1911] The Saxby Gale 259 



backed up by the abnormally high tide. Railroads were submerged and 

 bridges and culverts carried away by the flood. 



In Concord, New Hampshire, the rain storm was pronounced without 

 parallel in that section. Rain began Saturday night and continued till 

 4 o'clock in afternoon of Monday the fourth. Up to daylight of the 

 fourth two inches of rain fell, between that and four o'clock in the after- 

 noon six inches fell making a total of eight inches. Great damage was 

 occasioned to railroads and highways. In Maine an immense amount of 

 damage was done, the freshet and flood being greatest ever known. 



New York had a heavy gale in early morning of the fourth. Boston 

 had a heavy rain storm and the wind did some minor damage, but no 

 shipping disasters. Tide did not rise above level of wharves though un- 

 usually high in forenoon. 



At Portland, Maine, the gale was not severe, but is said to have been 

 much heavier inland. 



In all probability the storm was one of tropical or semi-tropical origin 

 characterized to the southwest by extremely heavy precipitation and 

 greatly increasing in energy as it moved towards Eastern Maine and the 

 western portion of New Brunswick. 



Since the inception of the forecast branch of our Canadian Meteoro- 

 logical Service, not one of these storms has reached the Maritime Pro- 

 vinces without ample warning and display of storm signals. Had the 

 present system of warning to Mariners been in force, the gale of Oct. 4th, 

 1869 would not have left the record of loss of life and shipping enumerated. 

 Take the instance of the Barque Genii, with a display of storm signals, 

 which certainly would have been made well in advance of the gale, this 

 vessel would have undoubtedly remained in port and the appalling 

 disaster averted. 



