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The Great Hurricane in Sheffield Tuesday 16 December 1873
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Source=h:/!Genuki/RecordTranscriptions/WRY/KarenTurnerSheffield.txt The Great Hurricane in Sheffield Tuesday 16 December 1873
Extracted from the
Sheffield and Rotherham Independent
dated 17 December 1873
by Karen Turner.
"The wind began to get high soon after 1 o'clock yesterday morning. It then died away for a little time the stillness which precedes the storm and then it burst out with great fury from four o'clock, it gradually increased in violence until half-past nine. Very little damage seems to have been done till 8 but from then till nearly 10 there was a constant succession of casualties and tidings of chimneys blown down, men killed, and roofs fallen in came "fast and furious". Men were seen rushing here and there with "bated breath" for Death was stalking amongst them and his never-ceasing scythe had laid many a victim low."
Fatalities (excluding George Bower) were lying at the Dog and Partridge Inn, Trippet Lane; George Bower is stated as being in the dead-house at the Dispensary.
Name | Occupation | Address |
John Brown | Cutler | Trippet Lane |
John Aster | Cutler | Newcastle Street |
William Evans | Cutler | Spring Street |
John Crookes | Spring knife cutler | Orchard Lane |
Thomas Paules | Cutler | Snow Lane |
George Bower | Cutler | Water Street |
List of injured at the General Infirmary
Name | Address | Injuries |
John Bradbury, blacksmith of Newhall | Scalp wound and contusions Found buried in the ruins at Crucible Steel Foundry, Newhall | |
Mark Rolley, fettler who lived at Rotherham | Dead on admission Killed at Crucible Steel Foundry, Newhall, inquest opened on 16/12/1873 at the Infirmary and adjourned to 30th inst | |
Henry Sidebottom, 22 | 17 Bramwell Street | Extensive scalp wound, was working out of doors somewhere and pallisades fell on him |
James Craig, 42 | No1 Court, house No. 2, Lee Croft | Scalp wound sustained at Messrs Thos Firth and Sons, Norfolk Works, Saville Street |
John Winter, 25 | 88 Birch Road, Attercliffe | Scalp wound sustained at Messrs Thos Firth and Sons, Norfolk Works, Saville Street |
Charles Walshaw, 36 | Birley House, Wadsley Bridge | Injury to ankle by falling off a ladder at Wadsley |
Robert Hawksworth, 42 | Hilltop | Had his arm broken by being blown off a stack at Hilltop. |
At the Public Hospital and Dispensary:
Name | Address | Injury |
F Shaw, 4 | Broad Lane | Injury to head from fall of a house |
William Shaw, 11 | As above, living at same house | Injuries to the head |
S Matthews, 14 | Pitt Street | Scalp wound |
J Hodgson, 24 | Club Garden Walk | Dislocation of shoulder from the fall of a cart shed |
J Greaves, 18 | Cambridge Street | Injury to head and arm |
A Bradley, 25 | Broad Lane | Injury to hand and arms |
Patrick Gantley, 64 | Willey Street | Injury to shoulder |
William Hodgson, 73 | Mount Pleasant, Highfield | Fractures to arms |
William Broad, 43 | Club Gardens | Injury to back from the falling of a wall |
Edward Mason, 36 | Canning Street | Scalp wound |
J McWomack, 29 | Scotland Street | Bruises and contusions |
H Copley, 13 | Daisy Walk | Injury to hand |
Dennis Manning, 23 | Water Lane | Injury to hand and fingers |
William Liddle, 55 | Green Lane | Injury to right eye |
A Anley, 54 | Bennett Lane | Injury to shoulder |
M A Johnson, 2 | Broomspring Lane | Slight injuries |
Other people mentioned in the article
Name | Address | Remarks |
Charles Cash, labourer | Town Well yard, Church Street | No injuries, chimney through roof into bedroom |
Mrs Greenhill | 266 Ecclesall Road | House unroofed and uninhabitable, very valuable furniture destroyed, some jewellery missing |
Mr Naylor, Heeley Post Master | Gust of wind took him off his legs in Oak Street and then threw him down - fracture of the hip | |
Mr Eberlin, Pork Butcher, | Sheffield Moor | Roof of cart shed in Alexandra Road, Heeley lifted clean away and taken to top of a house near where it knocked down the chimney stack |
Mr Smith | Cherrytree Road, Sharrow | Large tree broken off at the trunk and carried across the road |
Mr Cardwell | Nunnery Farm, Sheffield Park | Stack of straw blown down and partly carried away |
Emma Shaw | Broad Lane | Injury to head etc |
John Shaw, edge tool forger | 11 Broad Lane | Dwelling house totally demolished |
Sarah Bower, 26 | 75 Spring Street | Scalp wound and compound dislocation of left ankle |
Mary Ann Bower, 31 | 28 Water Street | Compound fracture of lower jaw, wounds on face etc |
G H Hardwick, 27 | Trippet Lane | Injury to the spine and fracture of left arm |
