The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-08-15 00:00:00

DREADFUL FLOODS IN AMERICA.

A terrible flood occurred at Baltimore and its
vicinity on Friday, July 24, which caused great de-
struction of life and property. The city of Baltimore
is built on hills rising gradually from the Patapsco
river, the ground immediately along the river being
low, and is divided through the centre by a stream
known as Jones's Falls, which is bridged at the cross-
ings of the streets. Jones's Falls is liable to freshets
with every rain, and on extraordinary occasions, when
the body of water is too great to be carried off, the
raging torrent overspreads its boundaries and sweeps
down the streets, almost submerging the lower parts
of the town. There have been previous floods from
this cause, the greatest being in 1837, when twenty
lives were lost in the city and two millions of dollars'
worth of property was destroyed. The present flood ,
has proved more disastrous than any of its prede-
cessors, though the loss life within the city limits
has not been as great as in 1837. The rain, re hich be-
gan falling at an early hour on Friday morning, by
nine descended in sheets, and so continued for nearly
six hours. All the streets adjacent to Jones's Falls
were flooded by a rise of the stream. North, Calvert,
Holliday, and Baltimore streets, the latter the princi-
pal thoroughfare of the city, were swept by a headlong
torrent, which carried with it hogsheads, barrels, boxes,
bales of hay, and other property from the shops and store-
houses on those streets. Gay, Frederick, and Hanover
streets were submerged, the water along them being
four feet deep. On North-street, at one time, there
was eight feet of water, and the people were driven to
the upper stories of the buildings. Many warehouses
and factories were much damaged, and a few of them ,
' were nearly swept away. Nine of the bridges at the
street crossings were carried off. The flood subsided
more rapidly than it rose, and in a few minutes after
the rain ceased the people were able to venture abroad
and see the extent of the calamity. Before evening of
the next day six bodies of drowned persons and nearly
200 bales of cotton were recovered from the river,
which was literally blocked with the wreck of the
flood. It is not known how many lives were lost, but
it is thought the whole number will not exceed ten,
and may not be over six. The lowest estimate of the
loss of property places it at 3,000,000 dols. The
heaviest losses are by Wood, Weeks, and Co., sugar
refiners, who lose 30,000 dots.; Read and Co., tanners,
whose loss is 20,000 dale.; and Fisher, Brothers, im-
porters, who lose 16,000 dohs. The iron foundry of
Bentley, Larrabee, and Co., is almost a complete
wreck, but their loss is not stated; it is chiefly on
the building. The aggregate of private losses must be
enormous.

But great as was the calamity at Baltimore it was
exceeded by hat befell the httle town of Ellicott
City, on the l'atapsco river, and on the line of
the Baltimore and Ohio Railway, about fifteen miles
from Baltimore. Here the river rose nearly 40ft.
above its level, being swelled by the torrents from the
adjacent hills. Nearly 40 houses and two factories were
swept away, several other factories being greatly
damaged; and miles of the railroad, with several
bridges, some of them iron, were swept away.
Thirty-seven persons are known to be drowned, and
half-a-dozen more are missing. One resident, Dr.
Owings, lost his wife, six children, and two servants.
Another family, consisting of man and wife and five
children, was all lost. A lady and her two nieces and
a man and wife and their niece were also drowned.
Three other families of three each, and another of
two, swell the list of the drowned, in addition to
the persons carried off. About 20 of the bodies of
those drowned at Ellicott city have been recovered at
the Relay Station, seven miles from Baltimore, whither
they had been borne by the flood. At the Relay
Station but two lives are known to be lost, but several
factories were damaged or destroyed. The loss of pro-
perty at Ellicott city is estimated at 1,000.000 doLs.
The sympathies of the benevolent of neighbouring
cities for the poor people who lost their all by the
flood has been aroused, and subscriptions have been
started for their relief, Mr. George W. Childs, of the
Public Ledger, heading the list in this city with 1,000
dols. The rains extended north into Pennsylvania,
and a flood in the Lehigh river was the consequence.
Here, also, hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of
property was destroyed ; but, fortunately, the loss I d
life was small, only two persons, a man and a woman,
being reported drowned.