A TERRIFIC GALE IN GREAT BRITAIN.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 41, 15 March 1884, Page 3

A TERRIFIC GALE IN GREAT BRITAIN.

GREAT DAMAGE AND LOSS OF LIFE

A terrific) gale passed over the British Isles on January 26. There is yet much to be learned m respect to it, but onough is already known tojenable it to be said that the gale was one of the severest and most violent which has been experienced for many years. Leaving out of the question for the moment the violence of the wind, it certainly possessed all the essential features which constitute a storm of tho first magnitude. The fall of the barometor was exceptionally rapid, amounting to as much as an inch m six hours at Mullaghmore, m the north of Ireland ; whereas with a fall about one quarter as rapid a gale might be looked for with some certainty. From a meteorological point of view the most interesting feature of the storm is the extremely low pitch of the barometer which was reached at places situated near the centre. No such low reading has ever been previously recorded m the British Islands. At present but little is definitely known of the actual force of wind experienced, but the meagre information yet to hand tends to show that seventy miles an hour was a fair maximum velocity of the wind over England. In all probability this will be greatly exceeded m parts, and especially m the north.

At Deal, signals of distress were seen m all directions from the shipping lying wind-bound m the Downs, numbering between two and three hundred. In response to the signals, the Deal lifeboat Mary Somerville was launched from the beach through a fearful sea, and was the means of rescuing eight sailors from a watery grave. Their vessel had struck on the I Drake Sand, and was m danger of going to pieces when the lifeboat arrived, took the men off, and carried them to Ramsgate. Several luggers attempted to get afloat, but were dashed back by the waves with great damage, andseveralnarrowescapesoccurred. The Walmer lifeboat also rendered valuable assistance to distressed vessels. About 12 p.m. the schooner Alliance, beund to Antwerp, lost her anchors at Dungenees, and

became unmanageable. The captain resolved to beach her, and whilst running for Deal beach he saw the red light of the Walmer boatmen, which they have for a guide. Thinking it was the red light of Deal Pier, he came on, when, m a few minutes after seeing the Walmer light, his vessel dashed through the pier, smashing the great iron pillars like matchwood. Two of the crew sprang on the pier, and the captain, with the remaining two of his crew, were drawn through the water from the vessel by ropes. The vessel is now a complete wreck. An inquest has been held at Hythe on the bodies of seven seamen, which had been washed ashore during the gale. The principal evidence was that of a pilot, named Loesborg, of the Flushing cutter No. 9, lying m Dover Harbour, who identified the unfortunate men as being the crew of the brig Lida, of Amsterdam, from Dantzic for Bordeaux, with timber. I

Terrible shipping disasters have happened at Liverpool, and it is feared that the loss of life will be very great. The vicinity of the Liverpool bar is always a place of much danger during the prevalence of heavy weather, and it was at this spot where the disasters occurred. Reports having been received of vessels m distress outside the port, the New Brighton lifeboat was towed out to sea, followed later by the lifeboat from the Liverpool landingstage. On getting outside it was found that the sea on the bar was breaking with fearful violence, and the tug boats held on to their charges. A large ship was seen to be ashore on what is Known as Taylor's Bank, two miles from the Formby Light Ship. The lifeboats could not approach nearer than about a mile ; had they gone closer, they -would certainly have been capsized. Finding that nothing could save the poor fellows, the lifeboats left, when many of the men who were on deck rushed up the rigging, as if to show that they were still alive and wished the lifeboats to remain. Howover, nothing could be done for them, and the boats returned to their stations. The statements as to the number of men seen varied, one report representing that 25 were seen m the rigging, whilst another puts down the number as five on the foremast and a crowd aft. The name of the vessel could not bo definitely ascertained.

The wire manufactory of Mr William Dainlith, at Halebank, Widnes, was completely demolished by tho gale. It was a large two-storey building, erected near Ditton Ironworks. First a window was blown m, and the roof was carried away. The main building quickly fell, and the machinery, wire-working looms, and unfinished material were destroyed. Fortunately, all the work-people had just left the premises.

In the Isle of Man, trees have been uprooted and houses unroofed all over the island. At Port Erin the breakwater, which cost £70,000, was swept completely away, and all that is left now is the rubble mound m which it was erected ; the blocks, weighing on an average 20 tons, are scattered about m front of it. At high water none of the breakwater is visible. As soon as the breakwater gave way a small landing pier which had been erected inside it was also swept away ; and a lugger, which was lying alongside, was sunk, and now lies under water, covered with concrete blocks. The crew were not on board. The damage at Port Erin is estimated at ninety thousand pounds.

Reports of destruction of property continue to come from all parts of the north of Ireland, which is at present under a thick coating of snow. Accounts from towns m Ireland state that many of the railway and postal telegraph wires have been swept away, and trains much delayed. On the Northern Counties Railway, three miles from Londonderry, a large breach was made m the embankment. For 40 or 60 yards the entire ballast was swept away, and the rails with the sleepers attached sank down to the level of the river. This was discovered just m time to enable an official to display the danger signal, when the mail train was within 200 yards ef the gap. A post-car driver, when driving two commercial travellers to Killarney, was blown into the sea and drowned. In several places the mail cars cannot travel owing to fallen trees, and the bags are conveyed by men on foot. At Roscommon a new schoolhouse was partly blown down. At Mallow, houses are flooded with 4 feet of water, and so suddenly did the water pour m that peoplewere unable to remove their furniture. In some towns the gas lamps have been totally destroyed, and total darkness reigns at night. Several people m the country districts are missing, and it is believed they were swept into lakes and drowned. The shipping disastei's on the Irish coast have been very numerous, and, unhappily, many lives have been lost. Several vessels have been towed into Belfast dismasted.

Numerous reports of disasters continue to arrive from Scotland.