The Sun.
London, England, 1852-11-15 00:00:00

1852,

siderable delay, it was resolved to entirely suspend the
traffic of the line on Friday. Ultimately arranngements
were made by which the Midland traffic has since been
carried on to the Hampton Junction of the London and
North-Westernießailway, via the Birmingham and Derby.
line. The Cromer-hill Viaduct was rather an exten-
sive structure, crossing a valley through which runs a
small river, and the floods from the hills it is stated had
caused the water to rise in the valley to the height of
some 20 or 30 feet, and the force and pressure of the
water upon the centre piers of the viaduct was so
great as entirely to force them away, thus causing
the structure to fall in for a considerable distance.
The Trent Valley line, which Was opened about four
years since, and saves between twenty and thirty
miles in the journey to Manchester and Liverpool,
is completely under water, and the safety of the traffic
not being guaranteed, the authorities of the London and
North-Western Railway thought it prudent not to per-
mit the mails which left London on Friday night to
proceed that way, and orders were given for them to
proceed to their destination on the old London and
Birmingham route. It was exceedingly fortunate that
this foresight was exhibited by the railway authorities,
for had it not been, the most serious consequences might
have resulted, as during the night Tamebrid,ge, which
crosses the Trent Valley line near Litchfield, was washed
away, and its fragments scattered about over various
parts of the line, rendering a train passing over it an act
of the most imminent peril and danger. It has there-
fore been resolved to entirely suspend the traffic of the
Trent Valley line until the waters have subsided. So
great was the flood in this part of the country that from
Rugby to Stafford, and the whole vicinity of Birmingham
and Coventry, was completely under water.• Even the
main line of the North-Western was not exempted, as
the sleepers are in many parts covered with water, and
it was even currently rumoured that even so far up
the line towards London as Wolverton a bridge had
been carried away, and portions of the line were com-
pletely under water. Measures of a precautionary cha-
racter have been taken by the managers of the traffic
department of the North-Western Company, Captain
Huish and Mr. H. 0. Bruyeres, to secure the public, as
far as human foresight possibly can, against theprobability
of accident and with that view orders have been issued
for all the trains passing over what is, called the north-
ern division of the line to proceed to their destination
via Birmingham and vice versa, and also that the ordi-
nary pace shall be reduced to a much lower rate of speed
than usual. The circumstance, as may naturally be ex-
pected, caused a general delay of all trains, in some in-
stances to the extent of three or four hours. The up
day mail did not arrive until a considerable time after it
was due, although the flood was said to be to a very
great extent subsiding. The telegraphic messages from
different parts announce this to be the case, and hopes
are entertained that, if there should be a cessation of
rain during the night, those portions of the line at pre-
sent under water will be in a state so as to enable the
plate-layers to ascertain the security of the lines for pub-
lic traffic. On the Great Northern line, nearly the whole
of Lincolnshire being under water, the traffic on the
main line through that county was stopped, and the
Great Northern Company, it is stated, have been com-
pelled for some days past to use the loop line instead of
the main line for their traffic. The same remark may be
applied to the Eastern Counties Railway, which in many
parts of Essex is covered with water, and the traffic par-
tially impeded or wholly suspended. The traffic on the
Oxford and Birmingham line has been also, we are in-
formed, entirely stopped.
SWANSEA.—We had very heavy floods in this neigh-
bourhood on Sunday last. The heavy and con-
tinuous rain which fell during Saturday night and
Sunday morning caused a complete overflow of
the rivers Twrch and TaWe to an unusual extent. At
Cwmtwrch several bridges were carried away, and among
others the one opposite the Gilwain mine works, which
was a strong bridge of many years' standing. At Ystra-
dgynlais all the houses in Water-street were inundated
to a depth of thrte feet ; the flood surrounded one poor
sick woman in her bed, which terrified her to such a
degree, that' it is feared the result will be fatal. The
stream entered the cellar of Penybont Inn, where it de-
stroyed two or three barrels of cwrw da, and a quantity
of butter and cheese was spoiled. At Ystalyfera Iron
Works, the whole plain was in one sheet of water—the
water in and about the houses in front of the furnaces
was sufficient to carry a pilot boat. An immense quan-
tity of timber of every description was seen passing down
with the flood, and among it one cow ; we have heard
of no loss of human life. At Ynispenllwch and Clydach,
the flood in the river Tawe rose to such a height that the
houses were completely inundated, the lower storey being
under water to the depth of four feet, and great damage
has been done to property on the banks. At Clydach,
on Saturday last, a man, named Rees Rees, a carpenter,
