The Portland daily press., 1883-02-24
THE FoRH-rnLL1Ne OF STORMS.


~ @eO <@WSeVf ~ ttO 4 1900
twill be recollected that Professor e.
Stone WiggiD, LII. D., Astronomer of the
Canadian Finance Department" in a letter to
President Arthur, dated Ottawa, November
27, predicted great storm that would occur
on Sunday, March 11th, and advised the Pres
ident at that time, to take in the government
ships out of the wet He says, "No vessel,
whatever her dimensions, will be safe out of a
harbor, and none of small tonnage can hope to
survive the tidal wave, and fury of this tenn
pest This viii be pre-eminently the greatest
storm since the time of your first President"
Mr.. Vennor has been the official Canadian
weather prophet for year or two past 1t is
to his credit that he gave US the basis of his
conclusion-he did claim to be inspired, but
he met with varied success. The difference
between the Canadian meteorologists and our
own is, that sometimes those of our neighbors
hit, and sometimes ours miss. The frequent
failure of the Canadian predictions has led our
newspapers to ridicule them.
1t must be admitted that to set up for a
weather prophet is not safe business neither
is this scofling much safer. It was practiced
in the time of Noah. He predicted storm,
and because he began his ark away from navi-
gable waters, where timber was handy, he was
ridiculed. Some persons of the present day.
who are lacking in veneration, rehearse a ira
dition that when in his rubber suit, with his
large freight of live stock, he sailed hy some
of his scoffing neighbors, who had gathered on
hill, hailed him and asked to be taken on
board and that he gave them a sharp retort,
reminding them of their ilI-manners previous
to the Launching.
A newspaper article of the character above
named reminds me Of the prediction of
storm that was fearfully verified. Mr.. S. M.
Saxby, a lieutenant in the r. n. of
England, thus wrote to the "London Stand
ard,' in December, 1868: cat noon on the
9TH of October next, the moon will be on the
equator, circumstance that never takes place
without marked atmospheric disturbance;
and at two o'clock D. M, line drawn from
the esrth's center will cut-:SSs sun and-rroon
in the same arc of right ascension, and the
moons attraction and the suns attraction will
therefore be acting in the same direction; con-
sequently the position of the bodies is threat
ening attitude"
Lieut.. Saxby was foreteller of weather of
some note, and several weeks previous to the
time named for the atmospheric disturb
ance" the English papers called attention to
his prediction, and-gave the necessary warn
ing.
On the evening of the 4th of September
gale with floods of rain commenced, extending
from Nova Scotia to the Middle States. Its
greatest violence was confined to the lower
provinces, and the county OF Washington.
Within the recollection of man nothing like
it had occurred, accompanied as it was by
f.asr rt.f frnl - sAal Co. Y-w~s1I
writer said: "This place was visited by ire-
mendous gale and the highest tide ever known.
The marshes Sere completely covered. Thou
sands OF tons of hay were destroyed, and thou
sands of cattle and sheep were drowned. The
dykes on the marshes are all gone. The tidal
wave has caused great destruction on the bay
of Fundy. In this small parish one the loss
is estimated at over million of dollars.''
Five years after this storm, 1 was at the
Basin of Minas, more than 100 miles from the
entrance to the bay, and there saw the
sad effects of the tidal wave, in the
destruction of the dykes and the flooding of
the meadows, where no sea-water had entered
since the expulsion of the Acadians, more
lows were then standing, killed by the 'Saxby
tide AT Eastport wharves were destroyed,
ard church steeple was blown down; also
steeple was Frustrated at Lubec. OF twenty
vessels at that place all but three were driven
on shore The steamer New York, of the In
Johnsol's Bay, but lost both anchors. With
her steam she was enabled to reach place of
safety. The wave that entered Penobscot bay
was six feet high.
Immense quantities Of pine timber were
blown down in Washington county, which
could not be got out before it was spoiled.
This storm fully established Saxby's reputa-
ton as a weather prophet.
At Portland the storm was not noted for its
severity, as month previous there had &C.
CURED such a storm as no person had seen its
equal for violence. This was the gale that
blew down the spire of the Catholic cathe-
dral, falling on, and crushing in the roof of
Capt. Choate's house, on the opposite side of
the street. Many buildings in the vicinity of
the city were unroofed, and many others lost
their chimney tops.
An incident will cause this storm to be long
remembered. In the height of the tempest,
at half past six clock, on the evening of the
Sth of September, 1869, died Names foremost
statesman, VIM. Pitt Fessenden. His death
was not Unexpected, but its announcement
cist gloom over the city, which was height
ened by the frightful gale. and the falling of
trees and chimneys.
''And natures self did seem to toiter
On the brink of time.n
Windham, Feb. W. G..