The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-23 00:00:00

THE OVERFLOWING OF THE AVON.

The rapid thaw which commenced on the night of Fri-
day last caused a more extensive flood along the baEks of
our river than has been known sinee November 1823,
Though there has been much destruction of property, it
has not been anything like so great as might have been
justly feared, and there has been no loss of human life in
Bath•

On Saturday the water approached the level of the
banks, and rushed along its course with great force and
swiftness. Very little preparation against a further rise
was made by the itiliabitaies of the immediate vicinities,
who retired to rest at, the usual time, little expecting, the
state of things that was to meet their sight at their awak-
ening. Shortly after midnight, the river rolled over its
banks with most alarming impetuosity, and at about three
o'clock in the morning the lower part of the adjacent
houses were deeply flooded. A scene of indescribable dist—
! may soon took place, and the frightened inhabitants set
about removing tile contents of the lower parts of their,
houses to the upper rooms, not being sure that they
should escape with their lives.
The effects of the flood were, as usual, the most severely
felt in the Dolerneads, where, in consequence of the po-
verty of the inhabitants, houses with four rooms very
generally contain as many families. During the recent
severe weather, much misery has been experienced by this
• part of our population. In many of their dwellings there
was neither food nor fuel, and hut a very scanty supply of
clothes and bedding. The aggravation of their condition,
I occasioned by the flood, may be easily imagined. On Mon-
day, after the water had left their houses, the inhabitants
Iwere seen occupying them, wet as they were, without hat-
ing a spark of fire, and exposed to the cold wind, making
its way through the broken windows, and from which the
rags which had stepped them up had been washed by the
flood.
I Many strong walls were washed down by the torrent ;
' houses have been partly demolished ; and other damage of
various kinds has been done along the river's banks.
The lower parts of the parish of Bathwick were much
invaded by the unexpected swelling of the waters. The
I first alarm given in this neighbourhood was that raised by
a poor gardener, en elderly man named Day, residing in a
' small cottage close to the banks of the river. On proceed-
ing down stairs at about two o'clock on Sunday morning,
he found three feet of water in his lower rooms. Ilis cries
for help attracted the notice of the police, and the neigh.
bourhood was soon roused into a state of the greatest ex-
citement and alarm. Posple with lanterns were seen run-
ning in all directions to look after their out-of-door:pro-
perty, and all was noise and confusion. The wife of the
gardener above-mentioned had to be taken out of her bed-
I room by means of a boat, but not before the water had
reached the ceiling of the lower apartments. It was ne-
cessary to use boats in several other cases for the rescue of
life and property. There was much jeopardy here and
elsewhere among the pigs, who, confined in their styes,
filled the air with the loud and piteous lamentations which
these sagacious animals are in the habit of pouring forth
when approached by danger. The Avon was observed by
persons living in l3athwick to rise at the rate of aboet tee
inches an hour. We may here mention that the river
ceased to rise between nine and ten on Sunday morning,
soon after which it very perceptibly began to subside. The
total rise of the water may be stated at about 20 feet.
There has been more or less damage done all along the
course of the river through the city, but no very prominent
injury, except that sustained by Mr. Chadwick, the rail-
way contractor, has come to our knowledge.
The flood was, of course, greatly felt in the Lower
Bristol-road.
The old houses in the Lower Bristol-road, near the
Old Bridge, which have stood tire test of many a winter's
torrent arc now becoming absolutely dangerous, from age
and decay, both to the inmates and passers by. The back
walls of two of them fell into the river with a loud noise,
leaving the inmates, a woman and two children, in bed, ex-
posed to the inclemency of the weather.
The valley of the As on, as seen from our surrounding
hids, had a very extraordinary appearance. The city ap-
peared to be half isolated ; and towards Bristol the river
looked like a series of small lakes. The same appearance
prevailed in the vale of Claverton.—Bath Chronicle.

KNAREETOROUGII.—The rapid Cl4w whic'A took place on
Saturday caused ,ho Nidd, and the several other sue: ma
in the vicinity, to be much swollen, inundating the lowlands
in their serpentine course to a considerable extent ; and
thus, this " old fashioned winter," as it has been te; tried
by scrxie, has disappeared, and left behind it some glorious
spring-like weather.— York Courant.
DEsnv.—The thaw on Saturday last was so rapid that
the watercourse in Curzon-street, on Sunday morning,
oveifloived and flooded Cheapside and the \Vardwick,
doing considerable damage, and causing great inconveni-
ence to such of the inhabitants allow houses are not raised
sufficiently to avoid such visitations. The Dcrwent over-
flowed its banks, and laid the nicadoas on tie Notting-
ham road under water to a considerable depth. —Derby
Reporter.
I:RE AND SKEW.—The melting, cf the snow has caused
strong floods in the rivers lire and Skew, but not to that
extent which might have been anticipated at the breaking
up of the storm,
BATII.—On Thursday evening last, we had a very
heavy fall of snow, which was very general. The coaches
from London experienced great difficulties in their journeys.
The Bath mail, on coming down Marlborough Hill, had to
pass through snow as high as the springs of the coach. At
half-past two in the morning the same mail, the Age, and
another each were brought to a stand-still about three
miles on this side of Marlborough, the snow having drifted
pieces to the height of fifteen feet. At half-past six
the mail made an effort to proceed, a passage having been
cut through the fields, the drifts of snow having rendered
the road impassable, and it was one o'clock P.M. before the
mail arrived in Bath. The above coaches were dug out of
the snow six times between Caine and Marlborough. Tho
Bristol mail, from L-,ndon, did not arrivo till twenty
minutes to three in the afternoon of Friday, being eight
hours and a half after its time. The Devonrort mail was
compelled, on its journey to London, to stop all night at
:%; von miles Wincmiton, as no post horses could
6. ifr'ronvil. - . here to a 41cp..,,
of irom 15 to 20 feet, and the guard was obliged to wait
until day-light, when ha made his journey across the fields
to .134sipgsteliet At Stouclioge-hill, where:anew read ins