The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-06-12
HISTORY OF FLOODS.
THE JGHNSTOWN CALAMITY COMPARED
WITH OTHER DISASTERS.
The Great Floods Of Other Years in Eu-
rope, Africa and India-Four EundnGd
Thousand Lives Lost in Houand-EaH
a Million in China.

It may not be generally known, but it
is true, that the great food at Johnstown
in Pennsylvania is the most disastrous,
so far as loss of life is concerned, that
has occurred in either Europe or Amer
lea for nearly three centuries.
There have been foods and floods since
the deluge. 1t has been no uncommon
thing to look for reports of overAows in
the Valley of the Nile, with great loss
of life. Nor do floods in India cause
any great surprise, for the frequency
with which the Ganges and other rivers
of India break their bounds is we'll
known. The same is true of the rivers
of China, and was once true of those of
Spain. In the olden times the breaking
OF dlkes in Holland carried desolation
into many thousand families.
But since James I sat on the throne
of England there has been no such hor-
ror known as that caused by the floods
in Southwestern Pennsylvania, with the
exception of one in Africa and one in
China, although even in our own coun-
try the Mississippi and many smaller
streams have played very serious pranks
with the people who happened to live
near their banks.
Probably the most disastrous Euro
peap food on record within the last five
hundred years was caused by the failure
of the dixie in Holland in 1880. 4 geae-
raj inundation followed and 400, 900 per-
sons are said to have been drowned.
The greatest following this was the
floods in Catalonia in 1911, when $4,000
persons lost their lives. By such records
as can be got at it would seem that the
Johnstown tragedy is second only to
that in Catalonia 272 years ago.
There have, however, been some big
foods during the present century. both
in this and in other countries, that Were
damaging enough in their way. 1t was
but shortly after the opening of the cen
tury, in December, 1902, that the River
Lifey broke its bounds and did vast
amount of damage in the city of Dublin.
1t was even earlier in the same year that
Lorea, city in Spain, was DESTROYED by
the bursting of a reservoir, which inun-
dated twenty leagues and drowned more
than 1000 persons.
In 1911 the Danube overfowed at a
point near Pesth, and swept away
twenty-four villages and their inhab-
itants, and these floods were followed by
others almost as disastrous in the sum-
mer of 1918, when whole villages in
Austria-Hungary and Poland were
swept away. In September Of 1913 the
Danube rose and swept away corps of
Turkish troops, 1000 strong, who were
encamped on an island in the river, near
Winder. During the same year 5000
men and women were drowned in 81
lesia, and 1000 in Poland.
From here the record is easily fol-
owed
In 1916, in January, there were several
floods at Strabane, Ireland, caused by
the melting of the snow on the noun
tains. In the same year the river Wis
tula overhowed and destroyed 10000
head of cattle and 1000 houses, besides
numerous lives. During 1879 there was
a food in the fen Counties in England,
when 5000 acres of land were inu2-
dated. In 1880 there were great floods
in Vein, and in 1s32Aame the great
overfows IL China, En- 1000 persons
were drowned in CT % alone. In 1870
Lyons, Marseilles bother towns in
France we're pal iubmerged by a
break in the ban he river Rhone.
And so the list Here Is something
various floods occurred: -
1916. Overflow of the river Loire in
the West and Southwest of France.
Damage, $2O,000,000 The Loire rose
20 feet in one night.
1S49. May-New Orleans flooded by
the inundatlon of the Mississippi.
1852. Floods at Holmfrth in Febru-
ary. Overflow Of the Rhine and Rhone
in September City of Hamburg flooded
by the Elbe.
1856. Floods in the South of France.
1862. Forty thousand acres in Holland
submerged. foundations in France
1864. Bradfeld reservoir, England,
burst, March II; $50 persons drowned.
1866. September-Great inundations
in the South OF France. November =
Great floods in Lancashire, Yorkshire
and Derbyshire, England. Mills were
carried away, mines were flooded, rail
roads were torn up and many lives were
lost.
1859. January-Cork, Dublin and
other Irish cities we're flooded and
much suffering was caused.
1870. Rome was inundated and many
lives were lost. The King was obliged
to relieve the sufferers with money.
1872. In October there were great
foods in Northern Italy and thousand
of persons at Mantau, Ferrara and
other towns were left homeless.
1874. The banks of the Thames River
we're swept and many lives were lost.
May 16, the reservoir near Northampton,
Mass, burst much in the same manner
as did that above Johnstown. Mill
River Valley was swept by the flood,
and IA persons lost their lives. July
"A waterSpout bursted at Eureka,
Nevada, and many lives were lost. July
26, 22O persons were drowned in Pitts
burg and Allegheny by the rising of the
rivers in Western Pennsylvania.
1875. By the rising Of the river Ga
rome in France a portion of Toulouse was
DESTROYED in June and 1000 lives were
lost. From DIV ~, s''assss 5er Of the
same year England ~: )! felssa ee
from heavy f0o0s.. During the same
period some 10000 persons were left
homeless in India by the same causes.
1876. March-Severe floods in France
and Holland. December-Floods in
England.
1877. New Years Day the water
orerhowed the piers at Dover, Folke-
stone and Hastings, England, causing
much damage.
1878. April-London suffered from
inundations for several days.
1879. A flood in Szegendin, Hungary,
swept away the entire town. Over one