Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1868-07-30


The Great Flood at Baltimore and Enicott
City.
The Baltimore city papers are filed
with the most thrilling accounts Of the
great flood, which visited Baltimore city
and surrounding country on Friday last.
1t is said to be the heaviest and most des-
tructive food ever known in the annals of
that city, not even excepting the great
food of1S37. On Wednesday night, says
the Gazette, a very severe rain and thun-
der storm occurred and considerably in.
creased the volume of water in the streams
around the city. On Friday morning at
an early hour the rain commenced to fall
and gradually increased in violence until
between the hours Of eight and nine o.
clock A. NJ, when it fell in torrents and
was accompanied by considerable thunder
and lightning. About twelve o'clock M !.
the water in Jones' Falls commenced to
overflow, and in a very short time the
whole of the lower portion of the city was
covered in many places to the depth of
from eight to twelve feet. The submerg-
ed portion of West Baltimore extended
from Lombard street in South Baltimore,
along Harrison to Baltimore street. Hol-
liday street was covered as far as Fayette,
and on South and Calvert streets the wa
ter reached Lexington. Along Calvert
the water extended to Pleasant street and
in North beyond Centre.
Beyond Centre street only small por-
ton Of the ground bordering on the Falls
was submerged, extending to the Eager
street bridge. The portion of East Balti-
timore which was covered was compare
lively small.
The suddenness of the overflow was for
some time m ystery in the city, as al
though the fall of rain was excessive it
would by no means account for it. The
cause Of this, however. we have since
learned to be as follows: About, seven
miles above the city the line Of the North
ern Central Railway passes by Lake Ro-
land. At this point an arm of the lake
extends for some distance east of the road,
connecting with the main portion by a
large culvert passing under the road bed.
When the storm was at its height the wa
ter in this arm was observed to rise with
great rapidity, covering all the grounds
around its sides, and the culvert was evil
IDENTIFY either too small to carry off the
great volume or was INSTRUCTED from some
accidental cause. About IL NJ, the wa
ter commenced to run over the bank Of
the roadway, forcing in the lines of rails
towards Lake Roland, forming Of them a
regularly inclined line towards the lake
and then emptyiug with q fall Of some
twenty feet into the lake itself. This "a
brasion, once commenced, increased faster
and faster, and SO great was the volume
of water emptied into Lake Roland that
the water of the lake was elevated until it
was forced over the main dam to a height
of several feet. ao. :st it
From thence this extraordinary volume
of water passed on to the city, carrying
away all obstacles to its progress, and,
doubtless, causing the sudden overflow
and its disastrous consequences.
From Ellicott City we have reports Of
a still more disastrous character, compre-
bending not only great loss of property,
but also of life. The rain, which began
to fall about 8 o'clock in the morning, (of
Friday soon poured down in torrents, or
rather fell in sheets, causing the Patapsco
river to rise at an unprecedented rate, and
in about 20 minutes the narrowly confined
stream was swollen to mighty torrent,
rushing madly down, compelling every
thing in its course to submit to the pow
erful sway Even the stoutest structures
yielded to its force, and as the wreck of
matter was thus borne away it but added
power for the further work of disaster
So rapid was the rise of the water that
many persons barely escaped from their
residences along the steep banks Of the
stream in time to see their dwellings car
ried away by the rushing waters; while
others, even less fortunate, after clinging
to the last evidences of safety from the
impending ruin, and being cut off from
all escape, fell victims to the surging
flood.
It was on the Baltimore county, or
right bank of the river, that the food was
most destructive. The greater part OF
the buildings destroyed were there situat-
ed, and all the persons whose lives were
lost were dwellers in this ILL fated section.
So complete is the destruction on the Bal
timore county side that those entering the
town in that direction scarcely recognize
it as once forming a material part OF the
Aourishing city. In all thirty.two build
ings were swept away in the city and its
vicinity, thirty of which were dwellings,.
and the lives of forty-three persons are
known to have been lost.
Those who witnessed the fearful calam-
ity represent the spectacle as agonizing in
the extreme. A lady Of Baltimore. Miss
h. G. Adams, who was on visit to Eli
colt City at the time. has given an inter
esting account of what came under her
observation, in. which she describes the
scene as follows: .'Dr. Owings, who had
been sent for professionally, had left his
house but few minutes before the Hood
appeared, against the remonstrances OF
his wife, who was alarmed at the threat