IN TOWN AND COUNTRY.
ASHBURTON.--Enormous drifts fell at Ashburton during the blizzard,
and most of the roads were completely blocked. At Holne Turn, half a
mile from the town, there was an enormous drift a quarter of a mile in
extent, and varying in height from eight to twenty feet. Railway and
postal arrangements were pretty well adjusted by the end of the week,
and business began to proceed as usual. There were some serious losses
of stock by farmers in the neighbourhood, and apple-orchards were
greatly injured. Masses of snow lodged in the branches of the trees,
and broke them down, many of the younger trees having every branch
broken off close to the stump. In sheltered valleys the drifts of snow
were so great that scarcely a tree escaped injury. Bakers who supplied
country residents were unable to go out to them with their supplies.
BARNSTAPLE.--The chief town of North Devon had a very harsh experience.
Traffic was for some time suspended, but the inconvenience in this
respect was not nearly so great as in the south of Devon and in
Cornwall. In the districts around Barnstaple there were very heavy
losses of sheep and lambs. Farmers near Morthoe were particularly
unfortunate, nearly two hundred sheep and lambs belonging to them
having perished. Through roads and railways being blocked the markets
were greatly interfered with, and this, besides cutting off from many
of the country people their weekly supplies, was a great loss to the
tradespeople of the town.
BIDEFORD, which has already been referred to, did not suffer so
severely as many other North Devon towns. Railway communication with
Ilfracombe was entirely suspended throughout Tuesday, the 10th, but
as the weather moderated the line was cleared without any very great
amount of inconvenience having been experienced.
BODMIN.--In this important western town there was an almost entire
cessation of traffic from Monday afternoon until the closing days of
the week. The telegraphic and train services were suspended, causing
the usual amount of loss and distress. Business on the Tuesday was
entirely suspended, snow falling heavily all day, and a large quantity
of snow in the street stopped all vehicular traffic. The drifts were so
high that residents who had driven from the town on Monday could not
return, and great anxiety was naturally felt for their safety. It was
found on the following day, however, that in all cases, the travellers
were safe. Not infrequently they had been obliged to take the horses
out of their vehicles, leave traps or carriages in the roads--often
under the snow--and seek shelter in the nearest farm-house. There were
very serious losses of sheep in this district. Among others, losses
of this description were sustained by Mr. Rowse, of Llancarpe, Mr.
Glanville, of Pen Bugle, and Mr. G. Spear, of Bodmin. Many sheep were
rescued, but only after great difficulty. On Thursday night there was
again a heavy snowstorm, accompanied by a gale of wind, but it was
neither so severe nor of such long duration as the blizzard of Monday
and Tuesday.
BRENT.--This moorland town has grown famous through the snowing up at
its gates of the "Zulu" express, from London, on the memorable Monday
night. Snow fell there from Monday afternoon to Wednesday morning. A
snow-plough with three engines arrived from Newton Abbott on Thursday
morning, but for some time it was not very effective, the snow being
so high on either side of the line that as soon as the way was fairly
clear the banks in the rear of the plough toppled over, and the line
was once more blocked. The depth of the snow in the town was so great
as to be frequently above the windows and doors of the houses. A road
cutting scene was photographed at the time by Mr. Rowe, of Devonport,
to whom we are indebted for the view. The loss of cattle here was very
great, nearly every farmer having suffered. A large number of cattle,
sheep and ponies in the possession of residents of the neighbourhood
grazed upon the adjacent moor, and many of the former, at all events,
perished. Mr. Linerdon, of Yelland, lost cattle to the value of over
£100; Mr. Pinney, of Diptfort, dug out 100 sheep from the snow; while
Mr. Heath, of Brent Mills, Mr. Vooght, of Lutton, and Mr. S. Northmore
were heavy losers. Mr. Luscombe, of Hall, Harford, had on the moor
600 Scotch cattle and 1,200 sheep, a large proportion of which he
has not yet recovered. Mr. J. Smerdon, of Brent, and Mr. Hurrell,
of Bradridge, lost sheep; and Miss Maunder, Mr. B. Hingston, and Mr.
J. Hard lost ponies. Until Saturday the residents of Binnicknowle,
a village about two miles from Brent, and largely dependent upon it
for supplies of food, were unable to obtain provisions. On that day,
however, a party of labourers succeeded in cutting a footway and thus
communication was opened up.
[Illustration: CUTTING A ROAD AT BRENT.]
BRIXHAM.--This historic fishing town, which has before now witnessed
some dreadful instances of the disaster to life and property that
furious gales with blinding snowstorms can bring about, was not on the
occasion of the blizzard of 1891 allowed to pass off very lightly.
There was no loss of life, but some rather serious injuries happened
to the trawlers at their moorings. At daylight on Tuesday it was seen
that many of these had fouled each other, by dragging their anchors.
In the inner harbour most of the craft had broken adrift, running
against the quays and other places, and doing themselves all kinds of
damage. One trawler, named the _Alice_, which broke adrift at high
tide, was carried up to the head of the harbour with her bowsprit eight
feet in over the Strand, close alongside the Prince of Orange statue.
About 200 feet of the breakwater was washed away, and its pedestal was
lost. Timber in large quantities was washed away from the yards of the
principal shipbuilders, and in addition to the wreck of the French
brig, and others before mentioned, a boat was driven on the rocks at
Fishcombe, and the Seamen's Orphan Home lifeboat went ashore, and was
badly knocked about. In the town many houses were unroofed, and slates
flew about, serious damage being also done to a wall and embankment in
Higher Street. Large quantities of glass-roofing were smashed in, and a
good deal of glass was destroyed at Newmarket Hall. Many farmers lost
sheep and lambs in the snow-drifts.
BUDE.--The outside world and Bude were not so thoroughly estranged
during the days succeeding the storm as was the case in some other
instances, telegraphic communication remaining unbroken. All the other
inconveniences of the blizzard--absence of mails, presence of immense
drifts of snow, and similar discomforts--were freely experienced. There
was an anxious time among the shipping interest in the port, many of
the coasting vessels being at sea at the time the hurricane was raging.
These vessels did not all escape without calamity, but, on the whole,
the damage wrought to the shipping of Bude was not great.
