The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-09 00:00:00

VENING, JUNt 9, 1862.

THE FLOOD IN THE FENS.

LYNN, SUNDAY NIGHT.

Though a month has gone past no remedy has yet
been provided to avert the sad disaster to the county.
Every effort that has been hitherto made to stop the
waters from the sea from rushing up the cut has
failed. Bridges have been knocked down, sunken
barges violently thrown out of the current, and about
60,000 sacks filled with earth thrown in without any
benefit. The Dutchman's dam (which was being
formed by the use of " cradles," a kind of wicker-
work clunch, and earth in bags, about 500 tons of
the former and 2,000 of the latter being deposited
daily) was abandoned just on the eve of success, and
a cofferdam was commenced about a fortnight to-day.
This cofferdam, constructed on a new principle of
Mr. Hawkshaw's, C.E., is to all appearance very
strong, and when completed will probably be cap-
able of resisting almost any force ; but we cannot
hold out any prospect of its completion for at least
another fortnight. Some few of the panels have
been dropped into their places between the piling,
but they have not been driven more than 41 feet
into the earth. This is hardly a sufficient depth to
prevent so strong a current from scouring beneath
them, and so it is intended to make an effort to drive
them still deeper. When they are all put into
their places it is intended to strengthen them by
driving some sheet-piling in front. To-day at
suitable intervals of the tide the divers were down
filling up the bottom of the dam with sacks of earth,
which were being laid with considerable care to
prevent the water from soaking through. At
length a resident engineer has been appointed,
in the person ,of Mr. Lynn, C.E., under
whose direction the extensive works in Wis.
bech Fort were carried out several years ago. Five
or six hundred men are at work, some making the
famous coffer dam, others preparing the materials,
in carpentering and blacksmiths' work, others
fencing the sides of the cut, where extensive slips
have been and are being made.

On Saturday the engineer to the Magdalen Fen
Commissioners (Mr. A. Saunders) called the atten-
tion of the Middle Level Commissioners to the fact
that another hole had been scoured about seven feet
through the cutting of the east bank, opposite the
first breach that was made in the western bank.
Mr. Lynn, C.E., at once proceeded to the spot in-
dicated with Mr. Saunders, and promised that im-
mediate steps should be taken to stop the scour
and fill up the hole. The whole of the east bank
for several miles is still in a very inse-
cure state from the want of puddling, as all
above the level of the land the bank is com-
posed of a spongy, turfy soil, and when the
tide is up the water is perhaps 15 feet above the
level of this fen land, and considerably more in some
parts. It is gratifying to find that for the present
all fear as to the hole opposite the breach, still
open, has been removed, immense quantities of cliff
stone and thousands of sacks, filled with earth,
having been put in. Workmen are still engaged
in this employment to prevent it again scouring.
It is intended to carry off some of the back
waters by way of Well Creek so soon as the channel
is stopped up by the completion of the dam. Here
a number of men are at work clearing out the creek
for this purpose. This is about the only remnant
that is left of the mode formerly adopted for drain-
ing the 140,000 acres of Middle Level.
The tides began to lift yesterday, and on the 12th
they wll probably be at a very great height. The
greatest attention will be requisite to preserve the
country on the east side of the dam from inunda-
tion.

The Middle Level Commissioners have agreed to
meet the various bodies desirous of having the bill
now before Parliament amended, for conference
thereon, on Thursday next.
THE CEMETERY _REVELATIONS AT