Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-07-28
TREMENDOUS FLOOD.
Loss of Life, and Immense Destruction
of Property.

The accounts We have from Maryland,
though vague, are distressing. A flood, un
precedented in its dcstructiveness, visited all
that region Of country lying between Fred
crick city and Baltimore, on Thursday night
and Friday morning, involving the loss Of
hundreds of lives, and the destruction of mil
lions of dollars worth of property. We arc
without Baltimore papers since Thursday
last, in consequence of which we are unable
to give any definite details of the losses sus-
tanned to life and property. A friend of ours
who left this town on Friday, sends us let
ter from Frederick, dated July 18th, from
which we make the following extract:-
:: As our train going cast approached the
tunnel below Berlin it met with an obstruc-
ton in the shape Of sand and mud over the
track We then had to run back several
miles in order to get the inner track, which
was more nearly finished, SO as to allow the
passage of the train. From that point to
Frederick junction, we lost but little time,
but from there the conductor brought the
train TO this city, as the road was SO greatly
damaged as to prevent the train proceeding.
Railroad bridges had been washed away, Gull
verts torn up, telegraph poles blown down;
and worse than all this, we were landed in
this place to witness still greater destruction,
and scenes that almost battle description.
1t appears that about Il o'clock on Thurs
day night there was a most terrific storm Of
thunder and lightning and rain, the latter
con tinuing until II o'clock NJ, but with
greatly increased violence about 8 to 104
o'clock. The streams, already swollen and
IL, f1,nf
stables, fences, and the various bridges in the
city, all gave way to the angry flood that was
carrying everything before it. In Patrick
street the water rose to the depth of six or
seven feet, cellars were filed and the lower
stores completely MISUNDERSTANDING car
pets, pianos, books, and every description of
goods. The loss sustained by the citizens is
put down at half million 70 dollars. Some
have lost everything they had"
At Ellicott's Mills the devastating flood
was even more destructive than at Frederick,
flooding nearly the entire town, and drowning
large number of persons. One account
says half the city was destroyed, and that
already sirty,ticc bodies Of the drowned have
been recovered
Powerful as was the element at Frederick,
and at Ellioott's, the destruction was insignif-
cant compared with the loss of life and
property in Baltimore. Not less than fire,
and perhaps seven hundred human souls were
swept into eternity in that portion of the city
contiguous to Jones Falls. The immense
reservoir which supplies the city with water,
gave way and precipitated an immense sheet
of water upon that district of the city. The
flood rushed down with such velocity as to
afford little opportunity for escape, and hun
dreds persisted. Millions. will not cover the
loss of property sustained, and unless the
reports which reach us are greatly exaggerated,
we dread to hear the correct accounts. The
express train which left Baltimore at o'clock
on Thursday night has not been heard from
since.
The damage to the Baltimore & Ohio Rail-
road has been very great A dispatch re-
ceived by us late yesterday afternoon says
that several iron bridges and number of
miles of track were destroyed. At Sykes
vile the hotel, water station and several 9TH
er buildings were demolished, and the iron
bridges at Leicester and Elysville. At the
latter place 26 school children were drown
a dispatch from Hagerstown, dated at 4
o'clock yesterday afternoon says, the estimated
loss of property in Baltimore is sic millions
that the water is still raging in the streets,
and that so immense was the flood that the
water poured into the second story of the
Maryland Institute.