The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-03-22 00:00:00

i3taartrage *frserver.

SATURDAI, MARCH 22.

THE FLOODS IN HUNGARY.

:The accounts of the flood by which the
town of Szegedin, in liwagary, has been
overwhelmed, disclose a state of affairs with-
E histo- 'thin

out pa. in inropean istory- wi.._
living memory. A town containing 80 000 proves to be delusive. To the 18th inst. no
,
inhabitants has been submerged, the streets attack has been made at Ekowe. which is
turned into torrents, the air filled with the strongly entrenched and provisioned for
crash of falling houses, the embankments . seven or eight weeks more. Colonel Row-
crowded • with the helpless homeless beings lands reports a small affair between Lune-
who have sought refuge upon them from the burg and New Derby, in which a small cap.
pitiless waters. Four thousand persons are tare of cattle was made, with trifling loss on
believed to have perished, an,d of those who both sides. Colonel Wood confirms the re-
have survived, a keen frost has added to port of a successful attack by Colonel Buller
their sufferings. Let the people of England, upon Manyanyola's stronghold on the In.
who it at home in ease, imagine if they can tomba River. A loss of 40 men and 400
the spectacle of mothers clinging to the cattle was inflicted on the Zulus. The ser-
bodies of their drowned infants, and refus- vices of the l3oer contingent with Colonel
ing to be separated from the corpses of the Wood are spoken of in the highest terms.
Impless little ones, and the higher points of On the 25rd inst. an official report was made
a once flourishing town thronged with a to Government by Mr. Austen, magistrate
ultitude of shivering peoPle compelled to at Quiting, in Basutoland, that Moiross had
subsist upon the corn and seeds snatched summoned his men, armed and mounted, to
from the turbid stream. Such a picture attack the post of the Cape Mounted -Rifle-
must awaken the chords of sympathy in men at Palmietfontein, and to drive the
every imagination, and cannot fail to elicit a ynglish out of the country. Messengers
generous response to the appeal for help Trout Cetewayo had. previously been with
which has been made by the Lord Mayor of Moirosi, who has long been disaffected, and
London. The people of these islands are . who is now harbouring one of his sons who
ever ready to assist in such cases of dire had escaped from prison.
distress as this; and, without doubt there More reassuring reports have since reached
never was an instance in the long roll of Sing William's Town from Captain Grant,
Mansion House charities where assistance commanding the Cape Mounted Rifles at
was more urgently needed. Palmietfontein, and it is understcoa Viet the
From. its natural situation the district princips,l Basuto chief, Letsea, will-himself
which is now laid under water is peculiarly quell any disturbance that may arise. Some
liable to disaster 17 flood, and for many troops of Yeomanry tinder Colonel Southey
years great precautions have been taken to will proceed to' Palmeitfontein, and Other
protect the town of Szegedin from the incur, dispositions have been made to meet any
sions of the Theiss. This river is not like emergency. .
some of the well-known streams of France, Her Majesty's ship Shah arrived at Simon's
which occasionally burst their banks, such TOWII on Sunday, with reinforcements from
as the Garonne, the Lair, and the Rhone, St. Helena for Natal. At the request of the
which rise suddenly and without warning, Governor of the island, Captain Bradshaw,
and as suddenly subside. The Theiss, less who was returning from a Pacific station,
rapid in its rise, is also slower to return to brought hither 170 soldiers, and is prepared
its bed after it has once left it, and when it also to land 650 sailors and raarines.
is at its height carries everything before it The Natal papers are conjecturing why
in an irresistible volume. Situate in the Cetewayo so long sits still. Mr. John Dunn
centre of Europe, and out of the track of believes that he will reserve his strength
tourists, Hungary is a land of which we until our forces approach his kraal, when he
know practically little, and probably but a give battle in open ground and fight it out
small proportion of our readers ever heard fairly. But John Dunn was mistaken before
of the town of Szegedin in their lives. Yet and he may be mistaken again. It is sag.
it is a place as large as Plymouth, and a gested in other quarters that the losses of
little m.ors than a-week ago was inhabited by the Zulus have been more serious than was
a contented and prosperous population of supposed. (some estimate the number killed
-
80,000 souls. It was built on both sides of at twelve thousand men), and that the king
the Theiss, at its confidence with the river is cowed by the prowess of our forces, note
Maros. The Theiss is broad and Jeep, much withstanding his success in slaughtering a
resembling the Thames in its passage through whole camp by overwhelming masses aided
London, and is navaaible for vessels of very by a surprise, and on Our side by a military
considerable tonnage. The land which it error. Whatever Cetewayo's strategical plan
drains is a vast alluvial plain, forming one may be, and whatever the cause of his sus-
of the most fertile districts in Hungary, corn. pension of active operations, indications are
