DREADFUL CYCLONE and LOSS OF 1,016 LIVES AT CALCUTTA.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIII, Issue 548, 3 February 1868, Page 4

DREADFUL CYCLONE and LOSS OF 1,016 LIVES AT CALCUTTA.

(Prom the Calcutta Englishman, November 8.) On Friday, Ist November, the sky was overcast and lowering, the pall of cloud was unusually low, and masses of scud were whirled swiftly away to leeward all day long. The gloom of the day was added to by frequent rain squalls; the day, in fact, was just one of those for which November in England has acquired so unpleasant a reputation. As it wore on, the signs of bad weather increased. * About 3 o’clock, the barometer began to show signs of falling, and the wind came down in fiercer gusts. Matters remained in this state till dusk, when it was evident to the most careless, that Calcutta was about to be visited by a storm, which would rival the now famous cyclone of sth October, 1864. Men went home from office to hurry through dinner and prepare for the struggle, and although some daring spirits went to the Opera, they were the exception. At 10 o’clock, the fastenings ; of doors and windows began to bo severely tasked, and the storm rushed over the city with a heavy murmurous roar, like a fierce surf boating on a shingle beach. This roar

never lulled until dajlight, but every few minutes it swelled up into a thunder of ■wind and rain, marking the approach of heavier squalls. Up to half-past 1 the storm was content with rattling doors and windows furiously, but now it forced its way into the well guarded dwellings of the European portion of the city, and tore off here a sash, here a Venetian, here a dec?- Th.c bou??? ?hook vtr?d?? the weiebt of the blows dealt them, and often and anxiously were the time-pieces consulted to see how the night wore away. Soon after 2, however, there was a sensible abatement of the storm; the gusts were as fierce as ever, but the intervals between them were long<r. By half past 3 the strength of the ga a had greatly abated,

and by 4 tho hurricane had become a strong westerly gale, and people began to count up the damage they had sustained, and to hope for daylight, to enable them to ascertain the losses of their neighbors. Few slept that night, and there are few who could wish to pass such another night, or to battle again with a gale which has wrought the city as much if not more injury, than even the great cyclone. THE BIVEE.

Th« hurricane fortunately swept down the river instead of up. It thus had no battle with the tide, instead of bringing with it so dreaded an auxiliary as the storm-wave, which in the cyclone did so much damage. Having only to contend against tho wind, the ships in harbor, as a rule, were enabled to .ride out the storm with far less injury and danger than might have been anticipated. The steamer Orissa, which was to have left this morning, is a helpless wreck. iShe seems smashed, her masts are broken, I her funnel broken and twisted, her bulwarks stove in, and she has gone down I fortunately so near shore, as to be on shore, rather than sunk. The Fumes Abbey, in the middle of the river, is almost as .badly otf as the Orissa. The Nile at I’SO a.in. dragged her anchors, having a number of cargo boats foul of her. Previous to this she had paid out a sutheioiit quantity of chain to enable her to weather the storm, but she and the India got foul of one another, and both sustained some damage. The tug steamer Sestos is on shore at Bagh Bazaar Canal, where she quite blocks the way to the river. Another steamer with red funnels has foundered oif Cossipore. Close to Armenian Ghat tho Jadel Curreem is on shore by the stern, and has lost her mizen-

mast. The Arabia is also on shore near her. The P. & O. Company have lost their tender, tho Howrah, and the Police hulks have been unroofed. THE TOWN. Garden Reach has been robbed of nearly all the trees spared by the cyclone,—a remark which applies generally to the city, —the roads are strewn with dead crows, and opposite No. 8, an enormous tree has fallen, aud completely blocked up the road.

Keaching the Strand, the Punk of Ben gal has lost many shades and has a good deal of glass broken. The Bengal Office has also suffered severely, and, in fact, the ravages of the storm are apparent on every house along the road. At Aheeretolloh Ghat several sheds have been gutted, a"d the engine house has been literally wrecked. Several lives have been lost here. lathe native portion of the town scarcely a hut is standing ; very many puka houses have fallen, and at three o'clock the return of natives killed was given at:—Northern division 63, middle ditto 18, Southern ditto 18 ; total b 9. In the European portion of the city, window frames, Venetians, balustrades, and doors have been blown away in nearly every house. Trees have been overthrown in all directions, and tho Maidan was converted into a shallow lake. The storm was particularly hard upon our amusements. The opera got through three acts,! but then the gale found its way into the house, and put audience and actors to an ignominous flight. Ihe opera house has not suffered very severely; a portion of the roof has disappeared, the trappings have been spoilt by the rain, and a few scenes have been injured. Turning to tho Maidan, Lewis’s theatre presented at daylight the miserable spectacle of a confused heap of wood, in the midst of scattered sheets of corrugated iron, amongst which ,-everal forlorn individuals were seeking after properties Four men wore sleeping under the stage at the lime tho theatre collapsed, and fortunately escaped unhurt. The enterprising proprietor has begun to re erect tho structure, which he promises to have ready by Monday week. The Japanese, however, persevering in their illfortune had their mats blown all over the plain, and their tent carried into the tank at the end of Lindsay-street. At the corner of Hoomayoon-placo there was a singular instance of the terrific power of the wind; a sheet of corrugated iron, blown apparently from the roof of the stables of the Calcutta Club, was bent round the corner of the compound wall adjoining the street, and fixed there so firmly as to be moved with difficulty. In Jaun Bazaar, a scyce was killed alongside his horse which was also killed. A little farther west, two persons were crushed, one was killed on the spot, and the other was removed to the hospital. At tho back of Kasmoney Dossee’s house, a mother and daughter were overwhelmed in the fail of their house. Tho mother died, but the daughter was removed dangerously wounded to the hospital. At the back of Hunter and Co.’s stables in iDhurrumtolish a European woman was killed by the falling of a wall. I In Wellesley -square, the cross and ; pardon of the simple of the little church jwere blown down, as was also one of the

