The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1897-12-09
SWEPT BY THE GALE.
A Fearful Storm Raging or the Ens.
lish Coast.

London, Dec. 1.-The gale which
swept the English coast yesterday, do
ing great damage at many places, ragged
all night. In many places it was
almost cyclonic in its violence, and the
long list of disasters includes a large
loss of life, many wrecks of large ves-
sells and the loss of scores, if not hun
dreds of smaller craft, with serious
damage to property ashore at many i'm
portant towns.
At Norfolk, Bacton and Happisburg
five vessels, as yet unidentified, went
down and the crews of all persisted.
A number of bodies have been washed
ashore near Yarmouth. The brig
Rugby was wrecked of Hemsby. The
coast guard made desperate efforts to
save the crew, and succeeded in getting
line on board. A dying woman was
"rocketed" in safety, and then the brig
capsized, all the rest of the ships COM
pany perishing.
A large steam collier dashed upon
Marlborough head, the famous prom
ontory on the North sea coast, fioated
off. and then foundered. with all on
/ board.
A steamer not identified was wrecked
on the Birdlongton sands, with her
entire company.
| Last evening the steamer Rose OF
Devon went on the rocks near Red
Ruth, Cornwall. where she pounded all
night long, her crew of IL perishing.
This morning the bodies of the captain
and seamen, all wearing lifebelts, were
washed ashore.
| The British ship Larnica, Captain
Burgess, was driven ashore near Fleet
wood, at the entrance Of Moretown bay,
about 18 miles northwest of Preston.
The crew were saved, but the position
of the vessel is dangerous. She left ST..
Johns, N. B., November /, for Fleet
wood.
Phenomenally high tides are reported
in many localities. The district near
the mouth of the Thames has suffered
severely, several townships being partly
submerged. The Sherness dockyard
and the Woolwich arsenal were inun-
dated.
Scarcely vestige remains in sight of
Lord Nelson's old flagship, the Foudroy-
ant, long fast in the sands of Blackpool.
There is a lot of wreckage near the
Goodwin sands.
Immense damage has been done to
government property at Sherness dock
yard and the WOolwich arsenal. Sew
eral thousand troops were hurriedly
ordered out today to remove thousands
of pounds worth of ammunition and
stores from the wharves and sheds to
places of safety. The tide continued 10
rise, and invaded some of the work
shops, quenched the engines and
stopped the electric lights. The work.
men were obliged to 60 home, wading
knee deep.
Six vessels were wrecked between
Yarmouth and Bacton, only few
miles apart, on the Norfolk coast, and
% lives were lost.
The brig Vedra stranded at Bacton.
The storm tore out her masts, and when
the rocket line was fred, the crew was
unable to haul it in. Finally the line
dragged them into the surf, and three
out of seven were drowned.
Rochester and Strood, on the Midway,
out 80 miles south of London, have
suffered severely. At Rochester the
gas works are flooded and the town is
in darkness; the gale is now travelling
southwark and traversing various parts
of the Continent. Very rough weather
is reported along the north coast of
France.
A dispatch from Liverpool says that
during the gale the Russian ship
Nikolai, Captain Karlsen, stranded on
a treacherous bank near FormbOy,
south of Southport. After fearful ex-
periences her sails were blown away
and the vessel was so damaged as to be
uncomfortable. One of the crew. q
man named Karlston, was swept over
board and drowned. The captain says
no one on board slept for four days.
The vessel will probably become a
xurook