THE
Blizzard in the West:
BEING
A Record and Story of the Disastrous Storm
WHICH RAGED THROUGHOUT
Devon and Cornwall, and West Somerset,
On the Night of March 9th, 1891.

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.

COPYRIGHT.
The right of reproduction is reserved.

London:
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & Co., Limited,
PATERNOSTER ROW.

Devonport:
A. H. SWISS, Printer and Stationer,
111 & 112 Fore Street.

THE LARGEST
LORAL
AND
FRUIT
ESTABLISHMENT
WEST OF LONDON.

W.G. HODGE, F.R.H.S.
FLORIST
AND
Fruit & Vegetable Purveyor,
49 GEORGE STREET, 17 UNION STREET,
90 OLD TOWN STREET,
PLYMOUTH.
AND
76 George Street, DEVONPORT.

Telegrams, "FLORIST," Plymouth. Telephone No., 80.

NURSERIES: CROWN HILL.

Specialities: Wedding & other Bouquets.

Funeral Wreaths, Crosses, &c.
From 5/- to Two Guineas,
Per Parcels Post to all parts of the Kingdom.

CONTENTS.

SPOONER & COMPANY.
FLOOR COVERINGS.

S. & Co. beg to draw the attention of their customers to the large portion of their premises reserved for the exclusive sale of the above, necessitated by the ever increasing variety of

BRITISH & ORIENTAL FLOOR COVERINGS,

and for the development of which Spooner & Co. have given their special attention, resulting in their having always on sale an unrivalled selection of

AXMINSTERS, WILTONS,
BRUSSELS, TAPESTRY CARPETS,
KIDDERMINSTER CARPETS,
FLOOR CLOTHS,
LINOLEUMS, CORK CARPETS.

Fully maintaining their reputation for Superior Designs, Durability, and excellence of Material.

SPOONER & COMPANY,
Complete House Furnishers and Art Decorators,
PLYMOUTH.

PREFACE.

The record of the Blizzard of 1891 was undertaken in response to a generally expressed desire on the part of a large number of residents in the Western Counties.

It would have been impossible to compile the work, imperfect as it is, without the assistance and co-operation of the editor and staff of the Western Morning News, who have been most active in its promotion. Assistance has also been kindly rendered by the editor and staff of the Western Daily Mercury.

Thanks are also largely due to many others, who, besides furnishing us with interesting details and views, have offered us every facility for obtaining information.

Valuable particulars in some instances have been afforded by Dr. Merrifield, of Plymouth, and Mr. Rowe, public librarian, of Devonport, who has also sent some of the views appearing in this book.

To the artistic photographic skill of Messrs. Heath and Son, of George Street, Plymouth, Messrs. Denney and Co., of Exeter and Teignmouth, and Messrs. Valentine and Son, of Teignmouth, we are indebted for several of our illustrations. To the amateur photographers in various parts of the West who so kindly sent photographic views we tender our best thanks, and regret that space did not permit us to use a larger number.

Much necessarily remains untold, but we have endeavoured to depict a very remarkable event as fully as the pages at our disposal permitted.

Devonport, April, 1891.

THE BLIZZARD IN THE WEST

CHAPTER I.
INDICATIONS AND OBSERVATIONS.

On the morning of the 9th of March, 1891, when inhabitants of the three westernmost counties in England set about preparing for the routine duties of daily life, nothing seemed to indicate that, with the approach of nightfall, the gravest atmospheric disturbance of the century—in that part of the world, at all events—would come to spread terror and destruction throughout town and country. The month, so far, had not been a gentle one. Following in the footsteps of a memorably genial February, March had been somewhat harsh and cold, without yielding the rain that was by this time greatly needed. There were rumours of "a change of some sort," of an approaching "fall of something," and other vaticinations of the same familiar character floating about, but in the west country these wise sayings fall so thick and fast and frequently as to possess little more significance than the most oft-repeated household words. When the day drew on, and signs of a rising gale were uncomfortably apparent on every hand, recollections of a promised storm from the Observatories of the United States began to be awakened, but