MU. A. W. PRESTON ON THE GREAT GALE OF MARCH 24, 1895. 99 
XIII. 
NOTES ON THE GREAT GALE OF 24th MARCH, 1895. 
Ry Arthur \V. Preston, F. R. Met. Soc. 
Read 25th March, 1S05. 
The terrible and disastrous hurricane which occurred on the 
afternoon of Sunday, March 24th, calls for a few remarks supple- 
mental to those on the Great Frost recently given. The fine genial 
weather which set in on March 10th, and which proved a great 
and pleasing contrast to the rigorous cold which had prevailed 
for many weeks, continued with but little intermission until the 
23rd day, on the evening of which the barometer fell rapidly, and 
there wore evidences of a change to stormy conditions. During 
the evening the wind rose and the sky presented a murky appear- 
ance, and in the night the wind increased to a gale, heavy rain fell, 
and a rough morning ensued. At 9 a.m. the sky was clouded, the 
barometer (corrected and reduced) was 29.28 ins., temperature dry 
bulb 51.G, wet 51.0. At 1 p.m. the sky cleared and the wind 
increased. At 2 p.m. the barometer fell to 29.09 ins., and the 
wind was blowing a fresh gale from nearly duo W. At 3 p.m. 
the hurricane began in earnest, and a few minutes later my garden 
wall was blown over. At 3.30 p.m. the gale was at its height, the 
barometer being 28.99 ins. The gusts were something terrific. 
The water was being blown out of the river like dense clouds of 
smoke over the adjoining marshes, and the spray could be felt in 
my garden, sixty feet above it. Rockland and Surlingham Broads 
were compared to “ bonfires,” so great and dense were the clouds 
of spray being blown out of them. Three signal posts on the 
line were blown down, and roofs were swept of their tiles by the 
hundred, chimney pots blown over, and in many instances stacks 
of chimneys fell through the roofs. At Blofield Church the service 
was suspended, the lead on the roof was rolled up like parchment, 
many of the trees in the churchyard were uprooted, and the 
congregation was unable to leave by the usual door owing to the 
falling masonry. At Strumpshaw a whole plantation of Larch trees 
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