Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1868-08-19
Letter from Baltimore.
BALTIMORE. Aug. 10. 1865.

places, ana general clearing up has materl-
ally changed the appearance of the flooded
district; still the remaining evidences are
sufficient to convince the most skeptical that
the scene presented at the time Of the food
was one past all description. 1t is indeed
doubtful whether the most active imagination
can have true conception of the extent of
damage done and the amount OF suffering eaus-
cd among the thirty thousand people who
| according to the estimate Of the Board Of
Healthy have suffered from its effects in this
city, to say nothing Of the surrounding coun-
try. The total number Of lives lost cannot
be ascertained, and viii doubtless never be
known; but it is doubtless by far greater than
was at first supposed, as the number of bodies
already found exceed any report which has
been made of lives lost, and many bodies will
in all probability never be found.
The Board Of Health, who have charge of
the matter, are making every effort to over
come the disastrous effects of the flood, aud
to place the city in as healthy condition as
possible.
A force Of 1900 men have been employed,
aside from property owners and such as
were at work for themseves--in removing
debris, clearing dirt from cellars, restoring
sidewalks, bridges, &C., &c. These men are
at work night and day, in gangs, usually of
about eight men and foreman, and work
" six hours on and six off," and up to Thurs
day, the 9th inst, over AZ, 900 loads of dirt
had been removed from streets, houses and
cellars. This, with the following statistics
which your informant obtained from the Board
Of Health and the Relief Commission, this
morning, will give you an idea of its extent
BY survey made since the food il is found
that 1873 acres were flooded one foot deep and
upward, and 200 acres were covered with wa
ter so as to fill cellars, &C., and the greatest
depth in the streets was about 90 feet. No
reliable estimate of damage done has yet been
announced.
The Relief Commission is actively engaged
in attending to the wants of such as have had
everything swept from them, and know not
where the next morsel Of food is to come from.
The street in front of that Office this morning
presented most affecting scene against the
door, on the steps, and all around the entrance
ON the sidewalk, was solid jam of men, wo-
men and children, alike regardless of every
thing except who should gain admission first.
Old men and women who would seem much
more in their proper place in the chimney
corner, were holding their places in the jam
with "neyer give up persistency. Strong
men upon crutches, some with heads tied up,
others with arms carried in slings, all with
extreme want stamped upon them, and upon
nearly every countenance was written tale
Of sorrow that would move the hardest heart
to sympathy. Tickets are first issued to those
who are needing assistance, by the Commits
sion or its agents. who visit the people and
learn their condition, and none but ticket hold
ers are admitted before the Board. All sorts
of impositions are practiced daily upon the
Commission by persons who are not sufferers
from the food. The largest number of fami-
lies supplied in any one day was on Aug. LIST,
100, in all S31 persons. The Commission
have already expended over $40, 1000; of this
about "a 900 have been expended outside OF
this city-at ELECTS Mills and elsewhere.
Contributions received amount to something
over $4,000, which the Board proposes to
distribute outside of Baltimore. Contribu-
tons are being received daily from all parts
of the country, and certainly no where can
they be more needed just now than in Balti-
more.
The cause of all this trouble is very appar-
ent. The stream known as Jones Falls by
no means large river, in passing through
the city takes very crcuitous route, often
turning sharp angles, with high walls and inn
mense buildings standing upon the brink of
those walls bridges that are laid across the
stream are mostly of iron construction, and
are built near the water SO that on rising a
few feet the water is forced to leave the chan
mel and find a passage elsewhere. Various
opinions are offered gratis as to the most ieas-
ible plan of remedying this liability to food
in which the city stands daily Judging
from a days experience here one would say
that there are not less than dozen different
ways of placing the city out of all danger Of
flood but as a similar occurrence is noticed
not far back in the history of this city, the
indications are that the repairs will be made,
but no alterations of any account will be done,
and the city will lie at the mercy Of the ele-
ments, and when visited by similar shower
again, similar inundation will be the result.