Wilmington daily gazette., 1874-05-19
ANOTHER FLOOD
A CHAPTER FROM CHARLES READE's
"PUT YOURSELF IN HIS PLACE.
THE BREAKING OF THE OUSE-
LEY DANA GRAPHIC AND
A THRILLING SKETCH


The terrible disaster detailed in our last issue
VIII recall to the mind Of many of our readers
the story of the breaking OF "Ouseley DaS, as
described by Charles keade IN "Put Yourself in
His Place"
At nine O'Clock in the evening the chief con-
stable OF liillsborough was drinking tea with
Little, the hero OF the tale, when a messenger
delivered noto TO him telling him that there
was something wrong with Ouseley dam. As
lie was departing Little said: Take piece OF
advice with you. | hear that dam Is too full if
so, don't listen to advice from any one, but ol,eu
at once all the sluces of the wasteppes and re-
liese the pressure; but If you find a flaw in the
embankinent. don't trihe, blow up the waste weir
at once with gunpowder" The dam was six
miles from HIllsborough. After
| u smart canter Ransoms came in sight of what
seemed long, black mill with great glow-worms
dotted here and there. That hill was the embauk-
ment, and the glow-worms were the lanterns Of
workmen examining the outer side of the en-
oankment and prylng Into every part. The enor-
nous size and double slope OF the bank, its ap-
parent similarity in form and thickness to those
natural barriers with which nature hews in lakes
OF large dimensions, acted on hansomes senses,
and set him wondering at the tmidity and credu-
lity OF the people in Damlask, two towns which
lay between the dam and Hillsborough. By-and
by Ransome looked up and observed
THIN SHEET OF WATER
beginning to stream over the centre of the em-
| bankment and trckle down; the quantity was
| nothing; but 1t alarmed him. Having no special
knowledge on these matters he was driven to
| comparisons, and it flashed across him that when
he " as boy and used to make little mud-dams
| IN April, they would resist the tiny stream until
| 1t trckled over them, aud from that moment thei
| late was sealed. Nature he had observed oper-
ates alike in small things and great and that sheet
| OF water, though thin as a wafer, alarmed him.
| lie thought 1t was better to give false warning
than withhold true one. lie ran TO his hurse'
jumped on him and spurred away
| His horse was fast and powerful, and carried
him in three ninutes back TO Emden's farm,
| The farmer had gone to bed. Ransome knocked
him up and told him he feared the dam was go-
ing then gallopcd on 10 Hatfield mill Here he
| found the miller aud his family all gathered out.
side ready for start one workman had run
down from the reservoir. "The embankment Is
| not saie. Ransome gllloped on, shouting as be
went. The shout was taken up ahead, and he
heard y voice crying in the night:
| ITS COMING ! IT'S CoMINGw
This weird cry, which perhaps, his own gal
Looping and shouting had excited, seemed like
| an independent warning, and thrilled him &c
the bone. He galloped through Hatfield, shout
ling "Save yourselves Save yourselves" |" anc
the people poured out, and ran for high grounc
lshriektng wildly looking back, he saw the hill
dotted with what he took for sheep at first bu
IL MAS the folk in their Dght-clothes He qai
Hoped on to Damtlask, still shouting rs Ae wen
AT the edge OF the hamlet he found cottage
with no hight in 1t; he disInounted and thun-
dered at the door. Escape for your lives !" fol
your lives" A man called Hillsboro' Harry
topened the window. "rhe embankment is 90,
ing. Wy for yeur lives = "Nay" said the mar
coolly, "Ousey dam will burst noane this week
and turned to 20 to bed again. Presently a shart
| explosion was heard up in the hills. Ransomt
pulled up and said aloud, "It will be all righ
now, thank goodness They have blown W
the welr,' The words were scarcely out of hi.
mouth when he heard a loud suIlen roar speed
lily followed by tremendous hiss and a rumb
ling thunder that shook the very earth wher,
he stood, two miles distant. At that appalling
Sound, that kissing thunder the like OF which
he had never heard before, Ransome squire,
away at all his speed, and warned the rest o
the village with loud, inarticulate cries. Ii,
could not wait TO speak, nor was it necessary
AT the top of the hill he tarned moment anC
looked up the valley Soon he saw
| \ AoFri WHITE WALL
ruuniLg down on Hatfield MILL 1t struck tn
mill and left nothing visible bur the root sur
Grounded by white foam. Another nomen
and lie distinctly saw the mill sw i'm n yard o
1.-TWO, then disappear and leave no trace, and ol
came the white wall, Kissing and laundering
| Ransome uttered a cry OF horror, and gallope,
Inady forward to save what lives he might
Whenever he passed a house he shrieked hi
warning, but he never drew rein. AS he gal
loped along mis- mind worked. He observe,
the Naney W "iueh III places, anu he hoped TIL
flying lake would spread and so loso some q
that tremendous volume Aud force, bs or
which he had seen Hatfield stone mill 20 down
With this hope he galoped on and reache,
Poma bridge, 1--WE miles and a halt from the re
tservolr. Here, to Mas dismay, he heard tn
Kissing thunGeG sound as near to him as it wa
when he halted on the hill above damfiask. 4
he crossed the bridge he caught sight OF
THE FLYING LAKE
once more-he had gone over Inoxs sreand, bu
he had gone no further, lie saw the whit,
wall strike Dolman's tlrm there was "a high
III one window Low. lie saw the tarm-hous
| with its QnS light swim bodily, then melt an,
disappear with all the poor souls in it, lie gal
Hoped on--his hat flew off; he came under tn
coiners' house, and yelled warning; "Th
Hood the Hood! Fly Get ON high ground 10
your lives !" AT last it reached Littie's Wha
seemed mountain of snow came rolling an
burst OH them with terrific Violence whlrn
great trees and fragments of houses past Wit
incredible velocity. At the first blow the hous
that stood nearest to tying lake was shattered
and Went to pieces soon after all the house
lquivered as the waller rushed round them tw
stories high. Little never expected to hive an
i, other minute. Now came higher wave an
the water reached above the window sills c
, the he'd room floor aud swept away the ladder
= Iyet
,s DRIVEN FORWARD LIKE A CANNoN-BuLLRr
did not yet pour into the bedrooms from III
main stream but by degrees the furious hoo
broke, melted. and swept away The intervenin
houses, aud then hacked off the gable end OF u
h house, us il Leviathan had bitten piece out
Through that aperture the flood came straight il
levelled the partitions ut single blow, rushe
into the upper rooms with fearful roar, aud thei
rushing out again to Join the greater body
water, blew the front wall clean away, and sweT
Grace Garden out into the raging current He
helpless body was whirlsd round and round thre
times by the struggllug eddies, aud then hurre
IaWay like a feather hy the oyerw heming torreu
The mighty reaux, which alter short strugg
lnuarnnN cred the -nsh Of water from, the