The Washington critic., 1889-06-04
FLOODS IN PAST YEARS.

FLOODS IN PAST YEARS
foundations and floods following
upon long continued and voluminous
rains, or suddenly upon the bursting of
a waterspout or rain cloud, have at
long intervals in the worlds history
been destructive Of whole communities
and thousands and tens aud hundreds
of thousands of human beings. In the
Christian era disasters Of this character
that are comparable with the Cone
maugh calamity number nearly hun
dred. OF such as are fully authenti-
Gated in history, England, Holland,
France, Germany, Austria and China
have been the scene. America has
seldom been visited by such calamities,
owing II may be to the sparse popula
tion Of her low lands.
lnvasions Of the sea have been most
prolific of human sacrifice, the first re-
corded instance being in A. ID. 353,
when Cheshire, England, was inun-
dated, and 5000 people perished. April
~ l421, the sea broke through the
dikes at bort and submerged seventy
two towns and cities and drowned 106,-
600 people. A similar disaster occurred
again In Holland in 1880, when the
number drowned is said TO haye reached
400, 900.
But foundations by sea are hardly
comparable with those that occur in
the interiors Of countries from cloud
bursts and heavy rains, and from burst.
ings of reservoirs. OF this class of dis.
asters the record is prolific, but in, by
for ho ,atA A,it nf
losses have been confined to property,
with but small loss in human lives.
There are number, however, that are
celebrated for their wholesale fatalities.
In 1883 the Severn, in Great Britain,
overflowed during ten days and carried
away men, women and children in their
beds and covered the tops of many hills
The waters settled upon the lands and
were known for century thereafter as
the Great Waters. In 1917 Catalonia,
in Spain, was visited by an inundation
and 1000 people were drowned.
The early part of the present century
was prolific of floods in Central Europe.
April Ia, 1902, Lorca, city in Murcia,
in Spain, was destroyed by the giving
way of reservoir and 1000 persons
were drowned In Hungary twenty
four villages around Pesth were swept
away with their inhabitants by the
overflow of the Danube In April, 1911
During the next month cloud burst
over Salop during storm, and many
persons perished. BY an overflow of
the Danube in September, 1918, Turk.
ish corps of 1900 men on an island
near Windin were surprised and swept
away to instant death. During the
same storm 5000 inhabitants of Silesia
were drowned and the ruin of the
French army under Macdonald was
accelerated by the floods. In Poland,
also, 1000 lives were lost by the floods.
In 1888 China was visited by Sc
we're inundation caused by heavy rains,
and 10,000 houses in Canton were swept
away and about !, 900 persons perished.
Equally heavy losses were reported
from other parts Of China. The River
Rbone in France, overfiowed its banks
in October and November, 1910, inun-
dating over 10000 acres, subinerging
Lyons, Avignon. Marseilles ard other
cities, carrying away hundreds of houses
and drowning hundreds of people. BY
the bursting of a reservoir above Brad
ford, England, March II, 1864. over $50
persons lost their lives.
The Amei can record of fatal inun
dations begins with the flooding of
1000 houses in New Orleans, May 10,
1S40, and great privation and loss of
life. The memorable Mill River disas-
ter near Northampton, Mass, May 10,
1874, when several villages We're de.
stroycd and over 150 persons lost their
lives through. the bursting of a dam,
ac I.a ipctf n1 ,,,tt ef ~.
in this country and resembles very
closely the Johnstown calamity in all
save its loss of life-paling into insig.
nitcance in this respect In comparison
with the present horror. Eureka, New,
was swept by n waterspout in July of
the same year and about thirty persons
perished, and on the 27th Of that month
Pittsburg and Allegheny City were
deluged with rain and over 220 persons
were swept down to death in the tor
rents
In June, 1875, large part of Tou-
louise was destroyed by the rising of the
Garonne, and nearly 1000 persons were
drowned. Great storms swept over
India in September, 1875; Ahmedabad
was inundated, and 30 900 persons were
left homeless. Hungary, Northern Italy
ana spain were again visited by severe
floods in March and October, 1870, and
in Spain over 1000 lives were lost
What was probably the most vide
spread and devastating inundation that
ever occurred in America visited the
Mississippi Valley in February 1889,
when that mighty river burst ali bounds
and spread over the country on both
sides from st. Louis TO the Gulf of
Mexico, making in some places an in
land sea over 100 miles wide. But the
loss of life was trivial in comparison
with similar flood and inundation of
the Yellow River, in China, in Decem-
Der, 1887 BY that rising of the waters
a populous district of 10000 square
miles was overwhelmed, 3,000,0 900 per
sons were driven from their ruined
homes, and 100000 Others perished in
the waters.-lN. Y. Times.
The evening train ON the Washington |
and Ohio Division OF the Piedmont Air Line |
will be held In Alexandria until the arrival |
OF the 4;30 boat from Seventh-Street Ferry. |
This arrangement has been made for the |