On Wednesday, February 20th, a furious gale swept over London and the surrounding country. In fact, it amounted to a perfect hurricane, and great was the consternation generally caused by the falling of stacks of chimneys, walls, palisades, and everything which afforded a butt to the wind and was not of sufficient strength to resist its violence. The houses in the more exposed situations were shaken to their foundations, much to the terror of the inhabitants. A large destruction of property is reported.—The north wing of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham was totally destroyed. In Gloucestershire and Worcestershire the loss of property was very great. Trees in hundreds were thrown down, and many houses were unroofed. At Southampton and other points on the coast great damage was done to the shipping. Throughout the west of England the trains were delayed and telegraphic communication seriously interrupted.
Alexandria Gazette, Alexandria, VA, March 15, 1861