The Sun.
London, England, 1857-10-02 00:00:00

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, OCT. 1.
GREAT FLOODS IN CORK.'

The Cork papers received this morning state that
on Tuesday a strong gaffe blew from the southward,
and towards evening rain fell in torrents, and so
continued during the greater part of the ni,tht.
Towards the west the rain mint have begun catlier,
as on Wednesday morning the'river was swollen to
a huge extent, and was rushing through the town
with the rapidity of a torrent, hearing evidences of
its rage, in broken trees, spars, and other wreck.
Up along the banks of the river we understand
very serious damage has been done. Stacks of hay
from the meadows and of corn from the stubble-
fields have been carried off by the flow of the
water, and in many places the surface has been
materially injured. At Bandon there was a
serious inundation, by which a great deal of damage
to property has been don,i. The flood did not
take place in the man river which, runs through
th- town, but in a salad bran h the Shana-
gool, which overflowed its banks this morning,
burst open a small bridge by which it is spanned,
and rushed down the South Main-street with such
force that several shop fronts in that locality were
torn away.

A second edition of last night's Cork Examiner,
contains the f Rowing particulars of the effect of
the floods in Bandon and the neighbourhood :
" A very serious cal mity has befallen the town
of Bandon, involving considerable destruction of
property and the lt ss of a single life. During the
av! ole of the everting of yesterday and through the
night the rain fell in such torrents that between 2
and 3 o'clock this morning a small stream, which
comes down from the mouutainous Cashel district,
by Mayfield, and thence into the south side of
Bandon, became swollen beyond its usual dimen-
sions. The little bridge near the old chapel was
inadequate to afford a passage for the immense
body of water, which, in consequence, overflowed
and rushed through the streets of the town, first
flooding the distillery of Mr. Fitzgerald and the
brewery of Messrs. Hurley, which are in the neigh-
bourhood. The force of the water soon became so
great that it demolished a small bridge called Ca-
vendish Quay Bridge, which in its fall considerably
damaged the house and tanyard of Mr. Lee,
situated closed by its abutment. Its destruction,
however, involved a much more melancholy result,
as there is but too much reason t suppose that a
poor man, a watchman, named Thomas Kelly, who
has since been rnis4ug, was on the bridge at the
moment of its fall, and was engulfed in the rush-
ing water. The poor fellow's dog was afterwards
discovered running about, the spot, and vainly
barking after his lost master. A little bridge,
which crosses the stream just at its junction with
the main river, and leads into the Presbyterian
meeting-house, was also de-troyed, but without any
such melancholy accompaniment. Damages of
another kind and to a very serious extent was also
inflicted after a different fashion upon 'the town.
The little angry river runs through a back street
parrllel to, and at the rear of the South Main-
street. The confined water rushing through the
back of tie houses escaped through the fronts,
carrying off with it in many instances the whole of
the shop wind.,ws, doors, Sze. Among the chief
sufferers was Mr. William Bullen, the whole
(if the front of whose shop was swept away.
Curiously enough, a box cont.ining money, it is
said to the amount of 2801., was sent floating about,
but was recovered by Head-Constable Wright.
Mr. Beamish, dyer, suffered in a similar
manner, a large quantity cf int tigo used in his manu-
factureslending to the water that deluged the neigh-
bourhood an azure tint at his expense. Among the
other parties injured were Mr. B. Ha} es, Mr.
Roche, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Moriarty, and a large
number that I car: not enumerate. As may be sup-
posed, great alarm was felt, but a large party of
police under the command of Head Constable
Wright, was soon on the spot and using every ex-
ertion to save property and life. Mr. H. Hassett,
J.P„ who was also present, by his presence of mind
and energy gave much valuable assistance. A body
has been found at Collier's-quay, and though not
yet i teutified is supposed to be that of the unfortu-
nate watchman. The damage that has been done- is
not, I regret to say, confined to the town, no less
than three other bridges having been destroyed,
one at Ballyminahane, one at Ballinacurra (bear
Bandon), and another at a place called.Doundaniel.
An immensity of damage has been done to the
mailcoach-road, the parapet wall of the little river
being carried away in many parts, and the road in
some portions so cut up that it is scarcely an exag-
geration to say it seems torn up by an earthquake.
Of course it is as yet impossible to form anything
like a correct money estimate of the damage done,
but undoubtedly it will be found to be very large.
The river Bandon is still greatly swollen and rushes
along by the railway in tremendous volume, flood-
ing the meadows at each side, but no further in-
jury is anticipated. The extent to which the inun-
dati,n has reached has become very serious. Eight
acres of oats belonging to Mr. Townsend of Wood-
side, were completely swept away. At different
times during the day a cow, a pig, a donkey, a butt
and various other heavy articl es, proving the enor-
mous force of the flood, have been seen floating
down the river. The body of a woman, too, has
been found, but not yet identified. It is supposed
she was surprised by the flood and drowned.- As
yet we have not been able to,ascertain any further
particulars, but we have learnt enough to lead us
to believe that the late rains have produced far
greater damage throughout this locality than we at
first anticipated."