The Express.
London, England, 1864-03-21 00:00:00

THE SHEFFIELD CATASTROPHE.

Lord Alfred Paget writes to the Times :—" It
vies my lot to visit a few days since a scene which no one
can Icily describe, and what certainly my pen cannot do
justice to. In the most populous part of Sheffield there
are at this moment hundreds—and I might say thousands—
of the poorer classes, totally destitute of furniture, cooking
utensils, and clothes, who a few days ago had each a cum
fortable, and, I believe, a happy English home. It is a
very prevalent and popular idea that the poor people who
have suffered are those who have been swept away by the
devouring flood. Would that it were so. Alas! these
hundreds are but the few. The many are those who
os the Friday night went to bed with every
humble luxury that their industry and hard savings
had earned them, and who were aroused in the dead hour
of the night to find their home, their comforts, my, even
their common necessaries of existence, destroyed. From
what I witnessed and from what I beard computed, I do
not believe (though I wish I may be in error) that 2.000,0001.
sterling will restore what has been destroyed. Mills, habi-
tations, shops, farms, nay, even whole rows of homes and
gardens, have bean demolished. On Thursday last I saw
numbers of the poor—once well to do—actually digging the
remnants of furniture—sofas, chairs, cooking utensils,
clothes, Ice., out of the mod which this fearful deluge
left on its retreat in the rooms of their cottages.
Ooe poor woman whose husband was a grinder, and
who kept a small grocer's shop, pointed ow. to me
the mark where the muddy flood had run to witkio a few
inche' of the ceiling of her bedroom. The lives of herself
and children were saved by her husband knocking a hole
through a fortunately rotten ceiling, by means A which
they succeeded in getting on the roof, where they had to
sit in their nightclothes from 1 RAIL to 5 um., when the
waters subsided. This is but one of the many cases of per-
sons who had similar narrow escapes. The roofing of many
houses will point out the truth of what I say. When this
fearful flood descended the narrow valley it not only swept
all before it for early levee miles, but it spread over the
whole area of the suburbs at the entrance of the town, mostly
inhabited by the poor and labouring classes, to an average
height of !)ft. Had this awful catastrope occurred at midday,
when all the met), women, and children were in the streets
and mills, it is oomputed that not le=e than 5,000 or 6.000
souls would have perished. lam told that already about
20,0001. has been subscribed, but do not for • moment
suppose that any such sum will suffice to reinstate matters,
or reasonably compensate the unfortunate victims. It will
take thousands even to clenr the sewers end drains, which
we choked up with mud, trees, debris of property. God
grant that no typhus fever or pestilence may ensue! Ex-
perienced men fear this. Let me add, to their honour, that
not one murmur did I hear, and that those poor wlio were
is a position to grant shelter to their less fortunate neigh-
boon have done so with a free and willing band. The
suffering poor are always readiest to help their suffering
fellow-creatures, and nowhere was this more plainly seen
than under the shadow of this terrible calamity."

SLIEFFIELD, SATURDAY NlGHT.—Tiotwitlistauditig
the work of emptying the cellars and cartiog away the filth
and mod is cheerfully and zealously pursued, the task ap-
pears endless, and the cellars inexhaustible. Before day-
light this work was going 00, and bas been continued
throughout the day, but with little apparent improvement
as far so the aspect of the town is concerned. tae dawned
reservoir underwent another inspection this day by several
scientific men, who are preparing pious cud other
ioformation to be adduced at the coroner's iequiry,
which, by the way, is becoming a general topic
of conversation, Anil is looked forward to with
much anxiety, especially by thou immee‘ately concerned.
The last of the bodies recovered were interred toslev with
every mark of respect and decorum. Out of the estimated
number of persons lost a i are not yet discovered. Search is
still continued, but no bodies have been found to-dsy. At
• meeting of the coi,thsei, of the Manchester, Sheffield, and
Lincolnshire Railway • resolution was purled that the whole
of the stations on the line should act in coojunction in ra,s-
ing r subscription for the relief of the sufferers. A meeting
of the ioluLitante of the town of Doncaster was also
held, presided over by the mayor, FL Moore, Esq. A
resolittioo was palmed, opening a subscription list,
and before the meeting separated was eollectxl.
The sub-committee and medical gentlemen have been
actively engaged today •isitieg the worst of the inundated
districts, and their instructions to 'lndy disinfectants to the
decomposing filth are being actively carried out by district
committees. At • long sitting o the executive committee
yesterdav the workmen's tool committee presented • report
ae to the condition of is number of men in the grinding trade
whore tools have been destroyed. Six hundred pounds was
required to onside them to resume their work, and • cheque
for that amount was immediately granted. The destruction
of property is immense, but at present not even an approxi.
mate return can be given. The hides of people in
Sheffield to-day has been very great. end the curiosity gene-
rally manifested to sisit the scene of destruction has not in
the least abated.