in the employ of the Yniscedwin Iron Company, re-
turned to his home at Clydach, and bad to purchase a
loaf of bread at a shop ; he has been up to the present
time missing. It is supposed he fell into the river, and
was carried away by the flood into the river Tawe, as
his hat and handkerchief were found on the marsh near
Morriston. There is great probability that he has been
carried out into the bay by the flood.
CHATHAM.—The accounts received on Saturday and
yesterday from various points on the coasts of Essex and I
Kent, particularly from those places adjacent to the
river Thames and Medway, described the tides of Friday
afternoon and Saturday morning as having attained a
much greater height than has been known since the de-
structive floods in 1841. On Friday, so little was any
unusual flow of water anticipated that the customary
precautions for securing property were omitted by per-
sons having premises, &c., at the waterside. The wind,
which had been blowing during the morning from the
S.W., suddenly changed at noon to E.N.E., blowing
with great violence, and urging the water from the
North Sea into the estuary of the Thames and Medway,
rushing up both rivers with the greatest velocity, forcing
its way through ill-secured sluices, and breaking over
the sea. The low lands and marshes were quickly over-
flowed. The flocks of sheep were not removed, and a
very great number were consequently drowned. On the
bulks of the Medway, the whole of the marshes at Stan-
gate, Otteram, Halstow' Upchurch, and Lower Rainham
have been overflowed. The low lands in the Isle of Shep-
pey, bordering on Queensborough Swale, have shared the
same fate, and the loss of property has been immense. In
Sea Reach the tide at three quarters flood is represented
to have rushed up with such sudden and fearful violence
as to cause the vessels there to drive a considerable dis-
tance, and ultimately they were obliged to let go a second
anchor. Those steamers that were bound up the river
used only as much steam as kept their paddles in motion;
and steam-vessels bound down the river were compelled
to anchor in consequence of the velocity of the current,
the water rising several feet in an incredibly short period
of time. Parts of Chatham, Rochester, and Strood
were flooded to some depth, and a large qbantity of pro-
perty damaged. The marshes on the Kent and Essex
sides of the Thames are represented to have had the
appearance of vast lakes. A breach was made by the
force of the sea in the Ordnance Wall at Sheerness, and
as soon as the tide ebbed the whole of the available
troops in the garrison were employed in repairing it with
fascines, bags of shingle, &c. The damage sustained by
shipping by collisions and getting athwart hawse has
been immense. Most providentially the occurrence took
place in day time, otherwise there must have been a
fearful sacrifice of life as well as property. Every pre-
caution that could be devised for the security of property
was adopted at low v*ater on Friday afternoon, notwith-
standing which the water forced its way into the low
grounds on Saturday morning, doing an immensity of
damage to garden, household, and other property.
OVERFLOWING OF THE SOUTH DEVON RAILWAY.—We
have suffered greatly in the West of England from the
heavy floods of rain that have fallen. On Friday there
was a heavy fall of rain, accompanied with a strong wind
from the south-west. In the evening, the train which
leaves Exeter at five minutes past six on reaching Teign-
mouth found the line overflowed with water, that had
broken over the line, and had left it submerged about
eighteen inches. The' quay, built at Teignmouth by Mr.
George Hennett, the spirited railway contractor, was
washed away, and the waves of the sea dashed over the
carriages, so that the passengers were obliged to close
the windows, and as the train proceeded from Teign-
mouth towards Newton the fire was put out by the
water, and the engine had to make the best of its way
with the steam already generated. Fortunately that
proved powerful enough to draw the train on, and it
eventually 'got clear without any damage. The train
was a long one, and there was a delay of an hour in
consequence of the overflow.
DONCASTER, SATURDAY.—On Saturday the lower part
of Doncaster, at the north end of the town, was flooded
to a considerable extent by the overflowing of the river
Don. The inundation commenced at a point of the
river called Isabel Wash, about half a mile above the
town, and thence flowed in an immense breadth towards
the canal and mill-bridges. It crossed Marsh-gate with
considerable impetuosity, completely submerging the
lower part of the houses on each side of the street, and
compelling the inhabitants to abandon that part of their
dwellings. The neighbouring fields were inundated to
a great depth, the walls and fences being covered by the
waters, which presented the appearance of an extensive
lake. The flood-dike overflowed its banks, and
waters, rising above the canal-lock, swept over it, and it
was feared the lock itself must give way, as it had done
before under similar circumstances. Fortunately the
indications of the flood on Friday nig.ht were such as to
allow of the live stock in the fields being removed by the
owners, several of whom were called out of their beds
for that purpose.

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