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
The Seats of the Gentlemen in all places had an extraordinary share in
the Damage; their Parks were in many places perfectly dismantled, the
Trees before their Doors levelled, their Garden Walls blown down, and I
could give a List, I believe, of a thousand Seats in _England_, within
the compass of our Collected Papers, who had from 5 to 20 Stacks of
Chimnies blown down, some more, some less, according to the several
Dimentions of the Houses.
I am not obliging the Reader to comply with the Calculations here
following, and it would have took up too much room in this small Tract
to name particulars; but according to the best estimate I have been able
to make from the general Accounts sent up by Persons forward to have
this matter recorded, the following particulars are rather under than
over the real Truth.
25 Parks in the several Counties, who have above 1000 Trees in each
Park, blown down.
_New Forest_ in _Hampshire_ above 4000, and some of prodigious Bigness;
above 450 Parks and Groves, who have from 200 large Trees to 1000 blown
down in them.
Above 100 Churches covered with Lead, the Lead roll'd up, the Churches
uncover'd; and on some of them, the Lead in prodigious Quantities blown
to incredible Distances from the Church.
Above 400 Wind-mils overset, and broken to pieces; or the Sails so blown
round, that the Timbers and Wheels have heat and set the rest on Fire,
and so burnt them down, as particularly several were in the Isle of
_Ely_.
Seven Steeples quite blown down, besides abundance of Pinacles and
Battlements from those which stood; and the Churches where it happened
most of them Demolish'd, or terribly Shattered.
Above 800 dwelling Houses blown down, in most of which the Inhabitants
received some Bruise or Wounds, and many lost their Lives.
We have reckoned, including the City of _London_, about 123 People
kill'd; besides such as we have had no account of; the Number of People
drowned are not easily Guest; but by all the Calculations I have made
and seen made, we are within compass, if we reckon 8000 Men lost,
including what were lost on the Coast of _Holland_, what in Ships blown
away, and never heard of, and what were drowned in the Flood of the
_Severn_, and in the River of _Thames_.
What the Loss, how many poor Families ruin'd, is not to be Estimated,
the Fire of _London_ was an exceeding Loss, and was by some reckon'd at
four Millions sterling; which, tho' it was a great Loss, and happened
upon the spot, where vast Quantities of Goods being expos'd to the fury
of the Flames, were destroy'd in a hurry, and 14000 dwelling Houses
entirely consum'd.
Yet on the other Hand, that Desolation was confin'd to a small Space,
the loss fell on the wealthiest part of the People; but this loss is
Universal, and its extent general, not a House, not a Family that had
any thing to lose, but have lost something by this Storm, the Sea, the
Land, the Houses, the Churches, the Corn, the Trees, the Rivers, all
have felt the fury of the Winds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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