24 EEV. C. W. HAEVEY GALE OF OCTOBER, 1881 



roots. Many oak trees lost their tops. One large tree was snapped 

 in two at about 20ft. from the ground; its head falling upon 

 another tree some 20 ft. away, it hung in a horizontal position, 

 some 30 ft. from the ground. 



Albuet. — At and around The Hall about 30 trees were blown 

 down, while 70 others were much injured. 



District XIV. Bishop's Stoetfoed. — A large bough broke through 

 the roof of the school cottage, while a tree at South Mill fell across 

 a barge ; one of the large elms on the Causeway fell, and for a time 

 blocked the thoroughfare. 



District XY. Hitchin. — In this district the high ground suffered 

 less than the valleys, so much so that a correspondent writes: "I 

 do not know of a single tree uprooted on the high ground, on either 

 side the effects were more severe." In Hitchin Park about 20 fine 

 old elms were blown down, and in some cases trunks 2 ft. in dia- 

 meter were snapped clean off. 



District XVI. Baldock. — Many trees, chiefly elms of great size and 

 age, were uprooted, those in Hitchin Road suffering most. An arm 

 of a tree struck the School House roof. At Rushden a large tree 

 standing near a public-house was blown down, taking the greater 

 part of the house with it. 



District XVII. BoYSTON. — Fi'om 7 to 8 a.m., at 11 a.m., and 

 3 p.m. the gale blew with great force. In Melbourne Road the 

 galvanized iron roof of a shed was blown off, and a large portion 

 of it carried into the adjoining field ; a rifle saloon in the market- 

 place was blown over, one of two boys who were in the caravan 

 being badly cut about the head. Some very large trees down the 

 Drift on the Baldock Road were uprooted. 



Odsey. — In a group of elms, standing in four rows, a gap was 

 made, and the wind, passing through this gap, uprooted a number 

 of trees standing in a fence beyond, and some few others in the 

 same Kne. The first tree fell at about 11 a.m., the last between 

 3 and 4 p.m. 



Thus it will be seen that the devastation wrought by this 

 memorable gale was universally felt throughout the county ; it is 

 only surprising that considering the number of trees laid low, so 

 little injury was done to life and limb. I believe an old man was 

 killed by the fall of a tree, but I have been unable to fix the 

 locality of the accident ; there must, however, have been some 

 very narrow escapes. It is to be regretted that there was no 

 anemometer at work in the county to record the actual force of the 

 gale ; the fact however that at Greenwich no greater pressure than 

 56 lbs. on the square foot has ever been registered, makes the storm 

 a memorable one, and this must be my apology for the length to 

 which this paper has grown. 



