The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-22 00:00:00

• _EVENING EDITION.

THE LATE FLOODS.

BRENTFORD.
NEW 1311F.NTFORD, Turk DAY Evesixo —The man
named Henry Carvell, who was found on Sunday forenoon
on a bed in the cabin of his barge, apparently asleep, but
in reality insensible, and labouring under concussion of
the brain, is still alive, but from the dreadful injuries he
has received no hopes of his surviving are entertained. On
Tuesday night the culvert under the Grand Junction
Canal at Norwood burst and flooded the high road to the
depth of several inches, but happily did no further da-
tn.ge. It has since been repaired. After the adjourn-
ment of the inquest yesterday on the body of William
Spruce, two other icque3ts were held by Mr. Baker, the
Coroner, which are connected with the recent calamity.
The first was held at the sign of the White Ihrt, in
Windmill-lane, Old Brentford, on view of the body of
Mr. Charles Morris, a market-gardener, residing in Brook-
line, 0:d 13rentford, whose body was discovered on Mon-
day last in an armlet of the river Brent, near his own
re,idence.
When some evidence had been taken, the Jury, after
some discussion, returned a verdict " That the deceased
wds found drowned, but how he came into the water there
was n, evidence to show ;" expressing at the same time
their belief that it was purely accidental.
The second inquest was held at the sign of the George
and reon, at Brentord-en, o viw of thebode of Mr.
William Fowler, agedf 69 yeadrs,n ane bw
extensive li'aifieger
and lightertnan, residing at Brentford.end, three of whose
barges were sunk by the inundation on Sunday morning,
and who died on the evening of the same d.iy. It was by
the evidence adduced clearly proved that the death of the
deceased, who was the master of William Spruce, had not
been accelerated by his less, inasmuch as he was scarcely
conscious of it. He had for some years been ailing, and
for the last three weeks had not left the house. On Sun-
day afternoon he left his bed room, when, a noise being
heard, he was found in a dying state, and before medical
assistance could rrrivc he expired. Verdict, " Natural
death."-

SOUTH WILTSHIRE—DESTRUCTION OF
THIRTY-SIX HOUSES.
On Saturday last there appeared no extract dinary rising
of the vraters in the locality of Shrewton till about six
o'clock in the evening, when a deep body of water sur-
fOunded those villages, which lie very low, and terror and
dismay seemed to oppress the spirits of every one. About
eight o'clock the scene bafilcd description ; the night was
dark, the wind very boisterous, the roaring of the waters
dismal, and the falling of houses in every direction with a
dreadful crash truly appalling ; and twenty. five houses,
M less than three hours, were consequently either totally
washed away or reduced to heaps of untenantable ruins.
Children were heard crying for their parents, and parents
for their children, and four hundred souls were left without
house or home. At Maddington and Oreheston, which
adjoins Shrewton, there were eleven houses destroyed,
making a total of thirty-six houses. The whole damage
'done is more than 10,0001. A subscription has been set
'on foot, and temporary dwellings made in the large seheol-
room at Shrewton, and also in barns at that place, for the
homeless wretched sufferers, of whom there arc 400.

THE OVERFLOWING OF THE AVON.

The rapid thaw which commenced on the night of Fri-
day last caused a more extensive flood along the basks of
our river than has been known since 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 inhabitants of the immediate vicinities,
who retired to rest at the usual time, hale 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 loser part of the adjacent
houses were deeply flooded. A scene of indescribable dir-
°lay soon took place, ani the frightened inhabitants set
about removing the 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 Dolcmeads,.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 but a very scanty supply of
clothes and bedding. The aggravation of their condition,
occasioned by the flood, may be easily imagined. On Mon-
day, after the water had left their houses, the inhabitants
were seen occupying them, wet as they were, without bar-
ing a spark of fire, and exposed to the cold wind, making
its way through the broken windows, end from which the
rags which had stopped them up had been washed by the
flood.
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 l3athwick were much
invaded by the unexpected swelling of the waters. The
first alarm given in this neighbourhood was that raised by
a poor gardener, an elderly man named Day, residing in a
!mall cottage close to the banks of the river. On proceed-
-1.1% down stairs at about two o'clock on Sunday morning,
e found three feet of water in his lower rooms. His cries
ilfor help attracted the notice of the police, and the neigh.
bourhood was soon roused into a state of the greatest ex-
citement and alarm. People with lanterns were yen run-
Cog. 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 cut of her bed-
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
114 and property, Tbcre 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 Bathwick to rise at the rate of about ten
Inches an hour. We may here mention that the river
ceased to rise between nine and ten on Sunday morning,
"an-after which it very perceptibly began to subside. The
total rise cf 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.
i„The old houses in the Lower Bristol-road, near the
‘-'ld Bridge, which have stood the test of many a winter's
err
are now becoming absolutely dangerous, from age
and decay, both to the inmates and passers by. The hack
walls of two of them fell into the river with a loud noise,
leaving the inmates, a woman and two children, in bed, ex-
Paled to the inclemency of the weather.
The valley of the Avon, as seen from our surrounding
41118, 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. Tho same appearance
Prevailed in the vale of Claverton.—Bath Chronicle.

