The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-06-04 00:00:00

ME NORTHERN TIMES.-LIVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY.

FEARFUL INUNDATIONS IN PARIS

The accounts given by the French provincial
journals of the floods in different parts of the
country are most afflicting. At Lyons the Saone
has not yet reached a greater height than it had
done ten days ago, but the Rhone has risen above
the level which it attained in 1840 and 1851. The
Guillotiere, the Brotteaux, as far as Villeurbane
and La Mouche, are all under water, and can only
be reached by boats or in carriages. in the city
the gallery of the Hotel Dieu, the Place Bellecour,
a great part of the Place de la Charite, and all the
adjoining streets, are completely flooded, and can
only be approached by boats. At the Quai de
la Charite two steamers are moored, with their
steam up, ready for any emergency. All the line
of the quays on the right bank, from the Pont
Morand to that of the Hotel Dieu, is covered with
water. On the left bank, the top of the Quai
d'Albert is only a few inches above the level of the
river. A number of soldiers are at work at the
head of this quay, in throwing up embankments to
protect the new works of defence which are in
course of construction. All the embankments fur-
ther up the river have as yet resisted the pressure
of the torrent, but great fears are entertained that
they will not stand if the rush of water continues.

At St. Clair the walls of a house have been under-
mined, and the building thrown down. An immense
quantity of building timber has come floating
down the river, and also a number of sleepers,
which must have been washed away from the
railway in construction from Lyons to Geneva.

At Saint George an enormous mass of ground,
trees, and stones fell down on the back of a house
in the street of that name, the walls of which
were considerably damaged. The inhabitants
were able to escape without injury. About
half-past one on Saturday, the dyke of the
Grand Champ, gave way to the extent of 150
yards. Eleven hundred men belonging to
the army of Lyons were at work near the
fort which is being constructed there, and
they were thus cut off, the water having formed a
complete lake round the palce. Information of
the event was immediately sent to Marshal de
Castellane, who immediately went towards the
place, and gave orders for organising means of
bringing them off by boats. Reports were at one
time in circulation that a great number of soldiers
had been drowned, but those rumours happily
turned out to be unfounded. The fort of
La Vitriolerie has been flooded, and has
been evacuated by the soldiers. The
line of electric telegraph wires has been cut
off. The road from Lyons to Geneva is broken up
in several places. It was reported that the Lake
of Geneva had overflowed its banks and caused
considerable damage. At Rochecardon a mill
has been carried away. At Valence the Rhone
covers all the lower parts of the town. Vizile and
Bourg d'Oisans are also inundated. At Vienne all
the manufactories in the suburbs are stopped
by the places being inundated. At Tournon
most of the streets are impassable, except by
boats; At Avignon the quays and the low streets
are all under water. The river Romanesche has
overflowed its banks and inundated all the plains;
several bridges have been washed away. The
Isere, the Gier, the Cher, the Loire, the Loiret, and
all the rivers leading into them, have also broken
over their banks, and indeed the same account is
given from almost every part of the country.
The Lyons journals received this day continue to
give the most heartrending accounts of the progress
of the inundations. Above are given the principal
details of the appearance of things on the morning
of 31st nit, but unfortunately they were far below the
reality. When the dyke of the Tete d'Or, near the
Grand Champ, gave way, the water covered the
east plains with great rapidity. The tocsin was
sounded in all the surrounding villages to give the
alarm. Many persons were surprised in their
sleep and could only save themselves, half-dressed,
by wading through the water, leaving all their
property at the mercy of the flood. Many were
compelled to remain in their houses, and wait until '
assistance could be brought to them. The em-
bankment thrown up to the north of the Brotteaux
protected the ehemin de ron'le in that direction,
but a little further to the east the water broke
furiously through a breach into that part called
La Petit Californie, behind the Pre aux Clercs,
and through the Rue Massena the water rushed
like a cataract. The establishment of the Petite
Sceurs des Pauvres was inundated, and it was found
necessary to remove all its inmates to the Hotel
Dieu in waggons. The directors of the Maison du
Saint-Enfant Jesus brought out their children one
by one on their backs, and the sick were laid on
mattresses and placed on rafts hastily made for the
purpose, and thus carried to a place of safety. At
every moment boats and omnibuses might be seen
setting down their freights at the Hotel de Ville
and in the Cours Morand, which remained clear
of the water, and where an immense number
of persons passed the remainder of the night.
Some of them had been able to save a few
clothes, but most of them had only what they
stood in, and those were drenched with water.
Cries and moans were heard in every direction,
women seeking their husbands and their
children, and the children calling for their
mothers. Horses, cows, and sheep were also
seen prowling about and uttering cries of hunger
and alarm. It appears impossible to form any
correct idea of what accidents have taken place,
nor can it be correctly ascertained until the water
shall have subsided, and circulation be once more
free. At the Brotteaux several houses were washed
down before the inhabitants could be got out. At
Charpennes a man, his wife, and their child were
buried beneath the ruins of their house. A boat,

with several persons who had been saved from a
house, upset, and all were drowned. The Rhone
is constantly bringing down furniture, cattle, and

sheep. Alany small houses, built of framework and
brick, have been washed away bodily from their
foundations at the Brotteaux, and are seen floating

about with the current. The Grande rue de la
Guillotiere has the appearance of a regular river.
The high bank used as the Polygone at the Grand
Champ has entirely disappeared. Three of the
Rhone steamers broke from their moorings and
were driven down the river. The current fortu
nately carried them into the river Oullins, where

they were brought to by letting go their anchors.
The traffic on the Mediteranean Railway has been
re-established. The above details relate almost
entirely to the Rhone. The Saone has also risen,
but up to the present time its progress has been
trifling compared with that of the other river.
Accounts from Valence state that although the rise
of the Rhone has not completely stopped, it does
not advance as rapidly as before. The quays and
the lower parts of the town are completely
inundated, and in many of the streets
leading to the quays, the water in the ground

floors is six feet deep. All the Plain des
Granges presents the appearance of an immense
lake. The river is constantly seen bringing down
trees, which have been torn up by the roots, cattle,
furniture, and a quantity of other articles. Three
large barges, laden with coal, which were moored
to the quay at Valence, were washed away by the
rapidity of the current, and all of them sank at
some distance down the river. One man was
drowned. At La Paillasse the Veoure has broken
over its banks and caused considerable mischief.
The towns of Tain and Tournon are completely un-
der water from the overflowing of the Rhone, and
Montelemart is threatened with a similar fate. The
small river Morgon, which passes through Ville-
franche, and afterwards fails into the Saone, has
become a complete torrent, and having risen above
the arches of the bridge, which still stands firm, has
overflowed the banks, and many of the houses have
their cellars and ground floors under water. The
Allier, the Doubs, and the Loiret, with all their
tributary streams, continue their upward move-
ment and inundate all the surrounding country,
but the Loire, the Garonne, and the Cher have, it
is hoped, reached their utmost height, and in many
parts have begun to fall.

MILITARY FRACAS AT PLYMOITTIL—The peace of those
portions of Plymouth town usually the haunts of the mili-
tary during their hours of idleness was disturbed on Satur-
day evening by a fracas between the Limerick Militia and
the Royal Marines. So far as the facts can be ascertained,
the Irishmen bad made up their minds to give the Marines
a good " bating," as a souvenir prior to their leaving the
garrison, which it was expected they would do in a few
days. A serious row ensued, which was not quelled for
some time. Though several of the Marines were injured,
none of the wounds were of a very serious character, being
the result of blows only, except in one instance, where a
man received a stab in the arm.