The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-12-27
The European Storms.

The extraordinary storms which have
prevailed upon the coasts of Europe with
in the past seven weeks are unprecedent-
ed. The high tide and storms of the 18th
of November were of terrible import, es-
pecially on the German coast. The de-
vastation was great and the tide reached
its maximum hight on the coast at Schles-
wig at P. NJ, and on the shores of the
Baltic Sea it exceeded the high tide OF
1894 by % inches, and that of 1885 by %
inches.
Here the water rose about II feet above
the mean level of the sea. The shores of
the Baltic are so low that an inundation
cannot fail to occur under such storms as
that of the past month. In the srrall
t1yn Of ApenIae alone 90 houses have be-
come uninhabitable and nearly 2S0 fanli-
lies have not roof over their heads
The news from Eckernforde is still worse
entire streets have been literally annihila-
ted, while many OF; the buildings left stand
ing are undermined in their foundations
to such an extent that they will have to lie
pulled down. The exact mum Der of dwell
ings totally destroyed in Eskernforde can
not yet be ascertaincd, but it will not fall
short of 100. Hundreds of inhabitants
have lost everything.
The news from the district of Oldenburg
is most saddening; but here, too, the dam
age done cannot be fully estimated as vet
On one property $50 cows and 0Ohogs were
drowned; many villages have been inun-
dated, and in one of them from 40 to 80
houses have been DESTROYED In several
places human lives have been lost; in the
village of Dahme II persons are missing,
and the death Of seven has been ascertain
ed. In the island of Femarn the family
of pilot consisting Of husband, wife aud
two children, who had taken refuge on
the roof of the house and were clinging to
the chimney, were washed away and
drowned in sight Of their neighbors and Of
q boats crew which had already succeed
ed in saving the lives of 21 persons. On
this island the sea broke through all the
dikes, and out of ~ villages the fields and
property Of only IL escaped the devastat-
ing flood. The entire coast of western
Pomerania and the island of Rugen, with
its projecting peninEulas and the smaller
islands lying around it, have also most Sc
verely suffered.
The long and narrow island of Hidden
see, near Rugen, through which the sea
once before forced its way, has been dl-
vided into two parts by = channel II feet
deep. Two villages were completely in
undated, and had 70 be abandoned By their
inhabitants. Vitte WAS also entirely cover
eddy the sea, ard its inha bitants had to be
rescued from the garIets by boats. Pro
visions, winter stores of all kinds ard fuel
have been washed away or spoiled, and
the wells are useless on account of the
saltwater, with which they are filed
Want Of shelter from the cold is bitterly
felt and the unfortunate people have not
the primary necessaries Of life. The chief
trade of the island has been fatally des-
troyed, as all the tshing-net have disap-
peared, and the boats were either knocked
in pieces or carried off by the sea.
The peninsula of Oars ard the Island Of
Zingst, the forelands Of part of western
Pomerania. were also devastated by this un-
exampled inundation. The natural dikes
have been broken through in five places,
and the artificial dikes and embankments
constructed not long ago at a heavy cost,
have been entirely observation-disclosures
DispGteh.