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
FOWEY.--At this sea-port very severe weather was experienced. The whole
country round was covered with snow, and communication by telegraph,
except to Lostwithiel and St. Austell, was impossible. Fowey does not
appear to have experienced much of the effects of the gale on Monday
night and Tuesday, but a strong wind with snow showers, visited the
town on the following Thursday. There were no casualties, and no great
loss of sheep, as, though many were buried in the snow, nearly all were
recovered.
GRAMPOUND ROAD.--Here snow commenced falling at about noon on Monday,
and continued with only a few minutes' cessation for twenty-four hours.
The blizzard nature of the storm was most severely felt, and among
other distressing events hundreds of sheep were lost. All telegraphic
communication was completely stopped. The last up-train from Penzance,
due at Grampound Road at about twenty minutes past eight in the
evening, was blocked by the snow a quarter of a mile west of the
station. The passengers were got out, and, under the guidance of some
of the villagers, made their way across the fields, and took shelter
in the hotels. Strenuous efforts were made to extricate the train,
but it was not until half-past four on the following morning that the
difficult task was accomplished, and that the passengers were enabled
to proceed on their journey. The loss of sheep in this district was
very great.
GUNNISLAKE.--Throughout the whole of Monday night the blizzard raged in
Gunnislake, and only slightly abated its force on Tuesday. Havoc was
spread on every hand, and in one case a very serious accident, that
narrowly escaped fatal consequences, occurred. This was at the house of
Mr. Bowhay, surgeon, where a neighbouring chimney crashed through the
roof and fell into the kitchen. Two servants and an infant child were
in the kitchen at the time, and one of the former was knocked to the
floor, and on being extricated was found to have had her leg broken.
The other servant girl and Mr. Bowhay's child received cuts. On the
opposite side of the road a chimney fell upon a house named East View,
crushing in the end roof of a house in which, soon after, and in a room
immediately below that into which the rubbish fell, a child was born.
Large trees, over fifty years' old, were rooted up and thrown across
the main thoroughfares. At Drakewell's Mine serious damage was done to
the roofs, and at Heath Cottage, adjoining the mine, nine tall Scotch
firs, which stood within fifteen feet of each other, were rooted up,
and left lying in all directions.
HELSTON.--At Helston, every road leading to other towns was blocked
up. No newspaper arrived, nor were any mails sent off until Saturday.
Telegraph wires and poles, and innumerable trees were blown down, the
plantations in the district suffering severely.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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