The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-07-16
ELEMENTS OF DESTRUCTION.


The French Floods and Other Disasters
a Terrible Holocaust of Life and Wide
spread Destruction of Property.
The floods which caused such wide
spread devastation in the South and
East OF this country in the early spring
seem to have been repeated in the South
of France with additional destructive eff
fects, causing All unprecedented loss of
life and destruction OF property in many
Garonne. This river, which takes its
rise in the Pyrenees, near the Spanish
frontier, is flooded nearly every spring
by the melting Of the mountain ice and
snow, but this is the first time that it
has occasioned any serious disaster by
its overflow, showing that the winter
must have been marked by excessive
rigor In France, as it was in this coun-
try. The principal scene of disaster
seems to have been at Toulouse, city
OF 120, 900 people, situated on the Ga
rome, at the confluence OF it's branches,
the Lens and the Arriege. The city is
principally built upon the right bank.
A portion OF it occupies an island in the
river, and the remainder, known rs the
St. Cyprien quarter, i'll which the
destruction was greatest, is built on the
left bank. In this quarter the ravages
OF the flood We're so terrible that it has
been found necessary to destroy it by
bombardment, so as to prevent danger
from the crumbling, falling walls left
standing after the flood. In this quar-
ter about 300 people were drowned, and
In the whole city 900 persons persisted
and 2, 600 houses were swept away.
The whole loss of life in the Valley of
the Glronne is stated at 5000, and the
destruction OF property at sixty or seven
ty millions of dollars
At Verdun, where the river separates
into five streams within the town, the
loss of life was also large. At Tremoul-
let, on the Arriege, one OF the branches,
but five houses were left standing out of
400. AT Moissac, ITO houses were de-
stroyed. In the district of Fax, two
villages were entirely destroyed, and
great damage was also done at Bagneres
de Blgorre and Agen, the river rising 80
feet ut the latter place. The total loss of
life is now set at 1900. The food seems
TO have spent its force Mt Bordeaux,
without occasioning any serious catas-
trophe at this important city. The prin-
cipal disaster is in the Department OF
Haute- Garonne at the base of the Pyre-
nees, and, as the industries of this de-
partment are mainly agricultural, Tou-
louise being the only manufacturing point
of any importance, the suffering is in
tense. All the crops were DESTROYED,
and thousands of people, 10000 in the
environs of Toulouse alone, are without
the means of subsistence. The French
people and the government have come
nobly to the relief of the sufferers, but
inasmuch rs an appeal has already been
made to England for help, it shows that
the catastrophe has involved an extent OF
suffering beyond the ability of home be-
nevolence alone to alleviate. The disas-
ters during the month of June were not
confined to France. -Four days after the
French flood, terrible inundations oc-
CURED in Bohemia, Moravia, Corinthia,
Beriat, and the Tyrol, not destroying as
many lives as in France, but drowning
thousands of cattle andrllining the crops
i'll several districts. The day after these
foundations, thunderstorm struck the
city of Buda, in Pesth, accompanied by
an unprecedented fall of hail. which
covered the houses and hills with ice two
feet thick. The floods were Embossed
and numerous torrents swept through
the city with such fury that men and
vehicles and everything movable were
swept into the river. 1t is estimated
that 800 people were drowned and 1OC
people killed by the falling walls. BY q
curious coincidence, ON the same day a
fearful tempest broke upon the CHILEAN
coast, destroying numerous vessels and
sixty lives, and cyclone struck Hong
Kong, wrecking hundreds of vessels and
junks, and killing over 100 people.
There seems to have been a general ad.
vance all along the line of the elements
of destruction, the world over, during
the month of June. Floods, cyclones,
hail and thunder-storms, tidal waves,
earthquakes, and volcanoes united then
destructive efforts in every part of the
globe, except Africa, and resulted in q
terrible holocaust of life and widespread
destruction of property. 1t is probable
that in this month of June, which has
just closed, nearly 80, 900 lives have been
lost by these destructive agencies alone.
The damage to property it is impossible
to estimate. Chicago Tribune.