HEAVY STORMS AND WRECKS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 372, 30 April 1866, Page 1

HEAVY STORMS AND WRECKS.

(From the Home Xews.) Ox the evening of the 4;h February a violent thunder storm passed over Birmingham. During the day the wind had been blowing a heavy gale, and there were light bra iding showers. About six o’clock in the evening the wind blew very strong, and there were several flushes of lightning, but no thunder. About liaif-p.is'c six it begin to rain very heavily, which continued, accompanied with vivid flashes of light;.ing and heavy peals of thunder, till about eigat o’clo k, when the storm abated. The qua miry of rain that fell, considering the time the slc-r.Ti h.rtG.l, was very great, and although in some buy Realities there were accmnahitiop.i ( ,f water, no case cf damage was reported. The same afternoon a lU:it iis storm of wind and rain and hail, accompanied by thunder and iigotuing, passed ovot Eiveip-joi. Xu effect, tne storm was like a cyclone, moving in circle?, and the rain and hail presented a most extraordinary appearance, as they were whirled round and round in spiral columns. The storm burst over Manonester soon after five in the evening. The wind Dew with a violence which lew people remember to have seen equalled, and was accompanied with heavy rain, hail, lightning, and clumber. The flashes of lightaing were frequent and exceedingly vivid. Oakham was also visited with, a heavy storm of wind, lain, ami Irali, with lightning and thunder, widen commenced at 7T5 p.iu., and continued about one hour. At tim parish church tiui’9 was confusion, several females fainting ; others Were much alarmed at the thunder and lightning. Tho electric fluid seems to have passed right round the town, A similar visitation was a iso experienced at P.ipcn, Harrcwgate, and other paits of Yorkshire. At Knoitingicy, near Pontefract, the lightning struck ihe premises of Mr Bywater, surgeon, and set fue to some straw in the surgery, and considerable damage was done before the tire could be subdued. On Sunday, February 4, a strong gale from the south-west blew over the cuast cf Northumberland! At one time it was a perfect hurricane. A good deal of kghtaing was observed cut at sea.

London and its neighbourhood were visited with another heavy gale on the llih Leb., and a good deal at mischief was done to the shipping iu the river. Several Ileuses in tiia metropolis were severely damaged. A cottage at the rear of iAdford-square, was blown iu, burying the occupier, Lis wife, and children in the ruins. Lhcy were subsequently

rescued without sustaining serious injury. At Greeuwicii, the market gardens were flooded ; at Windsor ami idatchet the Thames rose four feet above its ordinary level, and several trees were blown down m ih~ park. The'gale raged with great violence on li.e south-western coast, Two vessels were driven ashore off lire mouth of CLi’iSlciiurcli harbor, and ten seamen drowned. The fishermen of the district saw two vessels ga

down with ail their crews in Poole harbour At Brighton a great many houses were stripped of their roofs, and persons who happened to be abroad during the height of the gale were thrown down by its violence, or hurled furiously against the sides of the streets. In Portsmouth trees were torn up, roofs swept away, and heavy walls demolished, but no loss of life is reported. The ship ‘ Beni min,’ of Bostock, was abandoned by her crew, and suffered to drift ashore at I-'eal, She is supposed to’ have gone to pieces. Several barges were sunk at Chatham, the si reefs of which were deserted during the greater part of Sunday in consequence of the immense showers of slates and chimney pots fulling from the roofs. The storm subsided towards evening. Similar accounts have been received from several other districts and seaport towns of the effects of the gales.