The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-07-04
CBf 9ailg Jonrnal.
THE AWFUL FOUNDATIONS In FRANCE
THRILLING PARTICULARS.

4 THRILLING PARTICULARS
A letter from Montauben, (rarn -et- Ga
ronne,) Of the 8th says:
Now that the Garonne has returned to it
channel, an estimate may be formed of th
damage done in the neighborhood by the lat
Iinundation. The Project has gone over a con
siderable portion of the ground along the bank
Eof the river, and has been able to ascertain b,
personal inspection that the damage is exceed
Ilngly great. The suspension brid .e of Ire
Canes, near Castelsarrasin, which was des
troyed by the Hood, remains, with its carriage
roads, hanging down in the river, and there
| 1t may be seen spread out. All the houses ir
the valley adjoining are more or less damaged
and several have been already taken down by
the owners as unsafe.
The hamlet of Monestie has cased to exist
the houses having been swept away by the
current At Lamegistere the water made O
breach IN the equay, and rushed with such force
that 1t carried away good sized house. The
whole town was under water, and much dam
age was done. The plantations along the
blnks of the river have suffered greatly, and in
some turns of the river the number of Young
trees heaped together exceeds belief. The
cultivated grounds are in dreadful state with
gravel and mud, and pieces of land have been
carried away IN the concave bank of the river
to an extent of upwards of 100 metres. For
tunately no lives were lost in this neighbor
hood, but the injury done between Agen and
Toulouse alone is estimated at five millions of
francs"
The Courier de Saumur, of the 18th. con-
yeys to US details OF the disasters already al
luded to in our description of the inundations
of the Loire:
ho nvto of 7
effect of the river for several days owing To
the incessant exertions of the inhabitants.
The latte,, headed by the cure had been unin-
terruptedly at work for seventy-two hours
strengthening the dyke, and, notwithstanding
their exertions, were still engaged on their
tasks, when hosue suddenly rose in the heart
OF the village on the top of an immense colum
OF water and then Disappeared; the dyke had
gwen way, and the Loire, free and furious,
rushed into the valley and invaded the whole
country. Very speedily the lowe- part of all |
the town and the valley of Authion were SUBJ
merged. During the night nothing was hear | |
but cries of alarm and the sound of the tocsn. |
over the extent of ten leagues During the /
following day thousands of men, women and
children sought refuge in Saumur, dragging /
after them such of their cattle as they had sue.
ceeded in saving from the flood. They were /
1t once supplied with shelter, provisions and
forage The aspect of La Chapelle, now that
the flood has retired, is most disheartening
The greater number of the houses are in ruins
and the remainder are tottering The appear
ance of the breach, which is 200 metres in ex-
tent, and the ravages of the Loire, render de-
scrlption impossible. The country house of
III, Blzouller was carried away with the rap
dity of lightning The cemetary was com
" fr1ru nod h.
bodies scattered about. The house of Mr.
Garbier. Mayor of La Chapelle and notary,
was completely destroyed, with all the docu-
nents and deeds it contained.
The Journal d. Indre ct Loire, of Tours, of
Monday evening, says:
A steamer, which for two years has been
stationed at Ponte de la Motto, was at 8 o'clock
his morning sent off, with permission of the
reject, to recue the victims of the inundations
Who still remain in their homes in the villages
'etween the Point Napoleon Bonaparte at
Dours, and at Cinq- Mars. The disasters done +
n both sides of the river were perceived to be ,
In many places the boatmen had
0 cut through the roofs to get at the people, q
Fhom they found more numerous than they
ad expected. The steamer had a number of
mall boats in tow, and they were very useful,
] rescuing persons from the roofs of houses. <
specially in what is called the Varenne, dis 5
.ict tetween the Cher and Loire In one
ouse, higher and better built than the others, b
everal families had sought refuge in the gar
cts, and they had to descend by a ladder into !
ne boats; amongst them were four children in
ne cradle, one only nine days old. Incredi-
lie though it may appears several of the VIC 6
ms obstinately refused to quit the roofs of :
1eir houses, on which they were perched;I !
ley declared that they would sooner die than
Dandon what the inundation had spared of :
Heir little possessions. In one house an old i
ian armed himself with knife, and threaten 4
to murder the boatman who proposed to =
'move him. After while, however, yield :
g to the earnest exhortation of employee of !
le Points ct Chaussees, he did, but with great
,luctance. In another hoszse woman de-
ared that nothing on earth should induce her
move, and threats were made that she should
2 bound hand and foot and carried off by n
rec, so as to save her in spite of herself See
e that the threats were about to be realized &
le at last consented to get into boat. but 81 s
sisted on taking with her fifteen rabbits, t"
hich she could not find in her heart to abar.-
on.'' lEe ~ r
The same journal says that the Cardinal y
rehbishop of Tours has placed his own pal
;e and the old orphan institute, at the SER
ce of the victims, and has received into them !;
0t fewer than 500 persons, for whose wants
; generously provides. At Tours the waters II
'e falling but slowly; the mail continues to =
, submerged. The church of st. Julien is se
lied with victims of the inundations- ly,