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
FALMOUTH.--Some of the disastrous effects of the blizzard at this
sea-port have already been recounted, but Falmouth was unfortunate
in other respects, besides being the scene of so many wrecks with
attendant loss of life. The weather has been described by residents
as the heaviest experienced in the district since 1853. Scarcely a
house exposed to the gale escaped injury, and in many cases property
suffered severely. Were there space to record them, innumerable
instances could be given of roofs being blown off, chimneys having
fallen, and marvellous escapes of residents having occurred during
these accidents. At the well-known "Curiosity Shop" of Mr. Burton, a
slate from some opposite premises went through a large window, and
two vases within, valued at £85, narrowly escaped destruction. The
back premises of Mr. Webber, jeweller, which overlooked the harbour,
were completely washed away, and all the fowls in the fowl-house were
drowned. In the rope-walk several fine Cornish elms were uprooted, one
of them cutting through a neighbouring roof. Telegraph wires also were
broken by the falling timber, and many huge limbs of trees were blown
down outside Grove Hill. Between Monday night and noon on Wednesday
no train arrived at or left Falmouth, and telegraphic communication
being cut off the inhabitants knew nothing of what was transpiring in
other parts. It was not until the Saturday evening that telegraphic
communication was re-established with Truro, and two hours later a wire
was got through to London. Messrs. Fox & Co., shipping agents, having
urgent telegrams to send to London, despatched them via France and
Spain. The London morning papers despatched on Tuesday reached Falmouth
on Saturday night, by which time postal affairs were commencing to be
put in order. All along the quays the damage to small craft of every
kind was immense, and the shore was strewn with wreckage and crowded
with damaged boats. At one spot on the market-strand, between the
King's Arms and the establishment of Mr. Grose, a big sail boat was
driven ashore, followed by a coal hulk belonging to Messrs. Vivian &
Sons, the latter knocking down a wall. The S.S. _Carbon_, belonging
to the Falmouth Coal Company, sank at her moorings in the harbour,
and the Harbour Board's steamer, _Armenack_, had a narrow escape of
being wrecked. About a dozen well-known residents had trawlers,
sailing-boats, and punts damaged or totally wrecked, but these form
only a small proportion of the losses by the gale. Among the fishermen
distress was great, and, as already stated on another page, a fund for
their relief was inaugurated without loss of time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account