CALSTOCK.--The mining town of Calstock received some rough treatment
during the Monday and Tuesday of the storm, and damage was here and
there done to house property, but as far as the town was concerned it
may be safely said to have escaped marvellously well. Bearing in mind
its exposed position on the river bank, and the many tall chimneys
that rear their heads from the hillside, it is singular that no smash
of any magnitude has to be recorded. This is all the more remarkable
when the tremendous destruction that occurred in the district, and even
close to the town, is considered. On the opposite side of the river,
the tracks leading through the woods to Buralston Station were rendered
nearly impassable by the number of trees that fell, and the whole wood
through which the path runs was a complete wreck. Mr. James, at the
Passage Inn, from which the ferry leaves to cross to Calstock, was
very unfortunate, his loss being a severe one. In addition to great
damage to his rose-trees, for which his house has for many years been
famous, the well-known blossom-covered wicker bower, standing to the
left of the house, was blown bodily away into the orchard, and almost
simultaneously his cherry and apple trees began to fall. Of these he
lost fifty-six.
One curious incident happened at the grounds of Mr. James, in the
apparently narrow escape of a couple of geese. The geese were sitting
behind a barn, with twenty-two eggs under them. During the storm of
Monday, the barn having been badly knocked about, and the whole
orchard in a state of wreck, the fate of the geese was not held in
much doubt, and the depth of the snow in the place making salvage
operations very difficult, their place of concealment was not reached
until Thursday after the storm. The snow being cleared from the back
of the barn, however, the geese were found still sitting in the same
position as that in which they had last been seen. With the exception
that they had evidently worked their heads about, keeping the cavities
large enough to give them breathing room, it was quite clear that they
had not attempted to move. Warm food and hay were at once given to
them, and they were made as comfortable as possible, and in due course,
eleven goslings were hatched from the twenty-two eggs upon which the
parent geese had sat through such a trying time. The young geese are
now as sturdy as could be desired, and Mr. James is naturally very
proud of them for having seen the light in spite of such difficulties.
The mother geese will also, in all probability, be preserved as
curiosities for some time to come.
On the other side of the river a shed belonging to Mr. Goss's
shipbuilding yards was blown down, and cattle-sheds were unroofed and
carried great distances by the force of the gale. At Danescombe Bottom,
at the foot of Kelly Rock, an iron schooner, the _Naïad_, 250 tons,
owned by Captain Samuels of Calstock, was blown over on her beam ends.
The river banks, against which the masts of the vessel struck, only
prevented her being turned completely over. After considerable labour
she was righted, but was found to have sustained some damage. At the
Rumleigh Brick-works, and at the yards of Mr. Roskelly, builder, of
Albaston, much injury was occasioned. The mineral and goods line, the
property of the East Cornwall Mineral Railway Company, running from
Calstock to Kelly Bray, near Callington was blocked with a drift of
snow some eight feet deep, and work was stopped for two days. At the
end of that time it was cleared by a gang of the company's own men
acting under the direction of Captain W. Sowden. On the same property
about fifty yards of fencing were completely levelled. Honeycomb House,
about two miles from Calstock, was damaged to the extent of about £100;
Mr. Gill, of Tray Hill, lost over 100 apple trees, and Mr. German 250
fruit trees. The heaviest damage to trees was at Cotehele Woods, the
property of the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, and overlooking Calstock, which
would appear to have received the full fury of the blast. The terrible
night passed here, and the extent of the destruction to timber, will be
found dealt with at length in the chapter on Parks and Forests.
CAMBORNE.--The change at Camborne would appear to have been an
unusually startling one, since a few days before Monday, butterflies
were to be seen flying about. Snow commenced to fall in the district
at two o'clock on Monday afternoon, and this soon developed into the
blizzard. The storm is described as the greatest and the most severe
known by the oldest residents in the parish. The telegraph wires were
blown down, and, lying across the streets, threw several horses down.
The houses were so covered with snow as to be almost unrecognizable,
and in many places the drifts were over six feet deep. Ornamental,
and other trees in the town were completely spoiled, and traffic was
suspended. Anxiety was at one time felt in the town for the safety of
four young girls, dressmakers, of Beacon village, who left the town
on the Monday evening, but it was afterwards learned that they were
all in safety. In Burse-road and Pendarmes-road the shrubs and trees
were broken down, and lay overhanging and obstructing the footpaths.
Passages had to be cut to get to the houses, half as high as the houses
themselves. A 'bus running between Camborne and Truro was snowed up
near Pool, and left in the road; and near it was an abandoned organ,
the peripatetic performer on which had been unable to bear it with him
to a place of safety.
At a village about a mile and a half from Camborne drifts of snow were
observed thirty feet deep. In the town the Board schools were closed
for the week. All communication with surrounding towns was, as a matter
of course, cut off for several days. At Beacon and Troon, adjoining
villages, people were taken from their bedroom windows by means of
ladders; and in one case, at a funeral, the coffin had to be slid down
over a snowdrift. At Breage a woman was found dead in the snow. Farmers
were busy in every direction rescuing their cattle and sheep from the
exposed positions, but the losses in the neighbourhood were very great,
hundreds of sheep being buried. Among others who suffered in this way
were Mr. Carter, of Troon, who lost nearly twenty sheep and lambs; Mr.
Hickens, of Tregear; Mr. Glasson, of Crowan; Mr. Josiah Thomas, of
Roskear, Tuckingmill; and Mr. P. Thomas, of Camborne. Several donkies
and ponies in the district perished. The little villages of Penponds,
Kehelland, and Pengegon, presented a wretched appearance, and at
Penponds especially it was impossible to distinguish any hedges. Mr. E.
Rogers, who had undertaken to carry out some funeral arrangements at
this village, was obliged to take the coffin over hedges and ditches
in order to get it to the house. At Pengegon, where the water-supply
is solely obtained from wells and springs, it was found necessary to
use melted snow for domestic purposes. The old thatched farmhouse of
Pengegon, on the Wednesday, when the sun shone, presented a strikingly
beautiful appearance, and was a prominent feature of the landscape.
The village of Treslothan also shared the effect of the storm. Trees
were damaged and blown down in large numbers, and even as late as
Good Friday snow nearly a foot deep lay on some of the paths. A large
amount of damage was also done to trees and shrubs at Reskadirmick,
the abode of Captain W. C. Vivian, the beautiful carriage drive to
the house being terribly disfigured. At the factories and mines
business operations were, for some time, entirely suspended, and it is
calculated that during the week quite a thousand persons of both sexes
were enforcedly idle. Work might have gone on at the factories, but
in many cases the operatives were unable to leave their homes. At the
mines there was great anxiety, it being feared that the engines would
stop for want of coals. Passages were, however, in time cut through,
and not more than two or three engines actually ceased working.
