New-York tribune., 1872-07-17
THE INUNDATION OF THE Po.

CAUSES OF THE DIsASTER-PEREMPToBY ORDERS
OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT CARRIED OUT
DESPITE PROTESTS OF LOCAL AUIioRITIEs-
VISIT TO THE SCENE OF DISASTER.
lFRoM REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE ThBuNRl
PoLEsELLA, june 3O.-Neyer since the king
Of Italian rivers first made his course from the Alps
the sea- receiving his royal duelthe waters of 40 te
utary streams has set at naught mans puny efforts
enforce his limits IN this last inundaon, which has
deuged 700 square kilometres of territory; Immersed
towns and villages, deprived 1900 human beings sI
home and the Of subsistence. The frightfll
misery of 1900 Of these uniortunates passes de-
scription, and could not have continued for
whole month IN either England America. But charity
is not one Of the special virtues OF the Latin and
the united offerings OF the Government and individuals
barely amount to one daily pennyworth OF bread per
mouth the poor wretohes slowed in garrets, gran
aries. and haY-lOfs. while typhus and tertan eyers
exhale from the agnant waters where the dead bodies
of horses cattle pigs poultry and vegetable matter are
undergoing decomposition. The peasants whose novels
have been washed away, together with their iustui
mens Of labor, their pig their hens and new born
brood have lost everything and the Of the soil
are, for the time beng in similar plight True 1t s,
however that the PO does not sand does the
Adge to sterzethe land Orevemore The clay deposited
becomes, In the Of time, three years. fertz
ing agent but in the meanwhile the entire crops for this
year are swept away Had the food occurred in Autumn
from seven to eight francs per klowould have been
sod the wheat. maize, and other grains stored the
hemp macerated and either sold TO the nearest mannfac
tory OF hung up high and dry for Winter picking But
the Po the month OF May for his depredaos and
swept away all these items Of produce In his impeuous
course Men Of wealth yesterday see the
last floors of their palaces above water and that all
the visible remnant Of their together with
such horses and cattle they have saved and Cor
they are sorely puzzled TO find stabng and proyender
Their future and tie Immediate present OF the asau
classes depeCds upon the amount Of capital that they
borrow to enable them to begin again at the beginning"
dran pow and perhaps even this year secure the last
grass crop.
The first ching necessary b of course to mend the river
banks and TO conne the impetuous torrent in Its old
bed this accomplished the water the plains. reeeiv-
ing no addition WILL in few days, flow down to the
sea- and except In the low-lying hollows shall walk
dry land But the question how to msnd
the enormous ruptures In the artificial entertainments
(which four in number, varying from $50 meters 10
200 LENGTH until at least the shall have sunk to
its lowest level The engineers, like doctors, dsagee
One Manzini adopting the long since recorded opion
Of the celebrated Paeocapa proposed allow the 70 10
occupy the territory 1t has invaded and TO indemnify the
propretors OF the soil but the proposition rejected as
too expensive, and technically impractcable The
present embankments the experts II they had been
constructed OF proper material and had been supported
by the necessary counterscarps, would have suf-
feed TO keep the river In Its actual bed
The recent catastrophe is due TO the divergence
Of opinion between the local engineering authorities
and the Central Government Some time ago II was
found that portion OF the old embankment between
Guarda Ferrarde and Pho. villages the right bank OF
the Po, weakened by the constant beating OF the
waters against the curve which Is abrupt. Behind II
was constructed coronea or second embankment In
the form OF half circle or arc the old embankmen'
forming the chord OF the arc constructed Is now
proved. of inferior and Heterogeneous materal, ana
without counterscarps The coronells completed, the
head engineer insisted cutting two mouths In the old
bank "to accustom the coronela To the beating
the waters" The local "enpneer OF the department.
protested and actually cent his protest the Centra
Government The Minister Of Public Works sharply