Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 December 1897 — DEALS DEATH AND RUIN. [ARTICLE]

DEALS DEATH AND RUIN.

Furious Hurricane Lashes the Island* of Great Britain. . It is believed that thirty -Vessels, large and small, and 100 lives have been lost in the hurricane that for twenty-four hours lashed the British Isles. The damage to other property is extremely heavy, especially at the watering places, where the invasion of the howling waters has swept walks, gardens and parades and carried off fencing and small cottages. The Government loses heavily at the Woolwich arsenal and the Sherncss dockyard, ) The loss in Government stores will reach thousands of pounds. In London, the squalid region below London bridge was submerged;-and hum dreds of houses and cellars have been rendered uninhabitable. The marine disasters will be keenly felt by the insurance companies, which already are serious sufferers by the recent big fire. The storm was one of the severest in recent years. All the const towns suffered heavily. Falling walls and flying debris added to the loss of life. Vessels were reported ashore on every part of the coast, and many ships are known to have foundered, with the probable loss of all hands. At Lowestoft, Yarmouth and elsewhere the sea has flooded the quays and neighborhoods, washing away the esplanades and doing other serious damage. The sea wall at Scarborough was washed away, and the passenger and mail services across the channel had to be suspended. At Liverpool the squalls blew off the roofs of several houses, threw down chimneys and tore up trees. The Mersey flooded its banks on the Chester side and deluged the shore district for miles. Similar disasters occurred at HoljiJieud, where a number of valuable yachts were sunk at their moorings. Scarcely a vestige remains in sight of the wreck of Lord Nelson’s old flag ship, the Foudroyant, long fast in the sands off Blackpool. The scenes at such popular resorts as Yarmouth and Margate were of great grandeur, but the damage done was enormous.