The Blizzard in the West: Being as Record and Story of the Disastrous Storm which Raged Throughout Devon and Cornwall, and West Somerset, On the Night of March 9th, 1891Unknown
History
The Blizzard in the West: Being as Record and Story of the Disastrous Storm which Raged Throughout Devon and Cornwall, and West Somerset, On the Night of March 9th, 1891
Unknown
Blizzards -- England -- Cornwall (County) -- History; Cornwall (England : County) -- History; Devon (England) -- History
On the other side of the river a shed belonging to Mr. Goss's
shipbuilding yards was blown down, and cattle-sheds were unroofed and
carried great distances by the force of the gale. At Danescombe Bottom,
at the foot of Kelly Rock, an iron schooner, the _Naïad_, 250 tons,
owned by Captain Samuels of Calstock, was blown over on her beam ends.
The river banks, against which the masts of the vessel struck, only
prevented her being turned completely over. After considerable labour
she was righted, but was found to have sustained some damage. At the
Rumleigh Brick-works, and at the yards of Mr. Roskelly, builder, of
Albaston, much injury was occasioned. The mineral and goods line, the
property of the East Cornwall Mineral Railway Company, running from
Calstock to Kelly Bray, near Callington was blocked with a drift of
snow some eight feet deep, and work was stopped for two days. At the
end of that time it was cleared by a gang of the company's own men
acting under the direction of Captain W. Sowden. On the same property
about fifty yards of fencing were completely levelled. Honeycomb House,
about two miles from Calstock, was damaged to the extent of about £100;
Mr. Gill, of Tray Hill, lost over 100 apple trees, and Mr. German 250
fruit trees. The heaviest damage to trees was at Cotehele Woods, the
property of the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, and overlooking Calstock, which
would appear to have received the full fury of the blast. The terrible
night passed here, and the extent of the destruction to timber, will be
found dealt with at length in the chapter on Parks and Forests.
CAMBORNE.--The change at Camborne would appear to have been an
unusually startling one, since a few days before Monday, butterflies
were to be seen flying about. Snow commenced to fall in the district
at two o'clock on Monday afternoon, and this soon developed into the
blizzard. The storm is described as the greatest and the most severe
known by the oldest residents in the parish. The telegraph wires were
blown down, and, lying across the streets, threw several horses down.
The houses were so covered with snow as to be almost unrecognizable,
and in many places the drifts were over six feet deep. Ornamental,
and other trees in the town were completely spoiled, and traffic was
suspended. Anxiety was at one time felt in the town for the safety of
four young girls, dressmakers, of Beacon village, who left the town
on the Monday evening, but it was afterwards learned that they were
all in safety. In Burse-road and Pendarmes-road the shrubs and trees
were broken down, and lay overhanging and obstructing the footpaths.
Passages had to be cut to get to the houses, half as high as the houses
themselves. A 'bus running between Camborne and Truro was snowed up
near Pool, and left in the road; and near it was an abandoned organ,
the peripatetic performer on which had been unable to bear it with him
to a place of safety.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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