Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-12

vessel when she struck Her Majesty's train
ing ship Arethusa, which damaged her star
board quarter.
| The Loss Greater Than for Years.
1t is believed when the storm has spen
its force and final estimate of the damage
is made, it will be found that the los.
| is much greater than that incurred
through any storm that has prevailed fo
years. The reports from the gale-swept dis
tricts are very slow in coming in, owing t.
the almost complete paralyzation of tn,
telegraph lines, but she reports thus far re
ceived show that the damage must be wide
spread and heavy.
The damage to property at Folkeston,
and Deal is very great The roofs of severa
houses were blown off and the streets were
! strewn with trees and rubbish.
At Christchurch, town situated at the
confluence of the rivers Stour and Avon, or
| the English channel, the rivers have over
flowed their banks The rising water.
flooded the country in the vicinity of Christ
church and part of the town itself is inun.
dated. The damage to fishing boats and
other small craft employed in the local coast.
wise trade is large.
The farmers in the midland counties are
growing discouraged at the misfortune pur-
suing them. In these counties the previous
gales and floods did an immense amount ol
damage. In some sections the water that
had then flown up in large tracts of low
lying lands, and was just subsiding and
farmers had begun.to look forward to pre-
pairing the land for the autumn sowing. The
rivers in the midland counties are rapidly
rising, and it is feared that there will be a
general repetition of the floods of q few
weeks ago.
The Dover Lifeboat Is Ready.
At Dover the local lifeboat, manned and
proylsioned, is held in readiness to proceed
to any quarter within,the Dover district, to
all vessels in distress. A tug, with steam
up, is lying beside hertz take her in tow.
AT present the sea is running high and 1t is
unsafe for the tug or lifeboat to venture out
of the harbor.
Part of the crew of the life-saving crew
at Hythe, while rescuing a shipwrecked
crew, were swept from their boat and
drowned
From Dungeness, too, comes . story of
the loss of some of the brave and hardy
lifeboat men. A foreign bark went ashore
at that place and the lifeboat men started
gallantly to the rescue. A heavy sea was
running and the hfeboat broached to. Once
in the trough of the sea she capsized and all
hands went overheard. Five of the crew
were swept away before they could grasp
the life lines on the sides of the boat, and
though they wore cork jackets they were
lost The other men succeeded in righting
their boat and scrambling into her.
At Deal fishing boat was capsized and
two of her crew were drowned.
Several vessels are ashore between Dun
geness and Dover, and it is feared they will
go to pieces and their crews will perish be-
fore assistance can getto them. According
to the latest reports the gale Is general
throughout England.
Making q Last Desperate Effort
Nothing daunted by theifmany wearing
and tru,tless attempts to 60 to the rescue Of
the surviving members of the crew in the
rigging of the ship Benvenue, the life-savers
determined to make last great effort to
reach the imperilled men. but despite their
desperate struggles with the waves they
were again forced to retreat before the angry
sea and acknowledge themselves beaten and
to leave the fast weakening
sailors in the doomed ship to their fate.
Then it was that the life-savers at Sea-
brook resolved that they, too, would again
risk their lives and make another attempt
to get out to where the Benvenue was
slowly but surely being beaten to pieces.
Again did the crew take their positions in
the lifeboat, and again did they renew their
almost forlorn hope. Fighting their way
bit by bit, and plying their oars
with all the skill and strength at their COM
nsnd. the rescuers at length succeeded in
getting free of the breakers aud beyond the
,uter edge of the surf
Rescue Comes at Last
The most dangerous part of their journey
lad now been passed, and amid the inspiring
heers and shouts of theanxious watchers
N the shore the life-savers started in the
direction of the wrecked vessel By careful
md never-ceasing work with the oars and
iller, the men eventually reached the side
# the Benvenue, and after considerable
succeeded in passing a line
rom their boat to the ship.
The work of taking the half-dea6 men
rom the rigging was at once begun. and q
If the officers and crew were safely trans
erred from the ship to the ffeboat. When
his task had been accomplished the life
,oat was then headed for shore, and the life
avers again struggled at their oars They
we're unable to reach the place they started
rom, and after being buffeted about by
Wind and wave brought up at Folkestone,
where the rescued and rescuers disembarked
md received the congratulations of the
people.
The survivors of the wreck were tenderly
,ared for, and when the story of their ter
ible experience was told it was learned
hat the captain and four of the crew had
,one by the board and were drowned before
he life-savers could reach the stranded
,esseL