The Storm: or, a Collection of the most Remarkable Casualties and Disasters which Happen'd in the Late Dreadful Tempest, both by Sea and LandDefoe, Daniel
History
The Storm: or, a Collection of the most Remarkable Casualties and Disasters which Happen'd in the Late Dreadful Tempest, both by Sea and Land
Defoe, Daniel
Storms -- Early works to 1800
These Accounts in the four last Paragraphs being abstracted from the
publick Prints, and what other Persons collect, I desire the Reader will
observe, are not particularly vouch'd, but as they are all true in
substance, they are so far to be depended upon, and if there is any
mistake it relates to Numbers, and quantity only.
From _Yarmouth_ we expected terrible News, and every one was impatient
till they saw the Accounts from thence, for as there was a very great
Fleet there, both of laden Colliers, _Russia_ Men, and others, there was
nothing to be expected but a dreadful Destruction among them.
But it pleas'd God to order Things there, that the loss was not in
Proportion like what it was in other Places, not but that it was very
great too.
The _Reserve_ Man of War was come in but a day or two before, Convoy to
the great Fleet from _Russia_, and the Captain, Surgeon and Clerk, who
after so long a Voyage went on Shoar with two Boats to refresh
themselves, and buy Provisions, had the Mortification to stand on Shoar,
and see the Ship sink before their Faces; she foundred about 11-a-Clock,
and as the Sea went too high for any help to go off from the Shoar to
them, so their own Boats being both on Shoar, there was not one Man
sav'd; one _Russia_ Ship driving from her Anchors, and running foul of a
laden Collier sunk by his side, but some of her Men were sav'd by
getting on Board the Collier; three or four small Vessels were driven
out to Sea, and never heard of more; as for the Colliers, tho' most of
them were driven from their Anchors, yet going away to Sea, we have not
an account of many lost.
This next to the Providence of God, I give this reason for, first by all
Relations it appears that the Storm was not so violent farther
Northward, as it was there; and as it was not so Violent, so neither did
it continue so long: Now those Ships, who found they could not ride it
out in _Yarmouth_ Roads, but slipping their Cables went away to Sea,
possibly as they went away to the Northward, found the Weather more
moderate at least, not so violent, but it might be borne with, to this
may be added, that 'tis well known to such as use the Coast after they
had run the length of _Flambro_, they had the benefit of the Weather
Shoar, and pretty high land, which if they took shelter under might help
them very much; these, with other Circumstances, made the Damage much
less than every Body expected, and yet as it was, it was bad enough as
our Letter from _Hull_ gives an Account. At _Grimsby_ it was still worse
as to the Ships, where almost all the Vessels were blown out of the
Road, and a great many lost.
At _Plymouth_ they felt a full Proportion of the Storm in its utmost
fury, the _Edystone_ has been mention'd already, but it was a double
loss in that, the light House had not been long down, when the
_Winchelsea_, a homeward bound _Virginia_ Man was split upon the Rock,
where that Building stood, and most of her Men drowned.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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