Wm Bower | 28 Water Street | Lacerated wound on right side |
J Bocking, 37 | 164 Portobello Street | Crushed abdomen and wound on the face |
Henry Bocking, 14 | 164 Portobello Street | Crushed hand and bruised head |
Wiliam Noble, 46 | Portobello | Scalp wound |
John Noble, 23 | 128 Portobello | Scalp wound; thigh and other parts of the body injured |
Thomas Clarke, lamp-lighter | Yard in Portobello area | Fall of chimney damaged house |
Mr William Robinson, landlord | Norfolk Hotel, Mowbray Street | Portion of the hotel blown down, suffered fractured skull and scalp wounds |
Mr Edward Learoyd, Secretary of the Pharmaceutical Society | Landsdowne Road (dwelling-house connected with branch shop owned by Mr W V Radley) | Chimney pots fell on to house |
William Whitehead, engine tenter | Messrs Matthewman and Sons, cutlery manufacturers, Milton Street Averted disaster in putting out a fire | |
Mr Freckingham, mortar mills | Willey Street, Wicker | Chimney fell through the mortar mill roof |
Thomas Walker, worker | Messrs Cooper and Son, Clog Manufacturers, West Bar. Injured by falling beams caused by falling chimney | |
Mr J Blyde, heavy steel toy manufacturer | Hallcar Works, Spital Hill | Chimney fell on adjacent file cutters' workshop |
Samuel Hattersley, striker at Messrs Thos Firth and Sons, Norfolk Works, Saville Street | Slight injuries | |
William Kirby John Thurston, engineman John Broad, cutler William Broad, cutler William Marks | Present at the Trippet Lane disaster when 6 men were killed when 40ft high chimney fell destroying 8 cutlery workshops | |
Ralph Kendall, labourer in the fettlers' shop of The Crucible Steel Foundry, Newhall Road, owned Mr Robert Hadfield, of Ashdell Road, Broomhill | Warned his workmates of danger | |
Mr Wright, plumber | Highfield Police Station | A block of six shops in course of construction by Mr Wright were partially unroofed and part fell into the Police Station yard and into the rooms |
Inspector and Mrs Bradbury, | Escaped without injury when masonry fell into bedroom whilst he was in bed | |
Mr J C Wing, cutlery manager | Sharrow Lane | Escaped injury through falling masonry |
Mr W Shaw, woollen draper of High Street | Sharrow Lane | ditto |
Mrs M Wells | Sharrow Lane | ditto |
Mr Geo Wolstenholme | Priory Terrace, facing Sharrow Lane | ditto |
Mr Slagg, occupier of farm | Sheffield Park | Stacks stripped of covering |
Mr Wigfull occupier of farm | Sheffield Park | Stacks stripped of covering |
Mr Butcher | Lees Hall, Norton | Stacks, house and outbuilding have greatly suffered |
Mr George Sampson | Beauchief Abbey | Oat stack weighing 20-30 tons was lifted from its brandreth and carried about the yard. |
Mr M Wilkinson, farmer | Myrtle Hill | Stacks disappeared |
Mr Darlow | Walkley | A row of his houses much damaged |
Mrs Garrett | Rawson Springs, King James Street, Walkley | Chimney came down and carried the roof with it. She was much annoyed as she had just "cleaned down" for Christmas. |
Mrs Ann Hawe, an elderly woman and mother of the person who attends to the Methodist New Connexion Chapel | Walkley | Blown off her feet and narrowly escaped being hit by a large falling stone from the Chapel's chimney. |
Mrs Allen | Cromwell Street | Narrow escape from falling masonry |
Mr Chadwick, druggist | Opposite the new Board School in Walkley | Narrow escape from falling masonry |
Mr Councillor Searle | Birkendale | Much damage to house |
Mr and Mrs Hibbert, attend to the house of Mr Wigan Burton Road, adjoining the brewery | Burton Road | Miraculous escape from falling masonry |
Mr Ratlidge of South Sea Hotel, Broomhill | Tapton Hill | Wheatstack blow about in all directions |
Mr Moses Ellis, workshop owner, workshop used by Mr Pitt of Waingate | Albert Road | Top storey of workshop carried into a field at the back |
Mr and Mrs Hearnshawe | Woodhill, Grimesthorpe | Narrow escape from falling masonry |
Mr Veall | Queen's terrace | Damage to chimney stack |
Mr Bassett | Ranmoor | Chimney stack fell through roof |
Mr Wilson, Surgeon | Glossop Road | Slates and tiles lost |
Mr Haigh, bus proprietor | Glossop Road | Slates and tiles lost |
Mr Arden | Glossop Road | Garden wall hurled down |
Mrs Rodgers | Egerton House, Glossop Road | Wall and pallisading fell down |
Mr J Dyson | The Woodlands, Pitsmoor | Chimney stack fell through roof |
Mr Taylor | Buckingham Road | Debris fell into bedroom, bedroom floor collapsed into room below and ruined the furniture, no-one hurt |
n.b. There is much more detail of damage to property - I have just extracted the parts that mention named individuals. Karen Turner, 22 November 1999
Sheffield and Rotherham Independent.
dated 17 December 1873
Transcribed by
Karen Turner ©2000