Cuttings were made from the railway station to South Condurrow and
Wheal Grenville mines, a distance of more than a mile. So urgent was
the need for coal at West Seaton mine on Saturday, the 14th, that forty
miners were sent to help the labourers from Portreath to make a road
from the railway to the mine. The Wheal Grenville and Newton mines
were stopped for want of coal for some days. At Dolcoath, however,
considerable difficulty was experienced on the floors in getting a
sufficient supply of water to work the stamps, owing to the leats
being blocked. At the fire stamps, in particular, both engines for a
time ceased work, and operations were not again renewed until late on
Tuesday afternoon. The openworks suffered considerably, as it took
nearly the whole of the week to clear away the snow from the frames
and huddles. The miners themselves were greatly inconvenienced owing
to some of their homes being situated at a distance from the mines,
and their being unable to get to their work; while many who had been
working underground during the afternoon, found, on coming to the
surface, that they could not reach their residences. At Crowan, the Rev.
H. Molesworth St. Aubyn, organized and worked hard with a body of men
to help in opening up communication with Camborne.
CAMELFORD.--At this place experience, for almost the entire week, was
very bitter. The residents were absolutely shut in from Monday to
Friday. The last sign of the outer world was when the North Cornwall
Coach, notwithstanding the snow already accumulated on the moors,
passed through on its way from Launceston to Wadebridge. The market
on Thursday was a dead failure, no live stock being obtainable, and
carcases very scarce. There were many narrow escapes met with, but no
actual loss of life occurred. As the week passed away provisions became
very scarce, and there was a growing alarm. On Friday, however, four
persons on horseback, unrecognizable from the quantity of snow that
covered them, entered the town in single file. The party consisted of
Mr. George Martyn, late of Trewen, Manager of the North Cornwall Coach
Company, Mr. Hicks, one of the clerks at Wadebridge, and the coachman
and guard of the coach which had gone through on Monday. The party,
who brought with them a very welcome copy of the _Western Morning
News_, held an interview with Mr. Evelyn, the Town Clerk of Camelford,
and subsequently, under the direction of the road-surveyor, a body of
men was organized to cut through the three miles of snow-covered road
between Camelford and Wadebridge, for the purpose of opening up a means
of obtaining provisions from the latter place. This was ultimately
accomplished, and by Tuesday, March 17th, the North Cornwall Coach was
once more able to run to Launceston, and the Mail, from Camelford to
Boscastle, also ran. Hundreds of sheep were lost, the drifts of snow
being so high that much time was lost in getting at those that were
buried beneath, and they were taken out dead in large numbers. Mr.
Pethick, Mr. Inch, Mr. Lobb, and Mr. Greenwood, in addition to many
farmers, suffered severely in this respect.
CARGREEN.--At this riverside village, situated on the banks of the
Tamar, the gale of Monday and Tuesday caused great havoc among the
fruit-trees. Mr. E. Elliott, of Landulph, lost about three hundred
apple-trees, many of which had been planted by himself thirty years
before.
DARTMOUTH.--At Dartmouth the storm was severe, and all telegraphic
communication was cut off during the week of the gale, but by the
following Sunday a staff of telegraphic engineers had restored
communication with Exeter by a single wire, and also with Brixham. On
one night during the week a wall gave way at the Castle churchyard and
fell on to the rocks beneath, carrying with it several tombstones, and
disturbing the coffins in the graves. At the market on Friday morning
buyers arrived in the town by train, from all parts, for the purpose
of buying provisions, but their journey was fruitless, as the farmers
had not been able to get into the town, the roads being impassable for
vehicles. Railway traffic was only partially suspended, but the first
through communication to Kingsbridge was not effected until Monday the
16th, when Mr. Sanders, driver of the Dartmouth coach, managed, with
the assistance of Mr. Cross, of Strete, Mr. Watson, of Chillington, and
a number of volunteers, to get a conveyance through from Dartmouth.
They had to cut their way through about two miles of snowdrifts, which
in many places, were upwards of six feet deep. When Mr. Sanders and his
party got to Frogmore they invited the co-operation of the villagers,
offering money and beer for help. This, however, was declined, but
the party arrived in Kingsbridge shortly before three o'clock, about
two hours later than the usual time of the arrival of the Dartmouth
coach. Messrs. Cross and Watson rendered admirable service. The only
papers delivered between Dartmouth and Kingsbridge since Monday the
9th, were the copies of the _Western Morning News_ and _Western Daily
Mercury_ distributed by Sanders along the line of route on Thursday
and Saturday. Among other damage enormous destruction was done to the
plantation at Blackpool, almost the whole of the young trees being
spoiled.
DAWLISH.--During the progress of the storm at Dawlish on Tuesday,
the Ladies' Bathing Pavilion, which stood on the beach in front of
the Marine Parade, was carried away by the sea, and almost entirely
destroyed. The pavilion was erected by a limited liability company in
1880, and the annual income accruing from it had reached between £70
and £80. The fishermen and others of this attractive watering-place
sustained great losses by the destruction of fishing and pleasure
boats. At the Coastguard Station the boathouse was partially unroofed,
and large blocks of granite were hurled a great distance. As on
Plymouth Hoe, the iron seats on the sea-wall were rolled over and
broken. Houses in various parts of the town lost chimney-tops and
slates, and some large trees, standing in the grounds of the Manor
House, were stripped of their branches. At Dawlish Water, a cow,
belonging to Mr. Dufty, was killed by a falling tree. Discomfort was
experienced by the few passengers who travelled from Exeter to Dawlish
on the night of Tuesday, by the train which should have reached the
latter town by about eight o'clock. On reaching the boathouse, near
Powderham Castle, a block in the shape of a snow-drift was encountered,
and the passengers made for a hut which was found not far off, and
a fire being got alight, they remained there until five o'clock on
Wednesday morning, when a relief engine and snow-plough, with a
carriage, arriving, they were conveyed to their destination.
ERMINGTON.--Roads everywhere here were completely blocked for a week,
and neither supplies of provisions, letters, nor newspapers were
received. The farmers were great sufferers, scores of sheep having
been buried in the snow, which in some places was fifteen feet deep.
