Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-18 00:00:00

FLOODS ON SATURDAY.

LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY.

The terrible storm on Friday night seems to have raged
over the whole extent of the north, east, and west of Eng-
land, it having gone over the south of England on the
preceding day. In Manchester and the neighbourhood,
the flood reached its highest on Saturday. The flood on
the Irwell was greater than any that has taken place fur
many years past. The low grounds behind and adjoining
Broughton Mews were completely submerged, and that to
the depth of several feet. The appearance presented was
that of an immense lake, through the centre of which ran,
foaming and dashing, an impetuous torrent. The white
parapets of the wooden bridges were alone di.cernable
above the watery waste, and so copious ware the floods
that continued on Saturday to pour down the channel
of the river, and prevent its subsidence within its
natural limits, that it was not till an advanced hour in the
afternoon that the roadway of the bridges became visible.
Lower down, the flood did not assume such formidable
proportions. The improved draieage which has been effected
during the past year, and an increase which has been
made to the height of the banks in the vicinity of
Broughton Bridge, confined the river to its proper channel
But it swept along with great impetuosity, and carried
away a heavy wooden fencing from the premises of Messrs
Dean and Woodburn, known as the Broughton Pr:ntworks.
The works of Messrs. Lockett, Sons and Leaks have suf-
fered by the flood, the waver having risen as high as the
boiler fires, and consequently prevented any motive power
being used. The machine wo-k of Mr. Muir, Springfield
lane, the cotton mill of Mr. T. Harding, and the works of
Mr. De Burg, all in the sane locality, have suffered in a
similar manner. Beyond flooding the basement storeys of
several mills, and thereby causing a suspension of work,
we have not heard that the overfhw of the Irwell has
occasioned in this vicinity any other or more serious
damage to property than the above. But at Victoria
Bridge a very lamentable fatality occurred.
The river there, flowing with increased im-
petuosity from the augmentation of its volume by
the confluence of the Irk, rose to about four inches higher
than in September, 1855. The timber and branches, &c.,
which floated on its su-face, attracted the attention of
several hangers-on at the boat wharf, and among others of
a young man, 18 or 19 years of age, named William
Jackson Jackson stationed himself in a boat about 100
yards below the bridge, while two other men posted them-
selves immediately at the bridge, for the purpose of
catching and fishing out whatever might be brought down
by the current.. A piece of timber was aimed at and
missed by the two men, and Jackson, when it neared him,
made an effort to catch it He was too eager. however,
and leaned forward till he overbalanced himself, and fell
headlong into the stream. He disappeared instantly, and
when he next rose to the surface his head was like a black
speck c lose to Biackfriars Bridge. The rapidity of the current
precluded all attempts at rescuing the unf)rtunate man.
From the time of the lamentable occurrence, a quarter past
six in the morning, when the water was about its height,
considerable num' ers were attracted to the spot by the
rumours of the accident.
Much more serious were the effects of the inundation
on the bank 4 of the Medlock, where impediments to the
free passage of the water have been springing up daily
during the past few years. The establishments which
suffered by last year's field have been again visited with
more or less severity, and we understand the damage
sustained amounts to between £60,000 and £70,000,
What is worse, however, than the actual. loss in money
value is the fact that a large number of operatives will be
thrown out of employ for some time,' and winter will pro-
bably come upon them when they are in very straitened
circumstances, without having had the forethought to
make p ovision for " a rainy day." We know that, last
year, operatives, who were in the r, ceipt of .E 2 a-week were
suddenly thrown out of employment by the flood, and
remained " out," many of them for twenty weeks, with
only parochial aid to resort to. The destruction caused
by the flood in the various establishnaenfs on the margin
of the Medlock is unprecedented, the water having risen
fully three feet in the lower part of the stream, and nearly
five feet in the upper portion, abcve the level of the flood
which occurred in August last, consequently many pre
mises suffered on this occasion which then entirely
escaped injury. The suddenness of the rise has been
attributed to the overflowing of the water at Blue Pitts,
belonging to the Oldham waterworks, about half past two
o'clock on Saturday morning.
Be wean ten and twelve o'clock on Friday night, Ash-
ton, S'alybridge, Duckinfield, Messley, and their neighbour-
hoods, sustained one of the most ter iffic thunder storms
which had visited that locality for many years. Flash after
flash of lightning of great brilliancy, and peal after peal of
thunder, continuosly followed each other, the rain :ailing
in torrents, and causing the streets to have the appearance
of gushieg rivers The owners of the nnmereus mills and
workshops on the banks of the Tame, had from the heavy
rains of the previous days, and the great rise in the river,
exert d themselves in doing what they could to prevent the
ingress in their premises 4 the destructive element. Not-
withstanding these exertions, the damage done ou Friday
night and Saturday morning was very great. At Mossley
considerable damage has been done to Messrs. Mayall's
mill's. Messrs. Johnson of Stalybridge, has also sustained
considerable loss, and a large wooden bridge a h!ch connect-
ed their mills, were carried away. The flood also got into the
mills of Messrs. Harrison and of Messrs. Benson, and did
a deal of damp. The mills in Tame Valley, Duckinfield,
especially Messrs. Chadwicks', and the new structures on
thr opposite side of the river, especially Messrs. Manors',
have been fl tr-led, and considerable loss incurred. Messrs
Lees, of Duck infield, who sustained very considerable
damage last year, are again great sufferers Cellars of
dwel ings and workshops have been flooded in innu nerable
instances, and vast quantities of timber, &c , lying on the
banks of the river have been carried away. At Bardsley,
midway bstwezn Ashton and Oldham, a large gasometer
is carried away, and at the park very great damage has
been doge, and a lamentable loss of life occurred by a
young man being washed away. Great damage has, we
are informed, been also done at Glossal), and down the
banks of the river thence. At Hey Heads, in Sa idleworth,
some buildings have been washed away, and in ail these
localities much damage has been done to the roads and
byeways.

