Havoc

For two weeks on end, proverbial little drops of water descended from the clouds on to the face of Merrie England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland.

On the third week, the elements grew angry at the indifference to their efforts displayed by the people of those countries. To give effect to their fury, they blew rain and hail at 75 miles an hour, incited the seas to insurrection, and in general created the worst storm in 30 years.

On the land, stories began to trickle into the newspapers telling of the havoc wrought by the cyclone. At Folkestone, a motor truck was blown into the sea and the driver killed. At Portsmouth, a tramcar was blown into a house. In Wales, the coal mines were flooded. Along the Thames, people were "drowned out of their houses." From every coastal point, news came to London telling of angry waves battering the piers and swamping the promenades. Damage to telegraph and telephone wires greatly interfered with communication, while Channel boats suspended service between England and France.