The Express.
London, England, 1864-03-15 00:00:00

[Stamped, id. Additional.]

covered with • little light straw. There were among them a
little boy of about Bor 10 years of age, and a fine, handsome
girl of some 18 summers. There were grown men and
women who had died in their prime, and more than one
whose thin, grey, Manske, hair and grizzled beard showed
that he had long, peeved the meridian of life when be found
• watery grave. From infancy to old age, there they lay
awaiting their removal to their last long narrow bed.
Opposite were men dragging the river for other bodies,
and others were found while I was there, as was attested by
the little groups of persons moving sadly over the plain
with shells and stretcher/. Leaving this affecting scene,
and crewing the fields, I came upon they ruined village
of Owlertou and Hillabro-bridge, a two arch bridge—
ova of which had been completely carried away. Hen,
again, I saw enacted the same scene of clearing the mod
away, bat on • less extensive scale, from the fact that
thn►fourths of the houses were altogether deserted and
seemed tottering to their fall. Whole sides of buildings
had been carried rimy by,the resistless force of the mighty
torrent, disclosing the interior of half the houses, out of
which everything appeared to have been washed. I had
Dow entered the picturesque valley of the Lockaley, down
the narrow gorge of which the raging torrent
had rushed with such terrific velocity as
to overturn everything with which it name
in contact. Every mill, every farmhouse, every building
that stood within one hundred yards of the bank, was swept
clean away, while the houses that wore a little on om side
were cut through as with • knife. A vest main of stones
washed dean, and looking like the dry bed of a large river in
the drought of summer, were the remains of homes. Mills
were carried bodily away, leaving nothing behind them but
iron boilers and wheels, which were to be seen embedded in
the ground on the spot where they formerly revolved. The
water mark on the homes a considerable distance from
the stream shows that • body of water at least
18 or 20 feet deep must have poured down this
gorge with all the mad fury of a cataract. Just opposite
had been a large farm, not • vestige of which was left, and I
stood upon a few loom stones scattered here and there upon
the ground, which were all that remained of a considerable
public-home, which was thrown down bodily, eat in the
fall of which 11 mimes perished. A bank of mad, in which
children might dig with voodoo spades, covered the site
whore stood the greater part of the village of M•line.bridga,
and a little strearelet which forced its way from me of the
many depilate pools into the now brawling stream of the
Locks/ey, enabled me to ascertain that this bed of sand,
exteeding over acres of ground, was 18 inches thick. So
complete bad been the obliteration of landmarks, so mighty
the effects of the oonvolsioo, that as I gazed around tame
was absorbed in woods.

Perhaps the most distresaing wens that could be wit-
seised in connexion with this fearful catastrophe took place
yesterday morning at the Sheffield Workhouse. About
ten a.m. a crowd of persons assembled outside the huddling
anxiously soliciting permission to view the bodies of the
unfortunate victims there laid out, for the purpose of re-
cognising, if possible, some missing friend or relative.
Through the courtesy of one of the officials of the institu-
tion we were enabled to view the bodies, and to be present
as various parties peeped through the building ou their
mournful sinnd, which in many instances was but too sue-
osiefuLSThe wens was one that defies description, and will
sot readily be forgotten by anyone who witnessed is, for
in five of the outbuildings no less than uioety-nine corpses
were laid out, the majority of them retaining the
position in which they were when death overtook them.
Water alone was not the agent of their deetructioe, for
falling houses, tress, and stones aided in the horrible work.
Many of the bodies are terribly crushed and bruised; but
on the whole the countenances of the sufferers wore a
singularly placid expression, not one in any way indicating
a violent death. Not more than ooe in tea exhibited the
marked symptoms of asphyxia by drowsing, as described by
medical authors on the subject, vin., a livid colour of the
face, the tongue protruding and generally wounded by the
teeth, a frothy discharge from the mouth and nose, the eye-
lids half closed and the pupils dilated. quite the reverse
seems to be the case with the majority of these poor sal-
toren, for the general appearance of the bodies is that of sound
sleep, the lips and cheeks retaining still the rosy freshoess of
life, the mouth slightly opened, and a smile upon the face at
though some pleasant dream were passing through the
mind. The children particularly seem as though they were
quite unconscious of anything having occurred to disturb
their repose, end convert the sleep of health and innocence
into one of honor and death. In one room lay stretched,
side by side, a man sod his wife, lying upon whose breast
was their little one, but a few days old. In one room lay an
aged couple whose lives were apparently cut short bat a very
little earlier than had Nature run bar appointed coune. In
another place were three little children of we family, a
most touching sight, lying as though buried in the soundest
slumber, clasped in each other's arms.
The conduct of Mr. Jackson, the chief constable, was in
the highest degree commendable. As soon as information
of the calamity reached him be mounted his hone, and
rode into the inundated districts, at great personal risk,
to nutter assistance, and to give directions to the police
and others. In the Wicker the water was so high that it
iiiched his knees as he sat in the saddle. This courage he
displayed, the valuable lesietence be euoonded in render-
ing, and the fears he allayed, entitle him to the warm*
preen Knowing that Neepeend would, from its position,
suffer greatly, he rode thine as quickly as possible,
and the state of things he found there might well have
! dismayed him. itutland-street, which runs from the
Peaistose-road to Neepsend-lane, and the whole die
trict at both ends of the street, were one shiest of tur-
bulent water, sod the bridge which crosses the river maid
not be distinguished. In order to aid those on the Neepeend
side Mr. Jackson rode through the water, though, the bet-
dements of the bridge being Dearly down, he was almost
unable to distinguish which was the water covering the
streets and whipb the river. By the exercise of great de-
termination and daring he succeeded is reaching Nespeend.
lane, and there he beard screams and cries of the most pita.
able character. He saw a man waving a lantern at a win-
dow sod ayiag lustily for help, but the currant being at
that point very strong he could not get Dear him. When
he reached the houses be looked into many of them, and
seeing in ono three, aid in another two, dead bodies, he
exhorted the people to keep to their upper rooms, and
sot to attempt to escape from them, hurried for far-
thee help, sod the water soon afterwards considerably
subsiding, be was enabled to reach them. During the whole
of Saturday and yesterday Mr. Jackson was unremitting is
his exertions, and the admirable arrangements which he
roads for the guidance of the vast crowds who visited the
scenes of the disaster had theeff act of preserving the greatest
order and of preventing the occurrence of accidents.