• XstAnasisortoooti.—The rapid thaw whiefi took place on
Saturday caused the Nidd, and the several other streams
to the vicinity, to be much swollen, inundating the lcoa len&
serpentine course to a considerable extent ; and
uus, this ~old fashioned %sinter," as it has been termed
"Y some, has disappeared, and left behind it some glorious
rPriag-like weather.— York Courant.
thl)Kßim—The thaw on Saturday last was so rapid that
e watercourse in Curzon-street, on Sunday morning,
(overflowed and flooded Cheapsidc and the .Werdwick,
doeg considerable damage, and causing great inconveni-
-1„1: to such of the inhabitants whose houses arc not raised
uweleatly to avoid such visitations. The Derwent over-
flowed its banks, and laid the meadoas on tl e Notting-
ham road under water to a considerable depth.—Derby
`"Porter.
at Whit AND SKEw.—Tbe melting of the snow has caused
tong floods in the rivers Ure and Skew, but not to that
extent which might have been anticipated at the breaking
tip of the storm.
8Arn......0n Thursday evening last, we had a very
f"Y fall of snow. 'Ahich was very general. The coaches
4,°,41 London experienced great difficulties in their journeys.
u° Bath mail, .43u coming down Marlborough Hilt, had to
131)410 through ',now as high as the springs of the coach. At
atal4at tro in the morning the same mail, the Ago, and
• fitlea er r.:oach were brought to a stand-still about throe
en this side of Marlborough, the snow having drifted
.retaces to the height of fifteen feet. At half-past six
mail made an effort to proceed, a passage having been
icut through the fields, the drifts of snow having rendered
IDo ro ad impassable, and it was one o'clock P.m. before the
sil arrived in Bath. The above coaches were dug out of
The snow six times between Caine and Marlborough. The
Bristol mail, from London, did not arrive till twenty
rinutes to three in the afternoon of Friday, being
ours and a half after its time. The Devonport mail was
eight
Ftworelled, on its journey to London, to stop all night at
tere . . .
'*e‘en miles from \Vincanton, as no post horses could
e obtained. The snow bad here accumulated to a depth
of from 15 to 20 feet, and the guard was obliged to wait
until wllen he made his journey across the fields
At) 13"giroke. At Stonehenge-hill, where a new road has
ern made, the foundations have all been washed away,
E 1 the mail, with other coaches, bad to make a circuitous
route *rough a by-road.—Betth Chronicle.
d,5411"1-TRY.—Several lives have been lost, and immense
-rnage done.

PLOW") ON SALISBURY PLAIN.

he following are additional particulars from the IVili-
"are Independent, respecting the loss of life and pro-
perty caused by the late flood among the villages on Solis-
13nrY Plain.
_ uone of the most serious calamities with which this
‘,e ntry was aver visits d, occurred on the evening of
aturdsy last at Shretvton, Tilshead, Elston, Maddington,
41:0, tie adjoining parishes, by which property—belonging
to the poorer classes—the cottagers, mechanics,
levtinen, and tradesmen—to the amount of twelve or four-
tilen thousand pounds has been destroyed, and the lives of
hre° human beings lost. The situation of these villages
totne well known here to need much description ; suffice it
say, that those parts of them where the inhabitants
..?ste ly live---the streets—are situated in a valley, by the
Tef the high road, and in many places are close to the
ulet which finds its way into the Avon, above Salisbury.
tills surrounding country is open and hilly, sloping
"11 in almost all directions for miles around, towards the
v.;valley The snow-storm of last Thursday night,
Zce}! was Particularly heavy in this neighbourhood, covered.
• lulls to a considerable depth, while the hollows were in
°11111147137 instances full of drifts. The earth had been for a
~,,g time bound up with frost, to that when the thaw be-
Fll scarcely any of the melted snow could be absorbed.
during the Friday, more snow fell, and on the Saturday a
niit rapid thaw, accompanied by rain, set in. The brook,
which,,; for a long time had been perfecily dry, soon filled
water
and overflowed its banks. At Tilshead, .l II "it visited by the Ind, the water is described to have