The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1876-04-28
FEARFUL FLOOD.
Cities and Villages DeIuRcd-Great Los
Of Life aud Property.

|
| Of Life aud Property.
A letter to the New York Express from
st. Oedenrode, March 9th, says: Both
the cable and foreign correspondents have
/ given you many facts concerning the
| fearful deluge that has visited a great
| portion of Europe; but it is impossible
for Others than an eyewitness TO conceive
I the destruction which life and property
has sustained. Your correspondent has
| daily watched the ravages of the flood,
| the like of which has not been seen or
heard of since the destruction of the
ming of February, Holland was visited
by terrific thunder storm, which seemed
to gain in fury every hour; the light
ming flashed with binding vividness; the
thunders roared with unprecedented peal
after peal, and the rain poured down in
torrents, till hundreds, yes, thousands
were filed with the idea that the end of
things had indeed come. In this way
did the storm continue day after day,
with the exception that the thunder
and lightning ceased to a certain extent.
1t now began to be whispered from city
to city, and from village TO village, that
the combined waters of the Rhine,
hcuSc anu ItCk were SiONlN, DuJ surely,
to make a vast sea of the counties of
North Brabant, Utrecht, Gelderland and
South Holland. The greatest fears were
realized. The Rhine bursted its dikes,
and soon Utrecht, with her old and IA
nous city of learning, together with sew
eral villages, were deluged beyond de-
scriptiOn. So, also, were the neighbor-
ing counties of South Holland and Gel
derland flooded by the overfiowing Leck
and Rhine. The worst now seemed to
have come but not so, for the news
soon flashed through the country that
the dikes above Shertogenbosch had
given way, and the city was at the mercy
of the flood. The Meuse had silently
swelled until it could contain itself no
longer, when it suddenly forced its con-
fines, carrying death and terror through |
out the greater portion of the country of
North Brabant. Homes. schools, churches |
and every movable thing gave way TO |
the fearful rush of waters, which seemed /
to pour in at the upper and lower win /
dOws and doors of the houses with tre- |
mendous force. House after house gave |
way, and floated out in the fields beyond. |
Here and there could be seen horses, /
cows and sheep vainly striving, with up
turned heads, to gain a footing or chance !
to breathe. But they were doomed.
alongside of horse, perhaps,
would be a table, chairs, beds and other
household furniture. One of the saddest
sights witnessed was that of an infant in
genbosch from the village of Lith, a few
miles north The cradle was found
floating with its dead but human freight,
H. lo1 l,xvt # cot
tie. portions of once happy homes, and
the general debris which goes TO make up
the terrors and sickening sights of such
a flood. Can we imagine the feelings of
the mother of that child? Perhaps she
was watching it when the terrible waters
suddenly tore it, with its little bed, from
its mothers reach. She may have
watched it gradually disappear, and, as
it foated out of sight, may have prayed
and hoped for the best. BY this time
she knows the worst. This is simply an
incident of many of the sad scenes of this
second deluge. The principal cities sub
merged are Zalt BOmmel, Vianen, GOuda,
Utrecht and ShertOgenbosch. They all
suffered more or less, but the last named
Jared by far the worst. No less than
seventy villages were flooded, the houses
being completely gutted from cellar to
roof When the waters were at their
night, houses and the roadways gave way
10 water and small steamers. Food was
carried from house to house and family
10 family by these steamers, which had
4 clear sweep of the country, that was
now an immense sea. The price of food
rose with the food, and milk sold fast at
fifty cents a quart; butter commanded
lne dollar and twenty-five cents pound;
bread and meat rose in proportion, and
we're hard to get at any price. Steamers
could be seen passing the roofs Of some
Df the principal buildings in the cities
and towns, as they steamed up to the
many outstretched hands and delivered
them food. 1t was feared at one time
hat the dikes at Zalt BOmmel would
yive way; but at this writing hopes are
that the worst has come and
gone. These dikes are watched night
md day. Thousands of men are en-
1ioyed in repairing the broken walls.
Thank God, Europe has thrown open her
treasures, and money is flowing IN with
welcome rush. Concerts and enter
of all kinds are given through
,ut the country for the benefit Of the
ufferers. The cry for help has been, and
till continues to be nobly responded 10.
The loss of life has been very small, but
he loss and damage of property run far
nto the millions.