The work of digging out the sheep commenced during the bright weather
of Wednesday, when many ewes were found to be dead, the lambs, in some
cases, being found alive by the side of the dead mothers. Instances
were met with as late as Saturday where sheep got out of the snow fresh
and vigorous, after having been buried since the Monday. At Kingston,
near Ermington, nearly thirty sheep belonging to one farm were blown
into the sea, and from Ringmore, another village in the same district,
350 sheep were lost.
EXETER.--In addition to the interference with railway traffic, and the
collapse of telegraphic communication between the capital of the county
and the other portions of Devon and of Cornwall that has been already
briefly described, great inconveniences were experienced in the city
and all the surrounding villages through the violence of the wind and
the depth of the drifts of snow. Several accidents to house property,
in the way of falling chimneys and walls, occurred, but nothing of
a particularly serious nature was heard of. Business was partially
suspended, and the streets were almost entirely deserted. Great
interest was felt in connection with the railway blocks further west,
and various exciting rumours were circulated from time to time, many
of them being, fortunately, without foundation.
EXMOUTH.--In the outlying districts in the neighbourhood of Exmouth,
a peculiarity in connection with the late blizzard that also struck
observers in many other parts of Devon and Cornwall, was very
noticeable. This singularity was that localities, commonly regarded
as the most sheltered, suffered most severely. In such situations the
drifts became impassable, and the cottagers were without fresh supplies
of provisions until footways were cleared across fields. The narrow
lanes were filled with snow. Near the Littleham Church the drift was
so deep, that a tunnel was made sufficiently wide and high for carts
to pass through. At one part of the road leading from Lympstone to
Withycombe, a lane had to be cut for a considerable distance, the drift
being five or six feet deep. By the end of the week the Exmouth streets
were all clear, and business was going on much as usual.
FALMOUTH.--Some of the disastrous effects of the blizzard at this
sea-port have already been recounted, but Falmouth was unfortunate
in other respects, besides being the scene of so many wrecks with
attendant loss of life. The weather has been described by residents
as the heaviest experienced in the district since 1853. Scarcely a
house exposed to the gale escaped injury, and in many cases property
suffered severely. Were there space to record them, innumerable
instances could be given of roofs being blown off, chimneys having
fallen, and marvellous escapes of residents having occurred during
these accidents. At the well-known "Curiosity Shop" of Mr. Burton, a
slate from some opposite premises went through a large window, and
two vases within, valued at £85, narrowly escaped destruction. The
back premises of Mr. Webber, jeweller, which overlooked the harbour,
were completely washed away, and all the fowls in the fowl-house were
drowned. In the rope-walk several fine Cornish elms were uprooted, one
of them cutting through a neighbouring roof. Telegraph wires also were
broken by the falling timber, and many huge limbs of trees were blown
down outside Grove Hill. Between Monday night and noon on Wednesday
no train arrived at or left Falmouth, and telegraphic communication
being cut off the inhabitants knew nothing of what was transpiring in
other parts. It was not until the Saturday evening that telegraphic
communication was re-established with Truro, and two hours later a wire
was got through to London. Messrs. Fox & Co., shipping agents, having
urgent telegrams to send to London, despatched them via France and
Spain. The London morning papers despatched on Tuesday reached Falmouth
on Saturday night, by which time postal affairs were commencing to be
put in order. All along the quays the damage to small craft of every
kind was immense, and the shore was strewn with wreckage and crowded
with damaged boats. At one spot on the market-strand, between the
King's Arms and the establishment of Mr. Grose, a big sail boat was
driven ashore, followed by a coal hulk belonging to Messrs. Vivian &
Sons, the latter knocking down a wall. The S.S. _Carbon_, belonging
to the Falmouth Coal Company, sank at her moorings in the harbour,
and the Harbour Board's steamer, _Armenack_, had a narrow escape of
being wrecked. About a dozen well-known residents had trawlers,
sailing-boats, and punts damaged or totally wrecked, but these form
only a small proportion of the losses by the gale. Among the fishermen
distress was great, and, as already stated on another page, a fund for
their relief was inaugurated without loss of time.
FOWEY.--At this sea-port very severe weather was experienced. The whole
country round was covered with snow, and communication by telegraph,
except to Lostwithiel and St. Austell, was impossible. Fowey does not
appear to have experienced much of the effects of the gale on Monday
night and Tuesday, but a strong wind with snow showers, visited the
town on the following Thursday. There were no casualties, and no great
loss of sheep, as, though many were buried in the snow, nearly all were
recovered.
GRAMPOUND ROAD.--Here snow commenced falling at about noon on Monday,
and continued with only a few minutes' cessation for twenty-four hours.
The blizzard nature of the storm was most severely felt, and among
other distressing events hundreds of sheep were lost. All telegraphic
communication was completely stopped. The last up-train from Penzance,
due at Grampound Road at about twenty minutes past eight in the
evening, was blocked by the snow a quarter of a mile west of the
station. The passengers were got out, and, under the guidance of some
of the villagers, made their way across the fields, and took shelter
in the hotels. Strenuous efforts were made to extricate the train,
but it was not until half-past four on the following morning that the
difficult task was accomplished, and that the passengers were enabled
to proceed on their journey. The loss of sheep in this district was
very great.
GUNNISLAKE.--Throughout the whole of Monday night the blizzard raged in
Gunnislake, and only slightly abated its force on Tuesday. Havoc was
spread on every hand, and in one case a very serious accident, that
narrowly escaped fatal consequences, occurred. This was at the house of
Mr. Bowhay, surgeon, where a neighbouring chimney crashed through the
roof and fell into the kitchen. Two servants and an infant child were
in the kitchen at the time, and one of the former was knocked to the
floor, and on being extricated was found to have had her leg broken.
The other servant girl and Mr. Bowhay's child received cuts. On the
opposite side of the road a chimney fell upon a house named East View,
crushing in the end roof of a house in which, soon after, and in a room
immediately below that into which the rubbish fell, a child was born.
Large trees, over fifty years' old, were rooted up and thrown across
the main thoroughfares. At Drakewell's Mine serious damage was done to
the roofs, and at Heath Cottage, adjoining the mine, nine tall Scotch
firs, which stood within fifteen feet of each other, were rooted up,
and left lying in all directions.
HELSTON.--At Helston, every road leading to other towns was blocked
up. No newspaper arrived, nor were any mails sent off until Saturday.
