The Massachusetts Spy

SATURDAY,

October 27.

SALEM, October 23.

Last Friday night came on a N. E. storm of wind and rain; which the ensuing day increased to a degree of violence scarcely known before by the oldest persons.

A minute or particular description of the general devastation among the shipping, horses, wharfs, lumber &c. on both rivers, is not easily given. On the south shore of the north river, for a mile or more in length, we had presented to our view, fire, wood, timber, boards, shingles, plank, staves, barrels, hogsheads, canoes, boats, &c. &c. the property of great numbers of persons, so promiscuously thrown together as not to be easily distinguished by the respective owners.---About fifty cords of wood, and 1500 or 1600 bushels of flour-sand, were carried off Mr. Barr's wharf at the north bridge: a sloop of considerable burthen, having broke her thrown so high as successively to beat against the bridge, and it was with difficulty she was kept off the top of it: The bridge itself was considerably damaged: Another schooner, just below it, broke her fasts, drove away from the wharf on to a beach, and at length quite over it on to the grass: A third schooner, not far from this last, and near eighty tons burthen, late from the West-Indies, was drove up in much the same manner, and now lies so high as that her keel is considerably above common high-water mark. On the south side of the town, being the principal seat of business, the confusion and destruction was much greater than that above related: Great quantities of boards, shingles, timber, &c. with many boats, were drove with the utmost violence and disorder to the shore opposite the town: The wharfs all overflowed; and the perishable articles, such as salt, sugar, &c. in stores, to a great amount, destroyed by the tide's rising to a most extraordinary height, so high, it is said, as not to have been equaled within the memory of the oldest persons among us. Nine vessels, among which were a ship, a sloop; and a brigantine, were drove from their anchors, and forced up the river towards Capt. Gardner's mills; several of them laden for the Straits and the West-Indies: The brigantine, commanded by Capt. Warren, was considerably damaged; a schooner, Capt. Mottey's, was thrown an incredible way on to the land, and much injured; Capt. Waters's schooner was also much damaged; Capt. Samuel Webb's schooner was forced from a wharf on to the land the opposite side; and it was with difficulty the other vessels were prevented driving from the wharfs.

Twenty-one sail of brigantines, sloops and schooners, were drove ashore in Marblehead harbour, but happily not any of them very materially injured.

The bridges between this place and Marblehead, are so much damaged as to be rendered impassable.

Yesterday morning was towed in here by a sloop from the Eastward, a small schooner, with four men on board, belonging to the Isle-of-Shoals, Richard Randall, skipper, who informs, that on Friday night last he was fishing off that island in company with thirteen other small schooners, three of them belonging to Piscataqua, and the other to the Isle-of-Shoals: that the next day he came to an anchor, and cut away his mainmast; but losing his anchor, was drove at the mercy of the seas, till meeting with the sloop abovementioned he was brought in here. He informs, that, two of the schooners in company with him were drove ashore at Cape-Ann, and the men saved; but there is no account of the others.