fields and vineyards being its distinguishing not Wanting of the sustained vigilance with
characteristics. Szegedin was divided into which beyond his own territory he is looking
three towns—the upper, the central, and-the out for every chance of embarrassing his
lower, conhected by bridges of boats.; it adversaries.
possessed a splendid 'market place, with Moirosi's hostile movement in Basutoland
numerous churches, convents, schools, and followed closely upon the report published
hospitals. There were also soap factories in a frostier journal of the arrival at his
and works for the manufacture of woollen Kraal of emissaries from Zululand, and it is
goods, leather, and tobacco; it was famous stated on well-informed authority that in
for constructing the neatest boats and the every part of Kaffirlancl Zulu diplomacy is
best floating mills in the country; it did a at work. Cetewayo may have his own
large export trade in corn, rape-seed, and reasons for adoptinga waiting strategy just
tallow; and the presence of a Magyar now, and i indeed it s not unlikely that the
theatre testified to the fact that the inhabit- strategy ha i 3 been suggested to. him from a
ants did not forget their recreations in the quarter outside Zululand. His machinations,
midst of all their business engagements; however amongst the neighbouring tribe
h s
Tu., ko signally_ are sulicient evidence of his real intentien,
obliterated Seses c/a:long-at the wake of map, ana it ne can only bring tbil 13.4.1fiettuna- aboitt
was a place of some imporian* and its- in. our ears together he will doubtless- make it
habitants did all in their power to protect it abundantly clear te his philanthropic friends
from the threatening danger by which it has why for a time he has chosen to assume a
at length been overwhelmed. As the Theiss strictly defensive attitude.
was the source of the prosperity of Szegedin Mrs Shepstone was introdaced to the re-
so it was tie cause of an ever-menacing presentative of the Press by Captain Jones,
peril. This will be obvious at a glance from and she- eaid everybody in Natal and at the
the explanation that the river runs on a high Cape throws the blame of the disaster upon
level compared with the surrounding country, Lord Chelmsford. No one hes a word to
and it is probable that the bed of the stream say in his defence. The feelings of the coi-
ls being constantly raised by the alluvial onists are that a new General is quite as im-
deposits brought down by the waters from portant and as much wanted as reinforce-
their long and solitary journey—from the ments, and that unless the command is
Carpathian Mountains on the one hand, by placed in other hands there is no knowing
the Theiss, and from the spreading plains of what disaster may occur.
Transylvania, on the other,' by the Maros.
The embankments were continually watched
and strengthened. One great wall was
raised about twelve miles from the Szegedin,
to prevent the water breaking through at
that paint, and a second or inner wall was
erected nearer the city itself.
- This has been a severe winter, and one of
the results of its severity is now seen in the
destruction of Szegedin. An enormous
quantity of snow, lodged upon the slopes of
the Carpathians, gradually gave way under
the milder influence of Spring; there was
also a great thaw upon the Transylvanian
plains; and thus from the same cause the
waters of the Theiss and the Maros were
swollen to an abnOsmal degree. -A little
more than three weeks ago the water, which
had been for some time rising, forced it way
over the outer embankment, but it was be-
. lieved that the inner wall would be able suc-
cessfully to resist any further advance of
s the flood. Every effort was put forth to
- make it as strong as possible; large bodies
of men were employed raising it still higher.
and -strengthening' it at every point where it
showed signs Of weakness. But in the dark
hours of the morning of the 12th inst., the
. water having gained' the top of the. inner
, wall, made a breach through the embankment
*which there was no possibility of repairing.
4 T4e;Aaecl swept through the town in an
resistrent, :giving *but little time for
sass es-Cape. majority of the houses being
constructed of sun-dried . bricks, speedily
m,elted away before the roaring deluge.
Whole rows of them were quickly levelled
with the ground The orphanage was swept
away; the gasworks were submerged and
- the town was deprived of light; the citadel,
post office, and telegraph office were also un- I
der water. All through the darkness of the
early morning nothing could be heard but
the merciless rush of the overpowering river,
the crash of falling buildings, the screams of
the diowning, 'and the wails of the bereaved.
3,4 c ,ch a story of utter devastation has not
.• told in our.timo, To add to the misery
a biting frost settled down ,
111)211 t of desolation, adding to the
intensity, orrlbie.safrerings. A question was
once asked in holy vt-rit-ow can these.
. things be P" Here d to f
with a calamity la ur go ace ace,.
of appalling magnitude; but
as 'thole tipoa whom the 'Tower of Siloam '
fell weresno worse than their' neighbours, so
the homeleeple of Szegedin, upon whom
this fearful dater has descended, will not
be regarded as;-having committed special
crires,s'sealling for the judgment of Heaven.
They
,have;beenevietims to one of the irrer
' ' - and will receive the