Telegraph wires and poles, and innumerable trees were blown down, the
plantations in the district suffering severely.
HEMERDON.--No less than six engines were snowed up on Monday night
in the neighbourhood of Hemerdon, many of them containing parties
despatched from Plymouth by the Great Western Railway to the relief
of the train that left Millbay Station at 6·50 on Monday night, and
was snowed up on a bridge some distance beyond the Ivybridge Viaduct.
In two cases timely rescues of drivers were effected by Mr. Harold S.
Williams, of Torridge, the story of which will be found related in a
subsequent chapter. One very sad fatality occurred to the wife of a
miner, named Ann Farley. She left Plympton on Monday afternoon to visit
her father at Hemerdon village, and setting out for her home in the
evening would appear to have lost her way, as her body was found on
Thursday evening in a field at Lobb Farm, in about three feet of snow.
HONITON.--In a path field leading from Offwell to Land Wood, in
the Honiton district, on the Sunday morning following the Monday
and Tuesday of the blizzard, the body of a man named Bidgood was
discovered. It transpired at an inquest subsequently held that the man
was a labourer, who had left work at Gittisham Hill on Tuesday evening
to proceed to his home at Offwell. After calling at the New Inn,
Honiton Hill, he was not again seen alive. The body was found, lying
flat upon its face, by Mr. F. J. Harford, who was looking for some
sheep. In many places near Honiton the snow drifts reached to a height
of twenty feet, and it was almost impossible to find the main road.
Sheep were buried in the snow in many parts of the district, and large
trees were rooted up and thrown across the road.
ILFRACOMBE.--At Ilfracombe, during Monday night, a strong gale raged,
and the brigantine _Ethel_, of Salcombe, went ashore at Combemartin
early on Tuesday morning, and became a total wreck, but the crew
were all saved. The schooner _Pride of the West_, of Padstow, had
her bowsprit carried away, under Hillsborough, and was towed into
Ilfracombe harbour. Considerable damage was done to property, and
business for a day or two was suspended. Five large trees were blown
down in the churchyard. The last train from Barnstaple to Ilfracombe on
Monday night was brought to a standstill in the Burrow cutting, where
the snow had reached a great height. The passengers were got safely
out, and proceeded to the Fortescue Hotel at Morthoe.
IVYBRIDGE.--A full share of destruction of every kind was experienced
at Ivybridge during the storm. Trees fell in all directions, a large
one breaking in the roof of the newly constructed Navvy Mission
Room. The Navvy Missioner, Mr. MacLean, was in the room at the time,
and had a very narrow escape. Over a dozen trees fell between the
station and the village, most of them being uprooted. For some time
provisions in the town showed serious signs of running short, but
by a laudable system of mutual accommodation between the residents
and tradespeople any actual privation was averted. Several of the
passengers by the 6·50 P.M. snowed-up train from Plymouth on Monday
night, and the down night train due at Plymouth about 8 P.M. on Monday
night, also blocked at Ivybridge Station, were located in the village,
but some of the passengers, as late as Thursday evening, were still in
search of lodgings. The railway guards and drivers were also in dire
straits, and Mr. Bohn (the proprietor of the London Hotel), promptly
and generously came to the rescue with free dinners to the railway
servants. Many hundreds of people visited the scene of the principal
block at Langham Bridge, where the unfortunate train from Plymouth on
Monday night became embedded in a deep snow-drift.
KINGSBRIDGE.--This neighbourhood underwent some wretched experiences,
not only during the blizzard of Monday and Tuesday, but for fully a
fortnight subsequent to the storm. The roads leading to surrounding
towns were in a terrible condition through the fall of snow that
appears to have exceeded here the fall in any other part of Devon, and
the losses of farm-stock were very great. The first episode occurred
at seven o'clock on Monday evening, when the mail-cart for Totnes was
snowed up after having proceeded a mile out of Kingsbridge, and the
driver was compelled to return with his pair of horses, leaving the
van in the road. The mail-bags were brought back to the town on the
following morning. In another case, Mr. Waymouth, of Woolston, four
miles from Kingsbridge, started from the latter place in his carriage
for home on the same evening, but was stopped by a fallen tree, and
he and his coachman were compelled to take shelter at Coombe Royal,
and to remain there until the following Thursday. There were the usual
instances of damage to house property, and there was also tremendous
destruction to trees, and to the shrubberies of the various residences
in the vicinity of the town. All communication was cut off from outside
by the destruction of telegraph wires and posts. The telegraph wires
have been described as presenting a very singular appearance, the
coating of hardened snow in many instances extending to a thickness
as great as six inches in diameter. No communication with any other
town was received or sent for four whole days, and the post-office was
closed for three days, as no mails could be received or despatched.
Several commercial travellers who got into the town on Monday were
compelled to remain till Friday, when they escaped from confinement by
going to Plymouth by steamer. The hardships endured in neighbouring
villages for a week were severe, some of the villagers having been
without coals, and, the bakers having run out of flour, bread in
sufficient quantities could not be obtained. There was considerable
injury to some of the crops, and almost every farmer lost sheep in the
snow. Mr. Hooppell, of Bigbury, lost between three and four hundred,
the greater number of which were probably blown into the sea. Mr. J.
Langworthy, of East Allington, lost about seventy sheep and lambs,
computed to be worth £300. Mr. S. Square, of Thurlestone, also lost
over 100 valuable sheep and lambs. One gentleman had the task imposed
upon him of endeavouring to keep alive forty young lambs which had lost
their mothers.
Great havoc was wrought in the grounds of Coombe Royal, the American
garden being laid almost bare. In the vicarage grounds many of the
trees and shrubs were blown down. Improvised sledges were used during
the second week by residents as well as the local carriers, these
being, indeed, the only vehicles that could be used with any safety.
[Illustration: ST. CLEER ROAD, LISKEARD.]
LAUNCESTON.--Considerable inconvenience was experienced in Launceston
throughout the week of storm, but scarcely anything more serious. From
Tuesday to Thursday there was a complete cessation of intercourse
with other parts of the country, no mails being despatched, or papers
or news of any kind being received, and no telegraphic service was
available throughout the week. Some damage was inflicted by the wind
to both glass and trees, and the roofs of houses were more or less
damaged, but altogether Launceston was much more fortunate than the
majority of west-country towns.
[Illustration: COLDSTILE LANE, LISKEARD.]
