THE HIGH TIDE OF NOVEMBER 29, 1897. 279
Colne Estuary.—At St. Osyth the tide did considerable damage, breaking
through the walls in two or three places, and completely flooding the marshes
to the great danger of the cattle, which were with difficulty rescued. At
West Mersea, Mr. T. Gilbert, J.P. stated that on the Monday " the tide com-
menced to flow with great rapidity, but started to ebb at about a quarter past
two. Everyone, of course, thought that we had seen the worst, and were all
right. After receding for about twenty-five minutes, however, the tide began
to flow again more rapidly than before, and it reached a height never
remembered to have been equalled by any person living in the neighbourhood.
The marshes were completely covered, the sea carrying all before it as it
poured in. They had an exciting time at what we call the 'City of Mersea,'
the floors of houses being covered with three or four feet of water. People
had to stand on chairs or anything else available, and even bedridden people
had to be moved. A number of hares were drowned on Feldey Marshes, but
I have not heard of the loss of any cattle." The Strood-way was impassable
for hours.
At East Mersea the wall was broken through in several places ; the bath-
ing-huts on the "Hard" were carried out to sea and Mr. Bayard Brown's
yacht, the " Valfreyia " dragged her anchor, and drifted higher up the river.
Mr. Brown's steam launch was also carried away and she drifted out to the
mouth of the estuary and there sank. " Baker's Boat," so well-known as a
land-mark to frequenters of the estuary, shifted her moorings and narrowly
escaped being carried out to sea.
In few places were the effects of the gale and high-tide more severely felt
than in the portion of the Tendring Hundred immediately adjacent to the
Colne, which river overflowed its banks to an extent never before known.
Midway between the stations at Colchester, Hythe, and Wyvenhoe on the
Tendring Hundred Branch, the river rose over the intervening meadows and
crossed the railway, washing away a considerable portion of the embankment.
Near Wyvenhoe the view presented to the traveller by rail was one of almost
endless desolation, with here and there a tree-top or the roof of an outbuilding
showing above the waste of waters, which in places was some nine or ten feet
deep. The numerous yachts that were laid up at Wyvenhoe were riding atop
of the river-wall, but fortunately none of them started their moorings. Just
beyond Wyvenhoe Station the rise of the water was so great that the line to
Brightlingsea was submerged to the depth of several feet, and' miles of land on
either side of the river were also under water, the general impression from the
Clacton line being that of a great lake stretching almost as far as the eye
could reach with, on the horizon, a dark cluster of woods marking the
boundary of the great overflow. On Monday afternoon (Nov. 29th) the 2.3c
train from Wyvenhoe to Brightlingsea was brought to a standstill, the goods
break becoming derailed owing to the collapse of the line by the washing
away of the ballast underneath the sleepers. Eventually the passengers were
taken from the carriages in boats. Brightlingsea was flooded by the Hard,
and in fact became an island, completely surrounded by water. The water
inundated a number of the stores and shops on the water-side to the depth of
two or three feet. Some low-lying houses on the banks of Brightlingsea
Creek were swamped, and a number of the yacht store-houses at the bottom
of New-street were lifted bodily from their foundations, whilst the hut belong-
ing to the Sailing Club on St. Osyth Stone was carried some distance up the
Creek.