340

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

with the Deputy Harbour Master, Captain Falle, who
had requested me to convey information of any
changes in the state of affairs to him direct, in order
to save time in transmitting the intelligence to the
shipping. I am informed by him that warning was
given on the afternoon of the 26th, and all precau-
tions considered advisable were taken for the security
of the shipping.

7. Up to the evening of the 26th the barometer
   continued to fall steadily all round the Bay, except
   at Madras, where it was as steadily rising. The
   atmospheric gradient between Madras and the north
   of the Bay was now excessive. This accounts for
   the long-continued south-westerly gales which were
   prevalent for many days across the Bay, south of a
   line between False Point and Cheduba Island, and
   which forced up into the north of the Bay the
   tremendous sea which caused such disaster to the
   shipping.

8. From the 26th to the 27th an increase of
   pressure, occurring first at Akyab, was propagated
   northwards to Chittagong and then over Bengal.
   On the 28th the barometer rose considerably at
   Calcutta, very slightly at Saugor, and later on more
   considerably at Cuttack. Up to the evening of the
   28th, the increase at Akyab and Chittagong had been
   rapid and excessive; there was, however, but a very
   slight corresponding improvement at Calcutta up to
   the 29th, and the barometer at Saugor Island con-
   tinued very low and extremely unsteady, rising and
   falling alternately, but showing no improvement on
   the whole.

9. Notwithstanding the rapid rise of the barometer
   to the eastward, the slight rise at Calcutta, and the
   more considerable rise at Cuttack, the state of affairs
   on the 29th appeared much worse, as far as Calcutta
   was concerned, than it had previously been. The
   winds had increased in velocity and were blowing
   steadily in cyclonic fashion round and towards a
   focus of low pressure which had now evidently
   moved from the S.E. towards N.W. further from
   Akyab and nearer to Saugor Island. At Akyab the
   wind was S.; at Chittagong E.N.E.; at Saugor
   Island N.E., and at Cuttack W. and W.N.W.
   Showers were frequent at Calcutta, with heavy masses
   of clouds drifting from E. by N. During the day
   the following extra telegraphic reports from Saugor
   Island, showing that the wind there had almost in-
   creased in force to a gale, were received at the
   Meteorological Office :—

• Velocity in miles per hour.

Rainfall=1.5—Humidity=100—sky overcast—
weather very threatening and ugly, with frequent
heavy squalls and rain, scuds flying from the N.E.

10. I received the 11h. and 12h. telegrams about
    3.30 in the afternoon, and although the probabilities
    were still against the storm's approaching Calcutta, I
    determined to hoist the warning signals. My reasons
    for doing so were these:—The focus of low pressure
    was evidently unpleasantly near to Saugor Island; a
    cyclonic vortex might be in existence, although not

advancing, and if not in existence, the state of affairs
showed that it might be formed at any time, and its
advance might be sudden and with very little warn-
ing. If it did advance, it would do so along the line
of least resistance, or lowest pressure, and there
were no data sufficient to show that this line did not
pass through Calcutta, where appearances had been
threatening and the barometer very low and un-
steady. It was probable that it lay north of Cuttack,
from the previous rise of the barometer there. The
warning signal at the Asiatic Society's building in
Park Street was hoisted about 5 o'clock, directions
having previously been forwarded to display the
same signal (the double cone) at the Sailors' Home
and the Khidderpore Dockyard. Shortly afterwards
telegrams were received from Saugor showing a
slight improvement, from about 2 p.m., in the state of
affairs there. In Calcutta, the weather, which had
been very threatening all day, cleared up in the
evening, and the same change appears to have been
experienced all over the Bay. (It is probable that a
vortex was formed, or partially formed, on the morn-
ing of the 29th, but that it broke up again in the
afternoon without advancing much, if at all.) This,
however, was but a treacherous lull. Telegrams
showing a fall of the barometer were received from
Akyab and Chittagong; the barometer at Calcutta
refused to rise; the wind directions had not im-
proved in the least, and things became again
threatening at midnight.

11. The morning of the 30th opened out brightly
    at Calcutta. Between 10 and 11 in the forenoon
    the appearance of the sky was wild and beautiful.
    Dark masses of low scuds flying past with great
    velocity from E.N.E. to W.S.W. seemed sometimes
    almost to touch the tops of the houses, whilst the
    sun shone out brightly between, and the snow-white
    flakes of rugged cirrus overhead appeared to float
    past in the opposite direction. As the day advanced,
    the sky became completely overcast; drizzling rain
    accompanied the scuds, which were now floating past
    in long black continuous masses. The evening
    telegrams showed a further fall of the barometer at
    Saugor Island, Chittagong, and Akyab.

12. Up to 8 o'clock in the evening the atmospheric
    tide at Saugor was not affected. The barometer was
    very unsteady from that hour, rising and falling
    rapidly and suddenly up to 9.30, from which time it
    fell steadily, reaching its lowest, 29.052, at 3 in the
    morning of the 1st July. During the night of the
    30th and the morning of the 1st, I received the fol-
    lowing special telegraphic reports from Saugor
    Island:—

• Velocity in miles per hour.