LISKEARD.--The greatest discomforts experienced at Liskeard were those
brought about by the impassable condition of the roads, and by the
blocking of the leat on Bulland Down, which supplies the town with
water. The reservoirs on St. Cleer Downs were nearly empty on Wednesday
morning, when Mr. Sampson, the inspector of the water, visited it, and
found that an immense snow-drift was blocking it on the north side of
the down. For nearly twelve hours a gang of men dug at the drift, and
succeeded in freeing the leat and saving the town from a water famine.
The leat was on a very exposed part of the down, and the height of the
snow-drifts in the locality may be judged from the view we give of one
of these. The illustration is from a photograph kindly supplied by Mr.
A. W. Venning, solicitor, of Liskeard. A horse and cart had been dug
out from this drift just before the photograph was taken. The town was
completely isolated for several days, and the distress among the poorer
inhabitants was very great. Everything possible was done to mitigate
the temporary distress, relief committees being formed under the active
superintendence of the Mayor of Liskeard--Mr. T. Lang. On Friday, after
Thursday's snowfall, the rural postmen could not go their rounds, the
height of snow in the roads being so great. Our view of Coldstile Lane,
near Liskeard (also from a photograph contributed by Mr. Venning),
which was impassable for days, reveals in a forcible manner the state
of this part of Cornwall. Here, as elsewhere, hundreds of sheep were
buried in the snow.
LYME REGIS.--One of the heaviest snowstorms that ever visited the
south of Dorset was experienced at Lyme Regis on Tuesday, March 10th.
The town lies six miles from the nearest railway station, and the
only communication is by two well-appointed three-horse 'busses. On
Tuesday the 'bus, with an extra horse, left the town at nine in the
morning, carrying the mails. The conveyance, with great difficulty,
reached the high hill known as Hunter's Lodge, where, notwithstanding
all efforts, it was found impossible to proceed further. The one lady
passenger walked to the hotel at Hunter's Lodge, while the driver, Mr.
Blake, rode back to Lyme Regis and obtained assistance. By the time
the luggage and mails had been transferred to a light waggonette the
'bus, except for the roof, was invisible, and the roof was only kept
clear by the strong wind blowing at the time. Later on the same night,
the driver of the mail cart from Illminster to Lyme started to do the
journey on horseback, driving being out of the question. On about the
same spot as the 'bus had been buried, the driver lost his horse, and
accomplished the rest of the journey on foot, arriving at Lyme at one
o'clock on Wednesday morning. Both horse and 'bus were eventually
recovered, and the mail carts resumed running on March 17th.
MEVAGISSEY.--The gale of Monday and Tuesday raged with great fury at
Mevagissey, blowing from E.S.E., accompanied by blinding snow. On
Tuesday morning the parapet of the new breakwater on the southern side
of the harbour was found to have been washed off for a distance of two
hundred feet, and the sea was rushing through the gap. By the end of
the week the breakwater was in three parts, and it was feared that the
whole structure would have to be taken down. The damage was estimated
at over £10,000. The fishermen suffered greatly through the loss of
herring and pilchard nets, which were shot at anchor in the bay, and
swept away by the gale.
MODBURY.--The blizzard was very destructive in the Modbury district,
and the town was completely isolated from the Monday to the Saturday.
On Monday evening several farmers who had attended the market and left
for their homes, were driven back, and had to remain in Modbury several
days. The loss of sheep in the neighbourhood was unusually large, it
being estimated that within the postal district of Modbury nearly one
thousand sheep were lost, besides several head of cattle. Some of the
snow-drifts were immense, and one labourer had his house completely
covered. A boy, who had been sent on Monday to deliver bread at some
neighbouring villages, was discovered in the evening sitting in the
trap almost insensible from cold, while the trap was nearly buried in
the snow. The horse was released, and the boy taken to the nearest
house, where he soon recovered.
NEWQUAY.--At Newquay there was a great fall of snow, and many sheep
were buried. Mr. T. Cardell lost over 100, and other farmers as many as
forty each. A man named Ambrose Matthews, a hawker of wild flowers, was
found dead under three feet of snow in a field near Tower Lane, where
he was probably trying to crawl into a shed for shelter. He was last
seen selling flowers in the town at half-past eight on Monday night.
NEWTON ABBOTT.--The greater part of the railway traffic at Newton
Abbott was suspended. The last up-train that arrived on Monday was the
4·30 P.M. express from Plymouth; and the Monday evening's mails from
Paddington, and Tuesday morning's Bristol and Newton Abbott travelling
post-office, which arrived several hours late, were unable to proceed
further than this town, and about one hundred passengers were compelled
to remain in Newton. There was, in the streets, an average depth of
three feet of snow, whilst in some places the drifts were from ten to
twelve feet in height. Considerable damage was done to the trees and
shrubs in the park, and in the private gardens.
PADSTOW.--This was another town that suffered very severely. Great
quantities of unexpected snow fell, and the gale was terrific on Monday
night and all day on Tuesday. People who were out of town on the Monday
night had great difficulty in returning to their homes, and one woman,
named Rebecca Chapman, did not succeed, but was found buried in the
snow on the following Sunday. Miss Chapman, of about sixty-two years
of age, who resided at Crugmere, about a mile-and-a-half from Padstow,
had been in the latter town on Monday, and left for home at about seven
o'clock in the evening. At a place named Trethillick she lost her
way, and calling at one of the houses in the village was put upon the
right road. She was never again seen alive. On perceiving on Tuesday
that the woman was not at home, the neighbours raised an alarm, and
search parties were instituted, but the body was not recovered until
the following week. From the position of the body when found, it would
seem that the unfortunate woman had mistaken the gate of the field in
which she was lying for that of her own home, and, entering the field,
had fallen exhausted. Her basket, containing the provisions she had
bought in the town, was found lying beside her. When the storm was at
its fiercest, on Monday evening, the dandy _Louisa_, of Exeter, in
entering Padstow harbour, ran into the schooner _Ballanheigh Castle_,
and damaged her galley and bulwarks. A praam, weighing nearly a ton,
which was lying keel upwards on the quay, was caught during one of the
squalls, and carried completely over the quay. On many farms large
numbers of sheep were buried, but in most cases these were rescued
alive.
