The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-06-30
RusslAs GREAT FLOOD.
rrlghiful Scenes When the Nova Over
flowed Its Banks.
Isrcial COfrcspQndencc. ]


overwhelmed ST. Petersburg was not
quite so terribly sudden ms this Cone
maugh one, but it was fully as de-
structive, and to this day you may see
on many Of the great Russian public
buildings red line, with the date nth
November, 1924" marking the height OF
the water on that fatal morning. For
three days previous the waters OF the
Nova, swollen high by a sudden tIiaw.
had been driven back by the furious
west wind that was blowing with ever
increasing violence up tho Gulf OF Fin
land; and as the river rose, the alarm
guns kept booming through the bowling
storm all night long from the citadel,
while through the darkness the red glare
of signal lanterns lit up every watch
tower. A few took fright and fled with
what property they could save, but, the
greater number stayed and met their
doom.
Just at daybreak on the morning Of
the fatal eth those whose houses looked
down upon the great open space OF the
Admiralty plain (Which TANKS the river
were awakened by hollow rumbling
like distant thunder, and soon the solid
ground below them melted into n sea Of
lcapinc, glittering. foaming water, on
which wagons, barges, casks, sentry
boxes, bundles of hay and shattered
timbcrs were whirled along like straws,
together with drowning horses, men and
oxen, whose cries swclled dismally the
universal uproar. Then the three great
canals burst their banks, and on went
the food in ono mighty wave through
every street and lane, till fully two
thirds Of the city was under water
And now the tragedy began in earnest.
As the timber houses along the river
bank began TO shake beneath the batter
ING strokes Of the waves, the doomed in
mates tried TO Chamber to the roof most
~ failing in the attempt and falling head
long into the raging waters below.
/ Children sank before the eyes of their
mothers, wives before those Of their hus-
bands. Many of the poor wrctchos. in
the madness Of their terror. fought saw
agcly for few inches Of foothOld till
they were all engulfcd together. Higher
and higher rose the flood, house after
house came crashing down, and the
/ shrieks of those who were perishing be-
meath the ruins were heard above all the
roar Of wind and storm. And still the
alarm bells pcaled and tho alarm guns
doomed in the distance, as If calling in
vain for the help that none could give.
But all at once a large boat was seen
/ 10 como gliding around the corner Of the
/ Voznescnskaya Ooltza Assumption
street,. rowed by eight strong men, and
stored by the Car Alexander himself
Just at that moment a huge mass Of
wood work. torn from some fallen house,
bore right down upon the boat. \ col
lision would have been certain death to
/ all; but the car saw that there were
two children clinging to the drifting
mass. and with one turn Of the tiller ne
brought the boat alongside, and, at the
risk Of his OWN liie, snatched the poor
iulc waits from destruction Then TAX
ine them ON Dis knees. and wrapping his
cold laced cloak tcndoriy around them,
he went braycly on into the jaws Of
death.
Several other boats were soon ut work
and the men who guided them, steering
close TO the submerged houses, shouted
to those at the windows and on the roofs
10 let themselves down But so utterly
unnervcd were these poor creatures by
mortal terror that many of them. instead
Of lowering themselves quietly into the
hands Of those who were ready TO re-
ceivc them, leaped headlong into the
rushing waters and thus persisted with
safety actually within their grasp. One
struggling woman was clutchcd by a
.brave fellow in the bow of one Of the
boats. but ere he could drag her in the
skirt by which he held her gave way and
she sank forever. \ number of people
who had taken refuge on a wooden root
were cspied by a boats crew, who ran
alongside and were just shouting to them
to lower themselves down, when the
whole roof fell in with horrible crash
overwhelming the rescuers and the res
cucd in one common ruin.
But the horror was not at its height
even now. With the coming Of night
came q bitter north wind and a frost OF
UNPARALLELED severity, which completed
the deadly work that the flood had be
gun. Many who had escaped the water.
died bv the cold Of that fearful night
and when morning dawncd upon thai
wild scene scores Of dead men were
drifting through the dead city on broker
blanks or capsizcd boats, with their liviI
/ faces and sightless eyes turned blindli
upward to the cold and cruel splcndor
of the wintry sunrise.
4 few figures were seen clinging to the
trees along the front Of tho Admiralty
building, and the passing rescuers haile'
them. but there was 10 reply. The boat
were hastily run thither, and they wer
told 10 leap III, Out hoI ono vi ti'cn
spoke or moved-they were all frozel
corpses. Nearly five hundred Of thes
ehastly fruits were gathered from thu
trees Of the various boulevards wheI
the food went down, and in many case
the stiTened fingers that still clutche'
the boughs broke short off like those o
r statuc
How many lives were lost during tina
fearful day and night (Which still stand
alone in the memory of the Russian PEG
, pie like the burning of Moscow can neye
be known now; but, apart from the mul
titudes that were destroyed in the capita
itself, hundreds upon hundreds mus
have persisted inCronstadtand the low IA
} islets at the mouth Of the river. Count
less bodies were whirled away by the IN
rious current Of tho Neva, to DO foun'
far out to sea by shuddering fishermen
many days later; and, judging Of th
total havoc by tho very small part 0
il which can be accurately reckoned
those few hours must have swept ava
many thousands OF human lives.