The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-04-08
TER RIFLE DISASTER AT SHEF.
FIELD, ENGLAND.
h"Fst,n= Of a ReservOfr..-Tyyo Hun.
Ored Lives Lost.

The London papers of March 10th gives
detailed accounts of the fearful calamity
at Sheffield, England, lately noticed in our
foreign Geographic news. On Saturday.
March II, the reServoir of the water works
at Sheffield, covering seventy-six acres.
and containing over a million cubic feet of
water, suddenly burst its boundaries, over
flowing the adjacent country, and causing
great destruction of life and property. 1t
is estimated that more than two bupdra1
persons were drowned in the rush Of the
waters.
The London Times says:
Many months must elapse before the
buildings are restored, and years must go
10y before the face of the country can wear
the aspect OF verlnre and careful cultiva-
ton Which it bore on Friday night. The
river. though fallen, is far from beipg rs
low us it generally is at this time of the
year. and every fur!ong of the stream
banks exhibits almost innuruerable traces
OF the inundation - such as trees,
oaiNs, and beams OF timber, firmly embed
ded In It's bed. The open land in this
neighborllood is still, for the greater part.
under water, and as that drains off.a num-
Der OF bodies will, it is feared. be exposed
to view. The large hollows whibh abound
are filled up BY the hundreds of carloads
OF mud which are deposited in them. The
great manufacturers are busily engaged
cleaning out their warehouses and polish
ing their machinery, which had become
rusty by the water. Round Neensend and
by Hillsborough and Owlerton road where
the grea. mischief fell, the Inhabitants Of
the houses are busily engaged pump
ing the water out or their houses and
cellars. "Walier" aud masons are en-
gagged in rebuilding, wherever practicable,
the walls that have been washed down
Further down, in the gardens opposite, at
the other side OF the river, very painful
incident occurred. Two or three men
were engaged in removing the rubbish Of
one OF the small, inhabited gardens houses.
Near them stood young woman, with
two children cllnging to her dress. the
only ones saved from the wreck Of their
cottage. The rubbish had almost been
cleared away VIXEN the leg of human
beng was exposed to view Brick after
brick was removed, until the poo, woman
recognized the remains of her husband.
little above where this incident Oc.
Cured the corpse of child was brought
oct OF tie mud in an open space near the
Old Brewry. About twenty yards from
this the body of man was also found.
La the K"lham rolling mills the escape
ut The workmen was very narrow indeed.
The first alarm was given by man who
ha been asleep at the bottom end of the
mill. and who was awoke bv the rushing
In OF the waters. He FASTENED to where
his fellow workmen were getting dinner -
these men being what Is called the "nialt
shift and gave them warning. For,0-
nately, the gates OF the yard were closed.
and the men had no mean, of getting out
by these means Had they done So they
would inevitably have been swept away
by the tide which passed in front of the
buildings. They clim.ed on the roof,
and, as has already been told, contrived, in
thelr extreme eagerness to escape, to set
1t on fire in doing so. But the more re
mNkable circumstance remains to BE- told.
The man who gave the alarm, and who
was the means of saving the lives Of so
many OF his fellOw-wOrkmen, lost bis faith
er mother, wife and two children, who
lived at Main Bridge; and his own bed
stead, with other OF his furniture, tloated
into the mill where he, with Others, was q
prlsOner-a distance of not less than two
and Aalf miles. In another part OF Kei-
lam Island man and his wife. who occu-
pied small cottage on hearing the noise
of the waters, went to save their pig.
Both were swept away by the torrent, and
the pig as well. >
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