PAIGNTON.--Great damage was done at Paignton on Monday night and
Tuesday. The roof of one wing of the house of Sir Thomas Seccombe,
K.C.S.I., on Coninence, was blown in, and crashed through the building,
but nobody was hurt. In the Totnes-road the roof of Miss Scale's house
was blown off, and several trees were blown down. The landing-stage
of the Promenade Pier was washed away, and the sea-wall front of
Redcliff Tower undermined. The Artillery Volunteer ammunition shed was
completely wrecked. A tall elm at Dr. Goodridge's residence fell over
and nearly crushed the roof. Steam launches were much injured, and
several fishermen lost their boats.
PENZANCE.--During Monday night's storm, at Penzance, there was such
a terrific sea running that the north dock gate was unhung, and
much damage was occasioned to the shipping in the port. Some of the
most beautiful trees in the vicinity were ruined. On the following
Tuesday the storm continued, and business almost entirely ceased,
no shops being opened for the day. There was a good deal of anxious
looking out for the return of travellers who had left the town before
the commencement of the storm on Monday, but by degrees they either
returned or their whereabouts was ascertained. At Wheal Vor, Breage,
however, a woman, sixty years of age, perished in the snow. Supplies of
food were almost daily fetched by boat from Penzance for little fishing
villages in the district, and a small coasting steamer was chartered to
take in a stock of provisions and land it on the sands at Porthcurno,
just within sight of Logan Rock.
PLYMPTON.--At Plympton, matters were very serious. Hundreds of trees
were destroyed, and large numbers of sheep died from exposure and
starvation.
[Illustration: CHURCH, AND CHAPLAIN'S HOUSE, PRINCETOWN, DARTMOOR.]
PRINCETOWN.--This moorland town passed through some trying experiences
during the storm week. The roofs of several cattle and sheep-sheds were
blown away, and every house in the neighbourhood suffered considerable
damage. A part of the church roof was unslated, and the church
itself, and the chaplain's house, were almost buried in the snow.
An illustration shows the condition of these two buildings, for the
photographic views of which, as well as for the picture of the convicts
cutting a road, we have to thank Mr. J. Richards, clerk of works at the
convict establishment, who took a great number of interesting views of
extraordinary scenes to be met with after the blizzard. At the Prison
Officers' School, some four or five of the moor children had to be
detained all night, fires being lighted and hot provisions provided.
The block on the Princetown railway line, where the evening train had
been snowed up on Monday evening, was a very serious one, and it took
a gang of fifty men and a snow-plough several days to work through
the accumulated mass. The inhabitants were without letter, paper, or
telegram from Monday morning until Saturday, when the postmaster, Mr.
W. Tooker, with the rural letter-carrier, and a prison officer, Mr.
Rodway, who accompanied the party as a volunteer, risked a walk to
Yelverton. There they found twenty-five bags of mails awaiting them.
They succeeded in walking back to Princetown, taking with them fourteen
bags of mails and a small quantity of newspapers, and were received
with much enthusiasm. No fear was felt that provisions would fail at
the prison, as there was a large stock on hand, but it was deemed
advisable to kill a number of sheep and pigs belonging to the farm.
The roads were cleared after immense labour, some of this work being
carried out by convicts from the prison.
[Illustration: CONVICTS CUTTING A ROAD AT PRINCETOWN, DARTMOOR.]
REDRUTH.--On the Monday and Tuesday at Redruth there was such a storm
as had not been known for thirty-five years in West Cornwall. It
snowed almost incessantly for twenty-four hours, and left drifts, in
some parts, from ten to twelve feet deep. The trains could not get
into Redruth either from east or west for two days, and even Camborne
could not be reached. Trees in various parts were much injured. There
was little business done, and the quantity of provisions brought into
the town being so small, the prices were of the most extravagant
description. Milk could hardly be obtained, and what butter was in the
market was sold at the price of 2s. per lb., a heavy price for Redruth.
There was a scarcity of coals in the neighbourhood, and the stock
(of coals) at the brewery was exhausted before the end of the week.
Most of the roads in the district were impassable, and it was found
impossible as late as Friday to dig out the vehicles that Monday's
storm embedded in the Redruth highway. Mining operations were greatly
impeded, tunnels in the snow having in some instances to be cut to
enable the miners to get to their work. There were many rumours of
persons missing since the memorable Monday, and fears for their safety
were entertained which in one unhappy case proved to be only too well
grounded. A boy named Wallace left his work at the Wheal Basset mine
on the afternoon of the storm to walk to his home. He did not reach it
at the usual time, nor at all on that day, and great anxiety resulted,
search parties scouring the country in all directions. At length, ten
days afterwards, his body was found in a snow-drift between thirty
and forty yards from his home. Another lad had a very narrow escape.
He was missed for some hours, and was found almost unconscious in an
outhouse, where he had taken refuge under some straw. Not the least
serious inconvenience attending this week of disaster at Redruth was
the unavoidable postponement of a number of funerals, to make way to
the parish church and cemetery being found impracticable.
ST. COLUMB.--The advent of the blizzard at St. Columb was sudden and
unexpected, and the force of the wind drifted most of the snow into
the roads and hedges in such a way as to completely stop all vehicular
traffic. In some spots the drifts were fifteen feet high. No letters
or papers arrived in the town from Monday until Wednesday evening,
and among other inconveniences was the unavoidable postponement of a
wedding which was to have taken place. As this event was not fixed for
any earlier date than the last day of the week, and could not take
place then, some idea of the condition of the country may be formed.
The farmers were apparently taken by surprise, as most of their sheep
were out, and hundreds were buried beneath the snow. Many lambs and
sheep were found at a depth of seven or eight feet, and instances
occurred of lambs, who had been born under circumstances such as these,
being found alive and healthy. Buried houses were by no means an
uncommon occurrence. At Winnard's Perch, about two miles from Redruth,
a woman was snowed in from Monday until Wednesday at noon, when she was
dug out. Great damage was also done to trees, and for a time business
was suspended.
ST. IVES.--A tempestuous sea was the chief cause of suffering at St.
Ives. The blizzard blew mainly from the E.N.E., and caused sad havoc
along the coast on Monday night and Tuesday. Ships in positions of
peril were occasionally observed, and the lifeboat crew, with rocket
apparatus, held themselves in readiness, and in some cases, endeavoured
to get near the endangered vessels, but the tracks to the shore were
impassable. The window of a cottage on the Warren, overlooking the sea,
was blown in, and the sea rushed in and partly filled one of the rooms.
