Delaware State journal and statesman., 1864-04-01
Terrible Disaster at Sheffield, England
BURSTING OF A REsERVOIR--TWO HUN.
DRED LIVES LOST

BURSTING OF A RESERV0IR--TW0 HUN
DRED LIVES LOST.
The London papers Of March 10th give detail
cd accounts Of the fearful calamity at Sheffield,
Eugland. On Saturday, March l g the reservoir
Of the water-works at Sheffield covering seven
ty six acres, and containing over a million oubil
feet of water, suddenly burst its boundaries,
OVeiAouing the adjacent country, and causing
great destruction of life and property. II is
estimated that more than two hundred persons
were drowned 10 the rush of the waters. The
London Times says;
"Many months must elapse before the build
ings are restored, aud years must go by before
the face Of the country can wear the aspect Of
verdure and careful cultivation which il bore on
Friday sight The river, though fallen, is far
from being low as it generally Is at this time
Of the year, and every furlong of the streams
banks exhibits almost innumerable traces OF the
inundation--such as trees, baiks, and beams Of
timber, firmly embedded In it's bed. The open
land in this neighborhOOd is still for the greater
portion, under water, and, as that drains off, q
number Of bodies will il is feared be exposed to
view. The large hollows which abound are filled
up by the hundreds OF the cartloads Of mud
which are deposited in them The great manu-
fsSturers are bnsily Engaged cleaning out their
warehouses; and polishing their machinery which
had become rusty by the water. Round Neep-
send and by Hillsborough and Owlerton road,
Where tho great mischief fell, the inhabitants Of
the houses are busly engaged pumping the
water ont Of their oelais. 'Wallers and masons
are engaged in rebuilding, wherever practicable,
the walls thathRve been washed down. Further
down, in the gardens opposite at tho other side
Of the river, very rninful incident occurred
Two or three men were engaged in removing the
rubbish Of one Of the small, inhabited garden
staa aNa Il nil l.
two children olinRing to her dress, the only ones
saved from the wreck Of their cottage The rub
hiah had almost been cleared away, when the
leg Of q human being was exposed to view
lrick after brick was removed, until the poor
woman recognized the remains Of her husband.
A little above where this incident occurred the
corpse Of child was brought out Of the mud in
an open space near the Old Brewery. About
twenty yards from this tho body Of man vas
also found.
ain the Relham rolling mills the escape of The
gorkmen was very narrow indeed. The first
alarm was given by man who had been asleep
at the bottom end of the mill, and was awakened
by the rushing in Of the waters. He FASTENED
TO where his fellow wOrkmen were getting din.
ner-these men being what are called the might
shift-and gave them warning. Foriunately ly,
the gates Of tue yard were closed, and The men
had no means Of getting out by these means.-
Had they done 10 they would inevitably have
been swept away by the tide which passed In
front Of the buildings They climbed on the
roof and, as has already been told, contrived, in
their extreme eagernesB to escape, to set 1t on
Gre in doing so. But the more remarkable cir
cu, Instance remains to be told. The man who
gave t,se alarm, and who was the means of cav.
ine the lives OF 40 many of his fellow-workmen,
lost his fa,h eF, mother, wife, and two children.
who lived al Main Bridge, and his own bedstead,
with other Of bis inrniture, nOated into the mills
where he, with others, was Prisoner-a dis
tAnce Of not less than tw and a half miles IL
another part of Kellam Island, man and
his wife, who occupied a small cottage on hear
ing the noise of the water, went out to save theii
pig. Both were swept awSy by the torrent, and
the pig as we'll"