Year: 1864

From the London Telegraph.


The Terrible Hurricane at Calcutta.


The following letter, written bya CORES
pondent at Calcutta, gives an account of the
disastrous cyclone which visited that city on
the 9th OF October, occasioning frightful
loss OF life and destruction of property


CALCUTTA, Oct. 6.


Our boasted City of Palaces has within "a
hours become mere wreck. This morning,
away from the banks of the river. it shows a
city that has been for days in the hands OF an
insurgent mob behind barricades, and then
bombarded and given up to pillage by large
force. Along the river itself 1t is the very
determination of desolatiou." l have only
been able to get along five miles of its length,
and that is five miles of destruction unpar-
allelled in any aeeOunG l have ever seen of
similar disaster. The Hoogly holds at this
time OF year the finest merchant feet of any
port in tie world out OF the British Isles, and
the ships lie along its course for the distance
l have spoken of, from Garden Reach to the
south, away TO Chitpore and Goosery, at the
north OF the city. With few exceptions, these
crafts lie along The eastern or Calcutta bank.
generally five abreast when the harbor is full
as it was two days ago; few ships Just in or
cleared, and here and there a steamer, ride at
anchor In the stream. Some go sail of mag
niicence we're so moored on the morning OF
yesterday, the 9th of October, OF which above
half would be of tonnage exceeding 1900;
in fact they would average 1000 tons ali
through.


The night Of the 4th brought rain and
gradual rising wind, which at abontten o'clock
increased to such hurricane as convinced the
"Oldest inhabitant" that we had got one OF
those cyclones which visit this happy country
once in every ten or twelve years. From that
time up to hali-past four p. N. the violence OF
the hurricane was such as nothing created
could withstand; what could not bend must
perish. What have seen of its effect appals
me as 1 recall it for this record. 1t is impos-
sibe even to guess with any certain approxi-
nation to the enormous sacrifice of property
1 believe two merchants OF great experience
TO whom have put the question, are far with
ia the mark when they surmise that two mil
lions sterling would not replace the loss OF
property of all kinds in Calcutta alone. How
far the ravages have extended it is impossible
to say: but that the cyclone extended to sea
120 miles hence is certain.


AT the height of the storm no one could
guess what was going on beyond his own i'm
mediate vicinity. Nothing could face the
wind for an instant, and the driving torrents
of rain shut out everything hundred yards





bearing along the sharp crash OF tearing and
rending timbers, the smashing of glass and the
heavy thuds of falling masonry, was intensifi-
ed in its horror by peculiarity have never
before experienced in the heavy gales 1t has
been my fortune to encounter at sea or on
shore. For long time there was no lull
whatever, even for second; but as i sat in
the house built as strongly as castle, and OF
great size, 1t seemed as If, when a calm might
harr hoa If1fsLy cd fNro int In
nary gale, there came as it were, the instanta-
neous shock as OF solid blow delivered on
the whole surface Of the building; and as that
passed it seemed as If the vast building must
succumb; and then again the hurricane swept
on with increased fury until another such a
shock hurled fresh fragments along every
street.


About halfpast three, fancied the storm
was beginning to abate, and thought | would
try 10 get down to the post-office and river.
Within three yards OF the doorway | was
borne off my legs as il straw scarescrow,
arms and limbs all abroad, brought up against
the side of the house, and dropped into tor
rent which almost swept me along the open
drain. Getting up with difficulty, 1 was
pressed fat against the house, and though
within an arms length OF the doorway, it was
only by yclutching the angle of the house, and
drawing myself along BY main force to the





pleasant and decidedly undignifed fashion.


This morning the scene is horrible, its acces-
sories heartrending. For hours have driven
or scrambled through scene alter scene OF
misery and utter ruin. Houses are gutted
gardens literally blown away, scarcely tree
uninjured, hundreds with their great roots in
the air. To get to the Peninsula and Orien-
tai landing | had to climb over eight enor-
nous trees lying across the road within two
Ntrnd anA /.
high and dry among the Jungle on the other
side of the river, literally, aud without exag-
geration, blown clean out of the water. As
far as the eye could reach downward were
wrecks. The Nubia ran into large ship, and
both went ashore at the Botanical gardens
where French ship had already gone right
up and capsized. Below them heavy ship
was high and dry, with spars all standing, and
on the opposite shore the hull Of another
clean swept, not stick in her.


Coming towards the city, there were visible
opposite the dock yard the bulwarks OF large
ship whose name no one could tell. Above
her were eight ships and a steamer, all ashore
below Seepbore, aud one indistinguishable
mass of ruins as seen from that distance.


As the city was approached and the more
crowded moorings, the scene of disaster be-
came indescribable. Here and there the masts
OF a tug steamer, blown sheer under water at
nef anchors, or the maSLs OF snip Lnat mac
been cut down by some other craft in mad
career, and sunk so rapidly that the crew
could scarcely escape. On the Howrah side
two dense masses of wreck-steamers and
ships locked together athwart hawse. stem on,
stern oh-one mast standing, clean swept
masts stancing and spars and rigging carried
away, IN Gre confusion that no description
could convey. In the first Of these masses
were about IA large craft; In the other not
less than sixty sail. OF these Later u, ,1umher her
: some IA or Is, probably-had haen forced
over a bank, across which they conld not ba
got back again but by some artificial rnesns os 20
two or more must have sunk, others are sa;i
to be in sinking state.


There are those who should be able TO give
some sort of an idea as to the probable native
casualties on shore. One such gentleman es-
Inmates that 1t is not much under 1000 killed
1t must at best be frightful. On the strant
alone, one piece of brickwork is said to have
killed five persons; and the fall of a tree nea
Prinset Ghaut crushed into one heap gharee
horse, driver and passenger standing beneath


PHIL. SHERIDAN.-Sheridan's appearance,
on the field Is electrical. His every move
ment like the fash of his eve and tho orick