Slates and chimneypots were blown about to the imminent danger of the
inhabitants. A man named Metters left St. Ives for St. Just, with a
donkey cart, on Monday, to sell herrings, and after nearly a week's
absence his friends gave him up for lost, but he returned to his home
on the following Monday, having been snowed up at St. Just for the
entire week.
SENNEN.--The Land's End district was altogether cut off from other
parts of the country from Monday to Friday, and even after that time
communication was only effected with great difficulty. The snow-drifts
were immense, and many sheep and lambs were buried. Supplies having
begun to fail by the end of the week, a shopkeeper inaugurated a novel
expedition which, grotesque as it was in its make-up and appearance,
succeeded in the object the organizer had in view. He obtained a
number of donkeys, and having placed baskets upon their backs, formed
them into procession, he leading the way with a shovel, with which
he cleared a path to St. Just. There provisions were obtained, and
the adventurous tradesman, followed by his donkeys,--now laden with
well-filled baskets,--returned triumphant to St. Sennen. Two cottages
near the Land's End were buried in the snow, and the cottagers had
to be dug out. The Rev. J. Isabell, of St. Sennen, by way of getting
the roads clear, set an admirable example. He headed a party of some
seventy men, all being armed with shovels, and effected good work in
making the parish roads fit for traffic.
TAUNTON.--The train due at Taunton at seven minutes past nine and the
"Flying Dutchman" reached Taunton at about the same time on Monday
night, and were unable to proceed further. Among the passengers was the
Duke of Edinburgh, on his way to Devonport, who was detained for some
few days, after which he was enabled to reach Exeter, and from thence
to proceed without further mishap to his destination.
TAVISTOCK.--Some account of the devastation caused in this district
by the storm has already been given. The destruction to timber was
especially heavy, but perhaps the most serious feature of all is the
loss of sheep and cattle. Mr. H. Dingle, of Taviton, had over two
hundred sheep embedded in the snow, and a number of these were taken
out dead. Mr. Perkins, of King-street, Tavistock, and Mr. Walkem, of
Hartshole, also suffered heavily in this respect. On the estate of the
Rev. J. Hall-Parby there was also a great loss of sheep. Out of sixteen
sheep buried in a drift, nine, belonging to Mr. Warne, were dug out
dead, while in the neighbouring parish of Walkhampton the loss was
still greater. Mr. Giles, of this parish, dug out 40 dead sheep. Mr. J.
Squire, of the Bedford Hotel, had a flock of sheep and lambs buried in
the snow, on his moorland farm on Whitchurch Down, but he succeeded in
rescuing most of them.
TEIGNMOUTH.--The destruction wrought on the sea-front of this
well-known watering-place and sea-port, which has been briefly alluded
to in earlier pages, appears to have had the effect of waking up the
residents to a sense of the innumerable natural beauties that belong
to their town, and the advisability of preserving, and, if possible,
improving them. Not many months before the blizzard of 1891, a gale
from the south-east was near demolishing that portion of the bank above
the beach, that has since fallen before the action of the waves, and
from time to time the dangerous position of the houses abutting upon
it, and standing within a stone's-throw of the sea, has been pointed
out by a large number of the residents themselves. Nature has now taken
the matter in hand, and the probabilities are that a sea-wall will be
built that will extend from the "Point," or lighthouse, to the Hole
Head tunnel, a distance of over a mile and a half, and thus the finest
sea promenade in the country will be secured.
TORQUAY.--The snowstorm was more severe at Torquay than at any of the
surrounding districts, the fall having been heavier than at either
Teignmouth or Dawlish. Few mishaps occurred, however, and there was not
any really serious damage. Railway communication with Exeter, London,
and the north, was never interrupted. Some injuries to trees occurred,
and a few telegraph posts were blown down, but, on the whole, Torquay
sustained its reputation as a desirable winter abode.
TOTNES.--Some novel incidents occurred at Totnes during the week of
the storm. The town was for days completely isolated, the only journey
possible in search of news appearing to have been a perilous one, on
foot, to Brent, where ignorance of the doings of the outside world
was as great, if not greater, than at Totnes itself. A number of
travellers, among them Mr. H. S. Jenkins, of the _Western Morning News_
(who had gone to the town on duty on the Monday night), were detained
until the end of the week, and all the inconveniences resulting from an
enforced imprisonment of such an unusual description were experienced.
The first indication of an actual block on the railway was at about
nine o'clock on Monday night, when the down-train, due at Plymouth at
ten o'clock, arrived at Totnes station, and was not allowed to proceed,
as no communication could be exchanged with stations further down
the line. After hours of waiting, some of the passengers sheltering
themselves in the carriages and others in the waiting-room (where
they were made as comfortable as circumstances would allow, Miss
Inskip keeping the refreshment-room open until four o'clock on Tuesday
morning), all were compelled to take up their quarters in the town
for what was to them, at that time, a very indefinite period. There
were, in the neighbourhood of Totnes, great losses among the farming
community, hundreds of sheep being buried in the snow. One farmer, of
Ashprington, dug out a flock of fifty, of which fifteen were dead.
Orchards were completely wrecked, and many fine forest trees were
destroyed. In the town the damage done to property was not very great,
but the glass roofs of several conservatories were broken in by the
weight of snow. The snow in the streets was three feet deep, and in the
adjacent country roads a depth of from six to eight feet was recorded.
TRURO.--At the cathedral city of Cornwall trade was at a complete
standstill for days, owing to the heavy fall of snow. Snow lay three
feet deep in all the roads outside the town, and, going farther into
the country, the drifts were from ten to twelve feet deep. Great damage
was done to property, and some accidents, none of them, however, having
a fatal termination, occurred. To make matters worse for those having
business matters to look after, the train service was altogether
disorganised. The "Dutchman" arrived on Monday night forty minutes
late, and then had to wait the arrival of the train from Falmouth.
This, due at Truro at 7·25, did not arrive until ten minutes to nine.
Its course was blocked by fallen telegraph poles and wires, which
had to be cut away before the train could proceed, the most serious
obstacle being between Penryn and Perranwell. The "Dutchman" had to
pass by Grampound Road at full speed, or it would probably have been
in danger of being embedded in the snow. It was only when the end
of this memorable week had been reached that telegraphic and other
communication with neighbouring towns was restored, and that the city
once more returned to its usual condition of comfort and tranquillity.