Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-13
Destitution in Southwest England
Caused by the Storm.
POLICE PROTECT TIE EONNRIKERS.
A Number Of Accidents Near New
York Caused by Fog.
MINERS FORCED TO STEAL.
NO SIGNS OF MODERATION.
Severe Weather Prevailing In Southwest
England.

severe weather Prevailing In Southwest
England.
LONDON, March ls.-while throughout the
London district a thaw has set in and is causing
considerable Inconvenience to travellers, both
on foot and in public vehicles, there are no
signs Of q moderation in the severity Of the
weather experienced in the southwest OF Eng
land. heavy snow storm prevailed
throughout the past night in DevonsEire
and Cornwall. considerably adding to
the suderings OF the farmers of those coun-
ties and still further impeding the resumption
OF traffic on the railroads of the southwest As
for the country roads they are utterly impassa-
Bile, hugh snow drifts completely preventing
any communication between the different towns
and villages.
SEVERE on THE VILLAGES.
This state of affairs naturally is very severe
upon numerous villages which depend almost
entirely upon the towns in their neighborhood
for supplies of food and fuel In fact. in the
case OF a number Of these small villages their
isolation is already causing considerable
anxiety, as actual starvation stares them in the
lace should the weather not moderate shortly
sufficiently to allow them to be reyictualed.
Efforts IN that direction are already being
made, but the snow storms fury impedes the
work OF rescue, for such in fact it is.
MUCH LIVE STOCK DESTROYED.
by the farmers in sheep and cattle, which have
either been frozen to death in the fields or
which have been smothered beneath the
mountainous snow drifts to be found on all
sides. large numbers of horses have perished in
like manner. The farmers and villagers as a
result of the storms of the last few DAYS, are
living upon their reserve stocks of bacon and
ham and are turning to their hen roosts and
pig styes for a further supply Of food
SUFFERING FOR FOOD.
The farmers, however, are in a state Of COM
plete happiness in comparison with their poorer
neighbors, the country laborers and artisans.
Many Of these have no such reserve stocks of
food TO fall back upon and are already suffering
severely, with the prospect Of further and in
creased suffering for some time.
In the majority of villages and the smaller
Of the snowcd-up towns all the shops and
schools are closed, for il is impossible For the
school children to venture out Of doors and
| shoppers now have more serious matters 10
consider than the purchase Of goods, be they
ever SO attractive. The farmers as o
consequence of the terrible losses they
have endured during the past winter will, il i
generally admitted. economic and cut down
economies and retrenchments in other bust.
| nesses and trades, not to mention loss Of worh
| to many poor laborers.
A FouR-HoRsE COACH SHOWED Or.
One Of the curious incidents Of the storm va.
the showing mp, near Exeter, c. one Of thoss
| old-fashioned four-horse coaches which still
do duty in many parts of England in default Of
more modern methods of more or less rapid
transit. The unfortunate passengers Of this
by the roadside near the snow-bound
coach. They then tried TO make
themselves as comfortable as possible, built a
large fire, improvised a rude hut made of
branches torn from trees bordering on the
highway and kept up their spirits as best they
could. In spite Of their efforts to make the
best of bad job the almost entire lack Of food
among the party soon reduced them to
state of semi-starvation. which 90
reduced their strength that only few of the
stronger men had courage enough to keep the
camp fire burning and when rescued the entire
party was badly frozen and in state Of COM
plete exhaustion.
NAIL TRAIN sNowBoUNp.
Again a mail train was showed up near Dous
land, in Devonshire, and so remained for two
entire days. When it became evident that there
was no means of moving the train on to Dous-
land or of returning the way it had come the
railroad porters and the CONDUCTOR after a
conference with the imprisoned passengers.
decided to try to push on T. Dousland on
foot in order to at least obtain supplies
of provisions for the passengers, and. IL pos
sible, to bring them some kind of sleighs or
other conveyances, which would enable them
to reach places of shelter. Thereupon the
railroad men started on their long and cold
journey. and after terrible sufferings managed
10 reach Dousland in safety. But upon arrival
there they were unable to return, and. in ad-
dition. SO terribly was the storm raging they
were unable TO persuade others to form a rescue
party. During this time the hslf-frozen pas
sengers. who included a number Of ladies
among them, were half perished. They built
fires near the cars and heated the water-tank
foot warmers, the only means of heating
English railroad cars, and thus did their best
to keep themselves warm, but with little sue
cess, such was the intense cold which
prevailed. When, after forty-eight hours
Of this distressing experience. the passengers
were finally rescued, they were in a pitiable
condition, the Indies especially. So terribly did
the ladies suffer that Q number of them are
now at Dousland confined to their beds and
under constant medical treatment, while seve-
raj of the male passengers suffered almost ~
much from the exposure and want of food
which they had endured.
ADVENTURES AND SUFFERING EIsEwHERE
The adventures Of the passengers who were
showed up near Dousland can serve - an
illustration of the adventures and sufferings
which fell to the lot Of the passengers on board
Of Q number of other trains which
were caught out In the snow storm.
Large numbers Of people had experiences
HmllaT 10 tuOot Oh tnc DOuSauQ mall train.
while many others had narrow escapes from
more serious troubles by the dangers Of trains
colliding with trees, crushed across the rail-
road tracks by the weight Of snow upon them.
As it was, several trains were derailed by COM
ing in collision with trees thus hurled across
the rails, but loss Of life happily, is reported
from this cause.
WEST CORNWALL IsoLArEp.
West Cornwall has been in . state of COM
plete isolation since Monday last The nrss
communications with that district were opened
up today, TO the intense relief of many of those
who were the heaviest sufferers BY the snow
blockade. 1t is not an unusual occurrence 10
see snow drifts ten feet high. OF course
the facts which have come 70 light In con-
nection with snowed-up trains and particularly
in connection with snowed-up vehicles, such
a. coaches and carriages, only give some idea
Of what hes actually taken place, for hundreds
at least Of such conveyances have been showed
mp at various points, and the experiences Of
many Of them win never be told.
wREcKKD ~ rHE GALE.
The steamship which vas wrecked Oh etart
Point, near Dartmouth, on Monday Last during
the severe gale which swept over TIE southern
part Of England was the Mirsns Of
Liverpool When the steamer struck
upon the rssf Oh The point the crew took 70 ths
boats In IN effort to reach the shore, though
the heavy - prevailing and Tie huge brsaksrs
rolling upon the coast made such an sttomps
one Of pure desperation