Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-02-17
FLOODS IN GERMANY.
INTERESTING ACCOUNT BY MR.. PAW
CEfT, FORMERLY OF SACRAMENTO.
The Storms. Etc.. Preceding the Great
Destruction-Loss of Life-Forest
Denuding the Cause;

A very interesting account of the dam
aging floods upon the Rhine and in other
parts of Europe, of which the telegraph
has made the public familiar, is furnished
in editorial correspondence to the Elmira
IN. Y Adrertiser by Mr.. Fawcett, for
merly of Sacramento, and who is now
travelling in Europe. After speaking of
the frequent storms which prevailed there
during last summer and fall. much to the
annoyance of travelling visitors to that Sec
ton, and which had continued into Novem-
Der, when all streams and the soil had been
filed to the utmost, he says:
Soon the great rivers of Europe could
not carry back the surplus to the sea, but
burst their natural and artificial barriers
and wrought riot and ruin everywhere.
The spirit of rebellion ran back even to
the springs and rills of the Tyrolean and
Swiss Alps. The Rhine, the Rhone and
the Danube, from the mountains to the
sea, were oyertuIning, overlooking, en-
quilting and destroying. The Tyrolean and
the Switzer saw his chalet and his iiocks
swept away by the torrents, swollen from
streams which he had lesped across a short
time before. The Hungarian, the French
man and the German looked helpless!y on
Inundated valleys, insulated villages, over.
thrown dwellings and destroyed crops.
But after few days the floods subsidized,
the heavens cleared, men breathed freer,
and all thought the great danger had passed
by. 1t was a vain hope. Snow fell in
considerable quantities. Rain came again
in generous showers. This would have
brought DO special harm in itself, but the
spirit of evil reused the dreadful "Fehn, I"
or hot south wind, and he began blowing
the measureless snow. field of the great
mountain chains of Europe into
sToRM-CLoUDs OF WARM RAIN,
And unloosing the frost letters of the snow
on valley and hill, and of the eternal ice of
the Alps The result has been sad and
awful beyond words to describe. The
same cry goes up from the valleys of the
Danube, the Rhone and the Rhine, and
from the valleys of all the~important riv-
ers of western Europe. 1t is a cry for
help, and almost despairing cry, for the
damage sustained, the injuries inflicted and
suferings endured, and chat must, in spite
of all efforts to succOr and assist, still be
endured, are past computation and belief.
The condition has been bad everywhere,
especially among the Tyrolian Alps, but
nowhere has the picture been quite so mel
ancholy and full of misery as in the Rhine
valley. The November food had passed
and people had heloically set about re.
building walls, drying cellars, clearing up
their fields and doing from day to day
double work to make good the damage.
By common impulse all Germany spared
generous silver pieces from the little treas
ure laid away for Christmas, Clothes,
food and shelter came in adequate abun.
dance to succor the suffering.
THE WRATH OF THE RHINE.
Scarcely was this good work under way
when Father Rhine with the violence of
newborn strength and with the savage glee
of a veritable barbarian, in the right time
and without warning came bursting down
from the mountain Businesses upon the
slumbering and unsuspecting villages and
cities which cluster so thickly and popu.
lousy along its stored banks. 10 less than
three DAYS the stream was thirty feet
above the usual level-a great yellow roar
ing rushing sea rather than a river
lusty thief stealing in at the cellar, stalk
ing in at the door, peering in at the win
dow and chasing mother and children up
the stairs and out of the window, despoil-
ing the cellar, putting out the kitchen fire,
destroying the furniture, steslthily picking
away the mortar in the foundation
tawnv giant lashing himself into rage,
A.. 1,,;1t L,,rr;ar, INV -
through dams and rushing across fair farms,
surrounding villages, taking cities by storm,
carrying away bridges and
SIERCILEssLY SHOWING NO QUARTER
Devouring cattle, farms, houses and men,
women and children spreading nearly
over, and, with the north wind, violently
desolating the low countries for many
miles. Such an unnatural father has the
Rhine been this year, and such q Christmas
has he brought his children. In the dis
trict of Ffankenthal, a small district,
whole villages have almost entirely been
obliserated. Two Thousand separate dwell
ing houses in this small county have been
entirely overthrow and destroyed. This
represents TO- 900 homeless people, all poor,
their villages still in water and absolutely
without any means of clothing or support,
with their farms laid waste and the winter
still before them. AT Ludwigshafen, near
Mannheim, have been rudely quartered for
two weeks over l,500 villagers rescued in
boats from homes that have since sunk
crumbling heaps Of stone beneath the
waves. In the haste and confusion some
peasants have persisted in their houses.
Many have been drowned by accidental
overturnings of the rescuing boats. Near
Ludwigshafen small cluster of houses
was in imminent peril from the flood and
the great waves which the wind pitilessly
dashed against their stone sides. Some
brave men undertook the rescue of the i'm
prisoned families. By great care and
greater strength they reached the spot and
in their capacious boat
RECEIVED FROM THE UPPER WINDOWS
Nearls forty people, some old and some
feeble, some children. They started hope
fully for safe point, but the cold wind
dashed their boat, in spite of superhuman
efforts, against tree, the remorseless
waters engulfed them all and only five
escaped. From Cologne, from Coblentz,
from Mayence, from Metz from Frankfort
and from Mannheim the view from the
high places revealed a landscape of melan.
choly sameness. Everywhere along tne
course OF the Rhine on each side as far as
the eyes could reach, was the same ex.
panse OF yellow, boiling water, sometimes
dashed into fury by fierce gales of wind,
scores of villages wholly surrounded and
invaded, and their inhabitants driven in
hasty flight, sometimes through the fast
rising waters, TO higher ground. Here and
there highway indicated by the tops of
the trees here and there sunken village,
marked by solitary roof above the water.
At times the river seemed TO seek new
channels across fertile, soft-soiled fields,
tearing up all in its path. 1t is unfortun.
ately true that many living victims have
been claimed by the flood. The surprise
was go great, the iuundation SO wide and
deep, that to
ESCAPE WITH LIFE ALONE
Has. been sufficient cause for gratitude. At
Oggersheim sad case occurred. A wagon