pinnacles. A little to the east a t wo-storied pucka house was completely destroved, and the native huts crushed by the falling of several coconut trees, one of which was precipitated on to a two-storied house. In the square itself only one tree is left.

lio less than 300 gas-lights were blown out, but no damage was done to the gas-works, and the town will, this evening, be lighted up as usual. Government House suffered in its doors and windows, and ths railm? on its dome : the “ London” had its board and awning blown away; the Great Eastern and Spence’s have suffered about equally. Mountain’s Hotel has lost its side verandah, and has had several windows blown in. The new Post»cffice has lost the skeleton

of its dome ; one of the iron ribs is hang* ing in a most dangerous position over the parapet, Kidderpora Church has lost its steeple, and the Catholic Church in Middleton How has been seriously injured. St. Matthew’s Church has lost a pinnacle and sustained other slight damage. St. James’s Church, too, has lost its wetithcrcook, and the roof of the municipality workshops at Entaily has been blown off into the middle of the road, where the coolies and Falkeswallahs have to accomplish the difficult feat of climbing ore; it. THE TOUT.

In the Fort several of the few trees left after the cyclone of 1864 are thrown down, lying in different directions, chiefly, however, north-west, to south-east. The pinnacles on the north-east side of the church are all down. They fell on the outer roof and crushed it in. Ihe pinnacle at the west or rather north-west is also down, and the west (N.W.) window completely blown in. The inner roof remains, and except that a quantity of water ha* poured into the church, and that the vaulting has been strained, little damage is done to the interior.

Sheets of corrugated iron are lying scattered about, soma at a distance of 100 yards on the top of the Staff Barracks. A gharrie left without a horse under the north porch of the church was driven twenty or thirty yards by the wind, and brought up by the shafts striking in soft ground. Shutters and sun-shades lie scattered about in all directions, but we have heard of no greater damage than that mentioned at present. THE SUI3OEBB.

At Soaldah tha wind unroofed the station, a feat which even the cyclone tailed to accomplish, and drove several carriages off the line- It next attacked the old Scaldah Market, the present pan* per hospital, and all through the long and bitter night, it poured its fury, and hurled clouds of cold and piercing rain over a miserable crowd of 369 sick. The sheds for cooking, &c., attached to this hospital were carried away, and the appearance it presented in the morning was forlorn and wretched beyond conception. From Alipore we hear of five deaths. From Ballygunge there is a report that puka house has fallen, and killed a European and his wife. From Entally thirty-one deaths were reported. All through the suburbs the roads are lined with the well-known, unwieldy, metal clamped and bound strong boxes in which natives delight, serving on the present occasion as a drying-ground for the wreck of their personal effects. At Dum-Dum the “ great tree” has been overthrown. The racket-court has been blown down, and the roads are strewn with the dead bodies of cattle and horses ; there has also been, we fear, great loss ol life among the natives. At Darrackpora the damage done has been even greater than at Dum-Dum flr

Cofsipore. At Howrah, the yards of Messrs, SoHague and M'iiardy hare suffered severely, and several goods sheds have been unroofed. The railway getties are, however, sale, and the ferry steamers have sustained but little damages. From the country districts the accounts were of the most distressing character, and the loss of life and destruction of property enormous. The Englishmen gives the following statement of casualties ascertained by the police to have occurred in the city on the night of the storm :—Men, 19; women, 48 ; children, 12 (total, 109); brick houses destroyed, 101; tiled huts, 2338. Suburbs—Men, 103 ; women, 143; children, 39 (total, 285); brick houses, 62; tiled huts, 1745 ; thatched huts, 25,148. River—Men, 618 ; woman, 1 ; children, 3 (total, 632); ferry steamers sunk, 2; cargo boats sunk, 67; Madras sloops sunk, 15; up-country boats sunk, 366 ; green boats sunk, 4 ; dinghees sunk, 84. Of the up-country boats 159 sunk on the Goosery Sands, and the "remainder along the river from the Baugh Bazaar to Hastings. In addition to the boats above enumerated, eighty-two country boats were sunk in the Circular Canal. The total loss of life reported is—Men, 770 ; women, 192; children, 45 (total, 1016). Up to the time of our going to press, the sum collected for the Cyclone Relief Fund amounted to £s. 9875.