Cambridge Chronicle 10 Feb 1844: Gardeners Relief Fund

THE LATE AWFUL STORM

At a Meeting of a few friends of the Gardeners and Florists of Cambridge, who suffered so severely by the awful Storm on the 20th August last, held at the University Arms Hotel, Cambridge, January 15, 1844.

T.H. NAYLOR, Esq. M. A., in the chair:

It was resolved, -

That the embarrassed state of the affairs of some of the sufferers by the Hail-Storm in August last, calls loudly for the interposition of the charitable.

That an appeal be made to the public to aid them in their distress.

That the following statement of the damage done to their property be published:

The Storm destroyed Graperies, Green-houses, Hot-houses, Cucumber, Melon and Forcing Pits, to the enormous extent of 10,000 square feet of glass.

It destroyed also a great number of Choice Plants, Fruit Trees, and Shrubs, and every vestige of Vegetation, so far as one year’s produce is concerned, together with the produce of the Orchards and Vegetable Gardens.

The respective losses of the sufferers have been carefully valued by Mr. Franklin, of St. Neots, and Mr. Marshall, of Exning, and the aggregate is found to exceed £1,300.

THE PRINCIPAL SUFFERERS ARE –

Mr Tomlin, Garden of Eden........... Mr Headland, Trumpington road

Mr Dall, Newmarket road ............. Mr Dixon, Hills road

Mr Sussum, Pound hill .................. Mr Rhymes, Mill road

Mr Piggot, Grantchester road ....... Mr Green, back of Colleges

And twenty others of smaller amount.

That Subscriptions be received at the following places, the parties having signified their willingness to aid in the undertaking:- The different Bankers in Cambridge; Messrs. EATON, HAMMOND, and Co., bankers, Newmarket; Messrs. GIBSON, bankers, Saffron Walden; Messrs. NOBLE, seedsmen, 152 Fleet-street, London; Mr. J. W. NUTTING, seedsman, 146 Cheapside, London; and Messrs. Paul, Cheshunt Nursery, Herts.

Treasurer:- H. HEMINGTON HARRIS , Esq., of Park Lodge, Cambridge.

G. SIMONS, Hon Sec., 12, New Square.

N.B. – The Committee of the Gardeners’ Relief Fund, are anxious to make known to the public, that an agreement has been signed by all the sufferers to abstain from making any private collections, and to give up to the general Fund whatever they may have collected, upon pain of forfeiture of their claim upon the fund.

The Committee beg further to state that they have offered to Mr. BREWER and Mrs STITTLE a share in the proceeds of the Relief Fund upon those terms, which they have declined ALL the other Cambridge Gardeners, Nurserymen and Florists , will participate in exact proportion to their losses.