THE FLOOD IN HITNGARY,
VIENNA, Wednesday Nigh

A letter in the Neue Frie Presse points out
that the catastrophe is- Mainly •due to •the,-
manner in which the. course of the T4eiss
has been regulated. The Tholes is a. Slow
river. Its rapidity,_coinpared witk thak. of
the Rhine, is áe'2s to 40. When the works
were carried out in 1845, the chief object
was to increase the current -of the river,
which follows a serpentine course for 611
kilometres. The river was considerably
shortened, and in parts narrowed, and no
provision against inundation was made. The
danger of floods in the lower parts was in-
creased. In -1865 the Assembly was warned.
of the danger of inundation near the '
mouth of the Maros, and was assured that
the embankments there must be increased
in height. A loan sufficient for all the
works required must be granted. Eight
dredging engines, have arrived in Szegedin.
267 more dead bodies have been recovered.
—Daily News.

SZEGEDIN,- Wednesday.
Many of the inhabitantt have constructed
rafts of beams and boards, by the aid Of
which they search among the remains of
their houses for any remnants- that may be
left of their property. The greatest joy is
manifested by the women as soon as some
Inlayed piece of furniture is discovered. I
saw an old wolnan sobbiag violently on be-
holding a little picture 'which had remained
in a tolerable state of preservation, ; it was
the portrait of her drowned husband. A
cradle was drawn out which contained, a
slumbering kitten. Soldiers, firemen, mem-
bers of gymnastic and rowing clubs from I
other towns are now engaged saving the
household utensils, which are heaped up in
the dry spots. In some streets an offensive
smell proceeds from the bodies which are
buried under the ruins. Out of nine thou-
sand six hundred buildings, of which six
thousand eight hundred were dwelling
houses, only two hundred and sixty-eight
remain habitable. The number of children
who have become orphans is very great,
and sucklings are dying daily for want of
their natural food. Common Council have
resolved- to distribute no raoney at present,
but-front-the proceeds of the subscriptions
and the subvention made by the State they
will grant free loans'cif interest to the in-
habitants for the purpose of rebuilding their
houses. Barracks will be built for the home-
less, and New Szegedin will be incorporated.
-rniration has nearly ceased. The great
).../rs is remarkable
the' file-Ives; litiloilaye.,-,ittAhe
they have reriftiv`td,'. firmed' it
sort lircrenti-electedin,agistrates,
and discussed the means of preve7
future disasters. "Most of the emigrants
proudly refuse to receive charity, and will
only accept food.—Standard.

even anion

syrnpathi.iii.d. netp-exl
flusuch an nniiazalieled nalisfortime.'

7iiierTs

THE ZULU WAR.

ADDITIONAL MAii4 NEWS.
- .PLyrioliTs, Thursday Night.
-Tb.e Donda Currie Royal jMail steamer
Babitorakiggeesigrivo44)2 plymoutiz Sound

BRITISH HELP.—LATTERIFROM THE
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etiffrore by the 11924* Nianesiiimp4oo

;

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