At an early hour on tlatnrday morning last, the embank-
ment of a resorvoir connected with the M,rris
.31i11, Piis-
worth, near Bury, yielded to the pressure of water occa-
sioned by.the heavy rains, and the flood became so great
in the watercourse below, that the span of the arch of a
bridge at Monis Mill was not sufficiently capacious to
allow the water to piss. The consequence was, that the
pressure upon the bridge became so g.•eat that it was
ultimately carried away by the force of the current. The
stream was exceedingly impetuous, and by its force carried
down the weir in connection with the Hollins Vale Bleach-
works. No further damage was done in the immediate
district. The flashes of lightning were exceedingly vivid
At Oldham the storm has been attended with con-
siderable destruction of property. The rain con inued to
come down in a perfect deluge, without intermission, for
between three or four hours. The embankment at the
lower end next to Manchester has been observed to be
settling down considerably for some time pest, and the
" by wash" or outlet for the water of the reservoir, having
become choked up, the water rose above the bank, from
the heavy fall of rain, and rushed over it with frightful
force and rapidity into the road. In a few minutes after
it was first ob>•erved, the flood, pouring over the embank-
ment in a heavy strain', was about forty yards in breadth,
and it flowed down Manchester-road and Drury-lane, doing
great injury to the cottages in the way, some of the
inmates having to be assisted through the windows to
escape from drowning. The bank of the reservoir was
washing rapidly away, and the (linger of its breaking
down appearing iniminent, energetic meaeures ware adopted
to prevent it. Piles were driven into the earth and planks
t:) them, straw and other materials being used to fill up the
interstices, but as this seemed to have no effect, a p trty of
men were directed to cuc open a deep sluice at the other
side of the reservoir, which removed the pressure from
the front embankment, the superabundant water being
thus allowed to flow down the old course which it ha I
used to take to the Irwell. The damage done is consi-
derable, many of the mills in the neighbourhood having
been flooded, in consequence of which they were stopped
on Saturday.
At Middleton many houses were flooded, and one man
lost his life.

At Rochdale, about half-past one on Paturday morning,
the rivers in the neighburhood, and their tributaries,
overflowed the, banks, and covered the fields to the depth,
in some cases, of two or three yards. In the valley
leading from Todmo, den to Wakefield the crops have been
seriously damaged. Pigs in abundanei, and other animals,
have been carried away. There have beeu two very serious
accidents. One happened to a man named Jesse Fielding,
alias Jess of Haleys, the cowman for Mr. J. Leach, fulling
miller, of Kiteliffe, in Butterworth. Between 10 and 11
o'clock he went af er Mr. Leach's cattle, and has not since
been seen or heard of. It is supposed that he was caught
by the stream which had glt into the fields, and that he
was carried away by it. The other accident happened to
the wife of Rebert Kershaw, of Smithy Bridge, near Little-
borough. At this place the lightning struck a chimney 50
or 60 yards high, belonging to Mr. James Walmsley,
knocked it down, and scattered the bricks in all directions,
some to the distance of 200 yards from the chimney. Toe
woman was standing in the road opposite her house ad-
joining the works, and it is supposed she was struck down ;
one th'gh was broken, and also the ancle of 'he other leg.
Many families escaped with their lives, either by smashing
dm windows sad getting through, or, by leaving their