The Express.
London, England, 1864-10-06 00:00:00

THE GREAT FLOOD AT SHEFFIELD.

The Commissioners under the Sheffield Water
Compasy's Inundation Act--Mesers. W. °versed, Q.C., J.
Jobsoa Smith, and Mansfield Mills--held their first sitting
at the Town-ball on Tuesday. The number of claims already
met is Ii 3,500. There is still • period of three weeks
thrift which claims ate be sent in, mid a considerable
number of the largest claims have not yet been
llreceived. The claims brought before the commis-
salami yesterday were for small moue* the chief
object of the sitting being to settle questions of practice
and principle for future guidance. The main questions
settled were these :—A large number of caterers' claims
for compensation for lass of furniture and such damage
have been sent in without particulars. An eider was made
that io all smolt cases partridges meet be furnished within
a fortnight, so that tie Water Company msy have an oppor-
tunity of @Lamle lag and testing the correctness of the claims.
' Distinct notice was given that if these wheelers ware Dot
furnished in proper time the claim would thee be rejected,
or amended at the cost of the claimants. The act of parlia-
ment requires the Water Company within a certain tame
after receiving claims to give whoa Ia writing whether
they admit or dissent from them, and to state the amount
they ere prepared to offer in case they admit any part of
the claims. A number of claimants have neglected to iota.
mate their acceptance or non-acceptance of the amount
offered by the Water Company. It was urged that unless
such notice was given the Water Company might be
put to great espouse in investigating the claims which
it might turn out were not disputed. The commissioners
therefore decided that claimants who did not within the
preeeribed time intimate their ison-scomptabes of the amount
offered by the Water Dompany should he held to have ac-
cepted such offer. A number of claims for leas of wages
have already bees mad* by workmen employed at mace-
(Retched which were either destroyed or stopped for a time
by the flood ; and it is understood that there were a vast
number of such claims still to be emit in. The question was
therefore raised whether working toes in regular employ-
ment were entitled to claim individually summit the Water
Company. The occominiomen decided that all workmen so
em, toyed that they could not be dismissed by their
masters without notice, or wages in lieu of
notice, must, whether day or plea hands, claim
upon their employers for sys for each period as they were
eatitled to notice, the entprees claiming epee the Water
Company. The Water Company did sot dispute their
liability for loss of work or wages ; the importenos of the
decision lies in the fact that the company being liable for the
casts a each substantiated claim, as aneemous sum will
be saved by having them claims made by a few employers
instead of a vast number of working men. Perhaps the
question of meet public interest was that of the right or ether-
wimp of the mayor to claim epee the Water Company for the
amounts advanced oat of the public subscriptions as compen-
sation for loss of furniture, goods, ke. It wee decided by the
isnodation eommittee some time ago, to cell upon the Water
Company to refund snob amounts as had hese paid in mitiga-
te° of &thee which would otherwise have been made upon
them. In consequence of this decision a number of suf-
ferers have sent in claims to the Water Company, deduct-
ing the amount received from the public subecriptiom The
tows clerk, however, stated that it was not the intantioa
of the mayor to make any claim for sums advanced to per-
sons who were present to claim on their own behalf. Under
these circumstance counsel for the claimants applied to
the commissioners to permit the amendment of claims
sent by striking out the deduction, in order that they
might claim for the full amount. The argument put
forward ea behalf of the claimants was that the pay.
meet from the subscriptions was a mere loan, which the
sufferers were bound to repay. The commissioners granted
permission to strike out the deduction, the chairman, how-
ever, intimating that the claimants mast abide by the
amendment whether for or against them; the commissioners
could not allow them to amend • mooed time by reinserting
the deducitiou if it should hereafter be decided that the
eliminate were debarred from claiming for the amount
they had received from the public subscription. On the
face of it, the withdrawal of the CiDOIDI of the mayor seemed
to the door for a large number of sufferers obtaining
double payment, and thee refusing to recoup the amount
received from the public subscription. We believe we are
right, however, in saying that the mayor withdraws from
prosecuting the chime transferred to him oe an understaod-
log with the professional gentlemen concerned that the
claims on behalf of the public suSecriptions are to be handed
over to bid), or the town clerk ea his behalf, at the time of
payment by the Water Company.

SPIRITUALISM EXPOSER-THE RAVEN-