About A 70mb Pressure Drop In Less Than A Week

[Weather-history]

There was a marked drop in pressure during November 1891 when pressures readings of 1040+mb were recorded on the 5th to sub 960mb on the 11th

This vigorous low brought severe gales and heavy rain. A number of locations recorded their wettest day for November 1891 on the 11th

Stratfield Turgiss: A remarkable fall of 1.7 in occurred between the 8th and 11th

Addington: On the 11th, a heavy gale occurred uprooting many trees, 963mb at 9am

Bury St Edmunds: Remarkable for the very high reading of the bar on the 5th and the very low reading on the 11th

Leicester: 958mb on the 11th

Haverfordwest: 961mb on the 11th

Dublin: On the 11th, a disastrous cyclone occurred causing destructive gales.

[Coast]

There was a marked drop in pressure during November 1891 when pressures readings of 1040+mb were recorded on the 5th to sub 960mb on the 11th

This vigorous low brought severe gales and heavy rain. A number of locations recorded their wettest day for November 1891 on the 11th

On the 11th, there was a terrible storm in the Channel that claimed several ships off the Kent coast including the 'Benvenue' near Sandgate. The Sydney-bound sailing ship was being towed down the Channel by tug when at 0530 off Folkestone the tow parted and Captain James Moddrel dropped anchor to stop his ship being thrown ashore. It was a fatal error. The square-rigger struck and settled a hundred yards from land, her decks underwater, forcing her crew to scramble up the masts and tie themselves to the yards.

The dramatic rescue is detailed here:

http://www.leshaigh.co.uk/folkestone/benvenue.html

The crew of the Sandgate lifeboat taken in 1891:

[Coast]

Seems like there were quite a few shipwrecks along the Channel coast on the 11th November 1891, a very bad storm:

On 11th November 1891, a number of sea vessels got into difficulties on the Sussex coast during a great storm. Henry Godbold went down to the beach with his camera to record the stricken ships. A large three-masted German barque named the "J. C. Pfluger" was driven ashore and became stranded on the beach at St Leonards. The ship's twenty-four crew members were rescued by Coastguards using a line attached to a rocket (known as Breeches Buoy Rescue Equipment). During the same storm, a schooner named the "Nerissa", which was on its way to Norway, was wrecked on Hastings beach. Henry James Godbold took photographs of both incidents and five days later later he registered the copyright of the photographs with The Stationers' Company in London. The copyright registration forms describe the photographs as follows : 1/406/469 - "Photograph of a vessel (named the 'J. C. Pfluger') stranded at St Leonards-on-Sea, Nov 11th 1891, with rocket flying through the air to rescue the crew". 1/406/470 -"Photograph of a vessel (named the 'Nerissa') wrecked at Hastings, Nov 11th 1891, showing sea breaking over her". Copyright owner and author of both works: Henry James Godbold, 11 Royal Terrace, St Leonards on Sea. (Registration stamp: 16 November 1891). Henry Godbold exhibited a bromide print entitled "A Rocket to the Rescue", probably a version of the St Leonards rescue incident, at the Thirty-Seventh Annual Exhibition of the Royal Photographic Society in 1892.

http://www.photohistory-sussex.co.uk/HastingsPhGodbold.htm

Gurloff, Gustav, Mate of a ship Case 25734

At great personal risk, rescued T.H. Hughes from drowning at Portslade, Sussex, on the 11th November, 1891.

http://www.lsars.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/bronz92s.htm

In a violent gale which swept the coasts of Kent and Sussex on 11 November 1891, the French schooner, Eider, was driven against the seawall at Seabrook, near Hythe and the iron sailing ship, Benvenue, en-route from London to Sydney, ran aground off Sandgate. Coastguardmen from Hythe were able to rescue four from the Eider as she began to break up.

A valiant attempt to reach the Benvenue, by the Sandgate lifeboat was unsuccessful, the lifeboat being overturned in the surf and one man killed. Attempts to reach the wreck by rocket apparatus were similarly unsuccessful. The Dover lifeboat was with difficulty launched and headed for the scene but in the meantime a scratch crew of coastguardmen and fishermen from Folkestone and the surrounding area was gathered together and were able to launch a lifeboat. In heavy seas and with great difficulty the wreck was reached and the rescue was accomplished. The lifeboat returned to Folkestone to be greeted by a large crowd.

http://www.dnw.co.uk/medals/auctionarchive/viewspecialcollections/itemdetail.lasso?itemid=38625

[Lauren]

I can't believe they have weather charts from back then!