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GREAT HURRICANE.

The hurricane which occurred In England on Christmas Day appears to have occasioned very serions damage in different parts of the couutry. The following art some of the particulars from papers recently received. At Warringtoo a large mill five storeys high, and fourteen bays in length, in the course of erection, was Itvelled to the ground ; the loss is estimated at between £5,000 and £6,000. The East Lancashire Railway Company's platform at Preston was destroyed, and several honses in the coarse of erection in the town of Preston. Such was the force of the haw icant that slates were blown through bed-room windows from off honses on tht opposite sides of wide streets. At Liverpool the loss was chiefly among the shipping which suffered to a great extent. The force of the wind may be judged of when it is stated that the horizontal motion of the air, as indicated by the anemometer, kept at the Liverpool Observatory was, between four and five o'clock in the morning, at the rate of 70 miles per hour. The Globe of Monday also contains the par* ticulars of a terrible hurricane which visited London on Sunday night. It says-:— The most fearful hurricane that has taken place during the present winter burst over the metropolis and surrounding country for many miles round, causing considerable damage *nd much consternation amongst -the inhabitants after the enjoyments of the festivities of Christmas. The hurricane commenced in slow but stern tempests of wind from the SSW., as early as between six and seven o'clock last (Sunday) evening, and before nine o'clock it had increased to a perfect gale, the wind at times veering to WSW., which increased with partial rain until between two and three o'clock, when the gale assumed the form of a perfect hurricane, accompanied with heavy rain, shaking the bouses to the foundation, and causing no inconsiderable terror to the inmates. The neighbourhood of Wandsworth, Claphtm, Brixton, Camberwell, and Wai worth, and, from all accounts, the eastern and western suburbs equally felt the storm. It is stated that considerable damage has been done to the shrubberries, and in many instances large trees have been torn up by the roots, and many accidents occurred from tb« falling of tHes and chimneypots. A good deal of damage was done to a portion of the works of the new crystal palace, at Sydenham :—": — " A large moveable platform had been erected for the purpose of raising the arch of the nave, and stood at the south-west end of th« building, ready for use. The wind acted upon this stage,standing unfastened at so great an elevation from the ground , with such tremendous force that it was blown down among the columns and massive iron girders on the side towards Annerley, bearing a considerable number of them to the ground along with it." A correspondant of the Liverpool Mercury, from the Isle of Man on Saturday, describes the gale during the previous night as the most severe which has occurred since January, 1839, considerable damage having been done to houses, trees uprooted, &c The Times' correspondent, writing from Dublin on Saturday, says : — Last night, or rather early this morning, a storm burst over the metropolis which, for violence and duration, nearly equalled the memorable visitation of 1839. It commenced atbalf-past one o'clock, and lasted, without a moment's cessation, until nearly six. The greatest alarm prevailed, many people remaining up during the night, anticipating that each successive gust would tumble their habitations in ruins. The wind bew nearly due west, and there was bright moonlight during the hurricane. The streets are this morning strewn with slates and rcof tiles ; indeed a more wild or cheerless looking Christmas dey could not be imagined.

The amount of iujury done has not yet been ascertained, but it is feared that the casualties must have been very numerous. From all parts we hear tales of disatter, of trees and cbimnies blown down, and windows and walls stove in. The steeple of Trinity church, Stockton-on-Tees, was blown down, and falling on the roof broke through it, carrying away in its fall the gallery beneath, and smashing the seats in the aisle. The roof on the western side was uncoTered by the hurricane, and the slates scattered around to the distance of a hundred yards. The steeple of Middlesborongh church has also been damaged, part of it being blown down, injuring in its fall the roof, &c. Several house* have been overturned at Hartlepool. At Prestonhall, near Stockton, a fall chimney stack that bad stood for 25 years was blown over, and fell through the roof and floor into the room below, where two children were sleeping. Fortunately they were not hurt. At Egglesclifft several fine trees in the churchyard that had stood for 200 years were blown down. All round the country may be seen hay and corn-stacks overturned and scattered about, houses unroofed, and chimneystacks blown down. At Windsor the largt gasometer of the royal gat company was blown out of the tank ; several large treea in the Great Park and Windsor Forest have been torn up by the roots, and the Long Walk was urewed with boughs and limbs. At Oxford the lodgings of the venerable the president of Magdalen College have suffered considerably — a large stack of chimneys fell from the effect of the wind on the roof, aud through it into the drawing-room, causing much damage to building, furniture, &c. The lofty elm tree nearest the college front was blown down at the same time with a most tremendous crash, but fortunately fell to the left of the splendid gateway recently erected at a very considerable outlay, by the late Mr, Pugin. The top part of the gateway and tht beautiful figure nearest the president's lodgings were much injured by the fall. Two large elm-trees were also thrown down in the grove, and fell on the wall into the road leading to Holy well mills. Five were also completely nprooted in the broad walk of Christ Church Meadow, and two others in the parks. The long-continued rains must have been a material cause of such enormous trees having been blown completely out of the gronnd, roots and f 11. One of the pinnacles of All Souls' collegehall was swept down, and, falling ontha roof of the hall, broke right through it in two places. Some of the fine cedars at the Radclifft observatory have been snapped in twain, and the lead on Merton College chapel hat been partly torn up. From Bristol and other parts the tffects of the hurricane were equally severe. But the accounts of the wreck of shipping and loss of lives on the coast are by far the most fearful, and we are told from Lloyds, "as yet but slight details are come to hand," though even now tht "books" communicate "a frightful list of casualties." The upper portion of the English channel wai the tcene of most terrific weather and of numerous deplorable events. With the violence of a hurricane the wind commenced blowing from the south-west, driving all outwardbound ships back aud producing an incalculable amount of mischief. Blowing as it did, this part of the coast and th« vicinity of the Downs were exposed to the uninterrupted force of the tempest. Vessels were driven from their anchors, and lost masts and tails, besides sustaining much other damage ; while tome wire overpowered by the violence of the storm, and foundered with every soul on board. At Nottingham the circular roof of the arboreum was blown off, and the tall chimney of Mr. Barton's factory at New Basford blown down, crushing in the roof and destroying the machinery. At Doncaster considerable damagt has been done at the guildhall. In Manchester, not a street hat escaped, and in one row of new houses half a dozen are nearly levelled with the ground. Two pinnacles of the tower of St. Paul's church, at Kersal Moor, were also blown down.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZSCSG18530521.2.15

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 814, 21 May 1853, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,332

GREAT HURRICANE. New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 814, 21 May 1853, Page 4

GREAT HURRICANE. New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 814, 21 May 1853, Page 4

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