St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-03-21
A Hungarian City Flooded.
Great Destruction of Life and Property.
AT SZEGEDIN ON THE RIVER Thesis.

AT szEGEDIN ON THE RIVER Thesis.
The catastrophe threatened by the
river Thesis has fallen upon the city of
Szegedin, Hungary. lmpelled by gale
the water has broken through the dam
and rushed in broad streams upon the
town. A dispatch from SZegedin says:
After fearful night of anxiety, all eff
forts are useless. The water broke
through with immense force at . o'clock,
carrying away part of the railway sta
ton, the embaukment and rolling stock.
Within three hours the town was many
feet deep in water. Terrible suffering
is commencing, and shrieks and cries
from thousands are heard. Houses are
crashing by the score, and in many
cases carrying the inmates with them.
God knows what we shall do tonight.
There is no gas, the works being 10
feet in the water. i fear we shall run
short of food. One boat was just going
to save large hOuseiul of people when
fearful crash carried with it the whole
living freight. The scene is simply
heart rending. Over $4,000 people are
out of house and home, hundreds are
drowning and the water is still rising
rapidly.
A dispatch from Pesth, dated We'd
nesday evening, says: ga flood, with
terrific roar, is rushing from two sides
over Szegedin. The horrors of the sit
uation battle all description. The town
is, in fact, destroyed. Two-thirds of it
is now submerged, including the cita-
del and the post and telegraph offices.
| Whole rows of houses are falling. The
| ornhanona onH Sunounnua ora
ed, and all the inmates of the former
are buried in the ruins. Two manu-
factories are on fire. The inhabitants
are flying to New Szegedin and the
more elevated parts of the town. The
municipality of Pesth is making every
effort to send assistance to Szegedin.
Two relief trains have already started.
Accommodation for fugitives has been
provided in the barracks and public
buildings of Pesth." An official telegram
dated Pesth $50 p. m. confirms the re-
ports of the terrible aspect of the town
and the destruction of hundreds of
houses. 1t states that the removal of
the inhabitants is proceeding without
disorder, and that SO far only four
corpses have been found. The dams
are being cut in several places to allow
the water to run off. No excuses are
reported, but precautions have been
i taken for the protection of property.
The London Standard hears from Pesth
that 100 square miles in the neighbor-
hood of Szegedin are flooded, and that
the crops in the district are lost. The
government has sent 10000 forms for
the relief of the inhabitants. The rad
icals in the Hungarian Diet yesterday
violently attacked the government for
neglecting to take precautions to pre-
vent the calamity.
The London News has this dispatch
from Szegedin dated Wednesday, p.
H.: "Since my last kilograms, the
water has risen i'll the town five feet.
Our situation is becoming worse and
worse. Sixty thousand persons are now
without roof to cover them. 1t is
feared that the loss of life has been
very great and will increase during this
terrible night" This dispatch, coming
directly from the spot, is probably more
trustworthy than the official account
previously received from Pesth.
LATERAL LEAST 1000 LIVES LOST.
The lowest estimate now fixes the
number drowned at the flood in Siege,
din at 1000, and many persons believe
that 1000 persisted, as the gale prevent.
ed majority of the inhabitants from
hearing the first alarm. An Official
statement shows that of 900 houses in
Szegedin all but 26I were destroyed
Most of the hahitations destroyed were
, of the lower classes. Some of the large
houses fell Saturday, and one is said te
have overwhelmed 80 probably 81 fam.
lilies and another Sc persons. Last night
: many people were still on the roofs O
the houses and in the trees. Diphthe
: ria has broken out among the fugitiyel