Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-11-28
INUNDATION IN ITALY.
The Late Flood In the Valley Of tho Po
Graphically Described.
From the DOstnn Tranacrink

From tho Boston Transcript.
The following account of the inun
dations in Tuscany, from the pen of {
Boston lady now travelling in Italy
will be read with much interest:
The last two weeks in Milan ani
Florence, ns far rs the weather goes
have been drcary indeed. Rain ha.
been almost constant, only interrupted
by occasional fitfnl CLEANS of sunshine
that were quickly obscured and chased
away by the clouds.
Beautiful Italy" has cruelty disap
pointed us this time, and Florence ever
Threatened to he dangerous on Sunda,
night, Oct. 13. The usually modes
Arno forgot its meekness and rose il
fury. 1t dashed over the dam ant
filed up all below, 80 that the pres
ence of the former fall was only siow1
by more agitation in the waves Mt tha
point. The signs of limit of naviea
ton were knocked about, aud finally
fshed up by some compassionate
made upon them by the excited
stream. The striped pole, which, stand
ing in the midst cf the Arno, had sug.
gested to us that perhaps it was t6e
sign of the barber who shaved the mer.
men OF the stream, disappeared also ir
the turbid waves. Bushes and pieces
OF timber came floating down, and
crowds OF people, with umbrellas, stood
along the Lung Arno in the pouring
rain on Monday, the 14th, gazing as
tonished at their usually placid stream
In the night of the 18th it had riser
so high that from the parapets along
the street it was easy to touch it Will
the hand, and at q o'clock in the
morning the danger of inundation was
very great. Had it not been that this
now wild stream preferred spreading
itself in the neighborhood of Empoii
and Pisa, the city of Florence would
have become, for time, another Venice.
Not content with bringing the alarm
within the limits of the metropolis,
keeping the city fathers on the qui vive.
the gas burning all night, extra torches
furnished to the Misrecordia in case OF
need, laborers working away in the
storm with stone and plaster upon
weak walls, and the telegraphing OF
messages from place to place, not con-
tent with all this, the water sprites
rushed to the Cascine to arouse them.
selves, driving the waves along the
southern promenade, where the liver
led carriages of the Florentines were
wont to roll.
On, on in their frenzy went the evil
sprites, dashing down the railroad
bridge near Empoi, and causing great
CONSERVATION in the city and suburbs
of the Leaning Tower. Before plunp-
ing with the excited river into tie
Mediterranean, near Leghorn, possess
sed by deeper desire for mischief,
they surrounded many a house on the
plain, and had it not been for the brave
efforts made to save life, numbers of
human beings would have been borne
away. As it was, we hear of mothers
with their children, and of several
families that persisted. Still unsatis.
fled with their work, the sprites attack
ed also the Ombrone, between Pistola
and Florence, until it rushed wildly
about, carrying away sheep and cat
tie and grain and railway carri-
ages, and forming such q lake
on the low country as to quite cut of
the communication between the neigh
boring places. They flew next to
the Maremma shore, bringing there
also terror and destruction. Storm,
winds, thunder, lightning, and waters
rising everywhere-what could delight
more than the water demons! They
leap. they dance, they direct the tor
rents against cottages, huts, and espe-
cially their enemy the fire-horse and
all connected with it, pulling down the
foundations of a railway station at Ro.
signano, and running the carriages,
locomotives and oil within their reach.
The good spirits, too, were not idle
that night of the 18th. Poor travellers,
delayed on their journeys, were aided
and invited into hospital houses, the
helpless and drowning g were saved by
noble, courageous men. dragons were
sent from larger to smaller towns to
furnish assistance SO much needed,
and watches and patriots kept vigilant
guard, warning those in danger, barri-
cading places and carrying light and