Is saved that would
suffice for the population ROW un the
land The wealth lost was almost ru-
tlrrly agrlcultuml-cru or cattle. To
tins, however, there ls uug noticeable vA-
cyptuu. namely. Duwlutkhau. O. uch
trading town, clean destroyed, with lu9s
uf miscellaneous property aud valuable
rccurls. Il had eight thousand iuhahi.
taut,. uu,-fuurth 10! whom persisted, per
haps more. IL may bc asked. IA con-
clu-lun. whether any protective means
against such caAmltcs bob future cam br
jeyisej-any yiubanhmguts oT tAe like .
This question viii toe duly considered ;
but az present / know mot how tu de-
wise such safeguard, nor have | -yeu amy
uur who can -uege,t auythlug Ilv
area Ia be protected would br tnu great
ta brcncompass,zi with protective works
Ii rmhuukmyuts became preached u
such storm. they would ufitrw.ri du
murr harm than g,si, log they would
prevent ur rc,ari the running III aui
the suhslicurc ~ the waters. HyrAap.
the people mlght hulli pcrcho- for them
selyc, un platforms, uu s'llis, and the
Ike bat the trees which invariably sur
round the homr-teAis serve thus puT-
pn~- admirably. and il i- % them that
t..c SURVIVORS mainly owe :Arir escape.