St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-01-28
Terrible Storm in England.

Terrible Storm in England.
THE STREETS OF LONDON AND THE
RAILROADS BLOCKED WITH SNOW
THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT FLOOD
ED-NUMEROUs SHIPPING DISASTERS.
A terrible storm, the worst that has
been experienced there for 90 years, is
prevailing in London. The scenes to
which it has given rise are simply in
describable, a dispatch says. The
Thames has flooded the houses of Par
! lament. Many of the members were
unable to reach Parliament Wednesday,
so that there was an exceedingly slim
attendance. When the speaker of the
House of Commons wanted to open the
session so few members were in their
seats that the House narrowly escaped
! being adjourned for the day aud thus
losing time, which, in the present stress
! of public affairs, is very precious. Ur.
Biggar aVerted tile peril BY SeBding/
cabs for his colleagues aud thus sue
>ceeANNg, NN secWyvMg q 0INNvuvA. VMe\
\'NNavnes Mas VNseN ON NNe SNvvy, ON
, southern side to a hight of 10 feet
flooding the entire district. The houses
I have been invaded to such an extent
that they are rendered uninhabitable,
and hundreds of people have been made
homeless. Great damage has been
done to the poorer class OF houses, and
! there is danger of some of them being
| totally destroyed or so badly injured as
to make them unfit to live in after the
water subsidies. The people are taking
refuge ON the roofs and are in mOmen-
tary terror lest their lives should be
come prey to the rising water. The
scenes are terrible and all the exertions
which are being made in the midst of
the storm are not adequate to relieve
the distress which prevails. No Lon
dOner recollects to have witnessed such
fearful sights for generation past. A
number of barges have been sunk in
the Thames and several lives lost. The
record of casualties cannot fail to be
fearful, and it is probable that a great
many persons will be found to have
been drowned. The Brighton express
has been showed up, and reports are
current of the stoppage of trains i'll all
directions. The snow continues to fall
with unabated violence. 1t has block
ed the roads everywhere, and all the
telegraph lines are broken, the wires
being snapped asunder or borne down
by the weight of the snow. Vessels are
cast ashore in rapid succession. The
traffic is absolutely suspended, and
business is at a standstill. The pre-
vailing feeling is fear, and the absence
of special means to relieve the distress,
and the inadequacy of ordinary meas
ures causes the utmost CONSERVATION.
An unprecedented hurricane and snow
storm has visited London. another dis
| patch says, and has eXtenden through
out great portion of the kingdom.
| The extent of damage to property and
the Interruptions caused to business can
scarcely he exaggerated. The railways
| leading from London are showed up
and the passage of trains has been made
! impossible. None of the facilities so
common in America for cleaning tracks
of snow are here known, and the only
method of making way for the trains is
the employment of gangs of men to
shovel the snow from the cuttings,
which is work of great difficulty, in
asmuch as the wind frequently fills up
the cuttings with snow again more rap
idly than it can be removed. The as
pect of London is amazing. No one re-
members any such scenes as are pre-
sented and they are indeed almost in
describable. Yehicular traffic is en-
tirely abandoned. Omnibusses and
cabs have ceased attempting to run.
The only method of transportation is
by the underground railroad and the ell
evated road on the Surrv side of the
river. The scenes at the stations of
underground railroads are those of i'm
mense crowds endeavOring to force
their way into the cars, which are pack
ed, despite the regulations of the COM
pauy, far beyond their safe capacity.
The tide in the Thames is the highest
ever known. The docks at Black
Friar's bridge, Lambeth, and the
southern districts of London on the
Surry side are overfiowing. Telegrams
from all the provincial towns along the
sea-cOast report numerous disasters to
shipping and to property along the
shore.
The damage by the storm in England
is estimated at ever Sl0,000,00O
) Railway traffic and telegraph communi-
! cation is almost completely suspended
] throughout the kingdom, many wreck:
: along the coast are reported. Seven
teen vessels are ashore neal Cardiff. anC
so persons are supposed to have beer
3 drowned. Wednesday some of the
SHOW drifts in the streets of LOndor
! were five feet deep.