Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-01-01
Alefaroria 6ax&tte
TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY l.
Fatal InundatlOnS.

Fatal InundatlOns.
Notwithstanding all precautionary measures.
inundations have too often spread over these
yerdaut meadows, depositiug their germs OF
disease 10 man and beast, although at the same
time fertilizing the soil. 1t was one OF these
inundations, 10 1880, which transformed the
arid earth into fertile prairies by covering It
with kind cf mud, which WAS not the only
| service the overhoWiog waters rendered the
| country that year. Bands of wolves were de-
stroyed, which for long centuries had been tue
terror Of the ueighborhood. These voracous
! beasts. not content with decimatiDg whole ,cks
| of sheep, dared even to attack mao. During
| the severe winter seasons they would hover
around the villages, obligiug the peasants to CO.
gage in fearful combats before they could oc
driven back to their retreats. Even the dead
they would drag from the earth, if the cold was
unusually severe and prey was scarce, which
terrible profanity caused the Inhabitants to pro
.u.u stone graves from Germany IN order to
protect their dead from these detested depIre'
dators Guieciardini refers to these tombs'
and vet, strange to say, there is not ono trace
of them to be found IN my portion or the rulos
throughout Friesland. ,
Tbs inundations of 1912, 1921, 1926 and l47G
were, unfortunately, not so useful ID their et'
fects. Not only whole villages were destroyed.
the lands decimated and beasts drowned, but
human life was sacrificed to terrible extent
"When the wind blows from the north. writes
contemporary OF these fearful times, Cornelius
Kempius, ''the sea dashes with such fury against
the shores that the steepes of the churches and
the highest and most soldid houses are often
shaken TO their foundations, and sometimes
thrown 10 the ground; trees are uprooted, ant
large iron clad vessels fuug with violence on
the shores. Hence the reasop," he adds, for
surrounding Friesand With belt of ramparts
driven into tho earth; but as even these dlkes
are not always strong enough to resist the Vo'
leuco of the waves, the lnhabltaots have wisely
built their houses on artificial hllocks 10 order
to have place of refuge, and to save the l!VeS
of man and beast when the fields arc lnundat'
ed and overfowing With water. Happily, no"
ever, such disasters happen very rarely oWing
to the erection Of the magnificent works along
the coast, In 1925, however, durog E, tne
month of February, about one.thlrd or , fries
land was submerged by the sudden sWeiilne "
the sea and rivers forcing passage t!touh"
the dkes placed there to prevent tneif p'o'
| gress. ,,,,,
"No one appears to understand tue cause
for such frightful catastrophe. Ihe whoe
elements seem to have combined to lasn the'r
| furv against this unfortunate country. heaVy
rain thunder and lightning. loined the'r lorco
| to the power of the waves 10 order 70 iay waste
tho works of man. The terrified lnhahtants
believed their last hour had come when tn:y
saw the devastation around them; some nea Ia
horror before the foaming waves which rolled
after them 10 menaciog speed; others not 80
Fortunate iu being able to fee, only escaped 6e'
ino drowned 10 their houses by the lodomltaDle
courage. energy and fortitude of those who IN
der the irving circumstances displayed hero,
lam worthy Of the cause they had undertaken.
Terrible anxiety continued for two days and
then the waters began slowly to subsde, leaV
ing behind them the most frightful ravages -
| The Dead Cities of the Zugder lee.
THE LIQUOR TRADE. The annual report OF
the Commissioner OF lnterna! revenue sno"s
| that there are 1892 distilleries in the Uoted
States. GOA wholesale liquor dealers. IDS
hreweries. l.l3O reotifers aud lG4 sos licensed
retail LIQUOR shops. New York has the largest
number of brewers, wholesale liquor dealers
and saloons or dram shops. North Carolina
has tho largest number Of distillerlcs and the
smallest number of dram shops. OF the 4.992
J;st;lIeries in the Union, that State has l. lO25;
but for the most part they are very small estab
lishments. and consist of single still located 10
tbe remote and almost mace ,ssbe mountain
valleys. In Maine they have no distllleriee, bl
six Wholesale liquor dealers and 402 public S.
Looms, But they have other devices for refresh
linz the inner man. 1t is said that mock tano
rsls sometimes CROSS the border from New
Brunswick, with cofins lined with case bottles.
from which the spirits arc rcsurrected without
waiting for Gabriel's trump to blow.
For W1vEs.-"What do you thiok the
beautiful word wife comes from I" asks Rus
kin. 1T is the great word in which the Eog
ish and Latin languages corquered the trench
and tho Greek. hope the French will some
day get word for it Instead of that dreadful
word femme. But what do you think 1t comes
: from? The great value Of Saxon words IS thai
J they mean something. Wife means weaver.
You must be either housewives or house
mothers; remember that. 10 the deep sense
YOU must either weave mems fortunes aud EN-
broider them, or feed upon and bring them t
decay. Wherever true wife comes, home is
ALWAYS around her. The stars may be over he
: head the glowworm iu the night.cloud gras
nav be the fire at her foot; but homo is wher
She is: and for noble woman it stretches fa
aronnd her, better than houses ceiled Will
J cedar or painted with vcrmllion, shedding 1t
o ouiet light for those who else are homeless
4 ibis believe tc be tho woman's true piac
( and power. .-..
:. nsy- The SD annual meeting of the Hydrau
"a lion =. F.. E. Co.. will be held on Tuesday
!. January 1st at II o'clock p. m. All -,