Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-06-20
GREAT FLOODS.
A RECORD OF FATAL INUNDA-
TONS OF THE PAST.
The Older Countries Only Excell-
ing This in Loss of Life-A Flood
in which Nearly 1000, 900 Peo-
pie Perished.

foundations and floods following upon
long -continued and voluminous rains, OF
suddenlyupon the bursting waterspoui
or rain cloud, have at long intervals in
the worlds history been destructive OF
whole communities and thousands and
tens and hundreds of thousands OF
human beings. In the Christian era
disasters Of this character that are CON-
parable with the Conemaugh calamity
number nearly hundred. OF such as
are fully authenticated in history, Eng
land, Holland, France, Germany, Aus
tria and China have been the scene.
America has seldom been visited by such
calamities, owing, it may be, TO the
sparse population of her low lands.
Invasions OF the sea have been most
prolific of human sacrifice, the first re-
corded instance being in A. ID. 353,
when Cheshire, England, was inundat-
ed and 5000 people persisted. April II,
1921, the sea broke through the bikes
ct bort and submerged ~ towns and
cities, and drowned 100, 900 people. A
similar disaster occurred again in Hol-
land in 1880 when the number of the
drowned is said TO have 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 burstings Of
reservoirs. OF this class of disasters the
record is prolific, but III by far the great
majority of instances the 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, i'll Great Britain, over
flowed 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 a century after as the
Great Waters. In 1917 Catalonia, in
Spain, was visited by an inundation and
30, 900 people were drowned.
The early part of the present century
was prolific Of floods in Central Europe.
April l4th, 1902, Lorca, city in Muir
cia, Spain, was destroyed by the giving
way OF reservoir and 1000 persons
we're drowned. In Hungary twenty
four villages around Pesth were swept
away with their inhabitants by the over
flow of the Danube in April, 1911. Dur
ing the next month a cloud burst over
Sallop during a storm and many per-
sons persisted. BY an overflow in the
Danube in September, 1878, Turkish
corpse Of 1000 men on an island near
Widin were surprised and swept away
to instant death. During the same
storm 5000 inhabitants OF Silisia were
drowned and the ruin Of the French
army under Macdonald was accelerated
by the floods; in Poland, also, 1900
lives were lost by the floods. In 1888
China was visited by severe inucda-
ton caused by heavy rains, and 10000
houses in Canton were swept away and
about ], 900 persons persisted. Equally
heavy losses were reported from other
parts OF China. The River Rhone, in
France, overhowed its banks in October
and November, lS40inundating over co.
600 acres, submerging Lyons, Ayignon,
Malsailles and other cities, carrying
away hundreds Of houses and drowning
hundreds Of people. BY the bursting Of
a reservoir above Bradford, England,
March II, 1864, over $50 persons lost
their lives.
The American record of fatal inunda-
tons begins with the flooding of 1900
houses in New Orleans, May 18th 1S49,
and great priyation and great loss of
life. The memorable Mill River disas-
ter near Northampton. Mass, May 16,
1874, when several villages were des-
troyed and over $50 people lost their
lives through the bursting OF u dam, was
the first great calamity of its kind in
this country and resembles very closely
the Johnstown calamity in all save the
loss Of life-paling into insignifcance in
this respect in comparison with the last
named horror. Eureka, New, was
swept by waterspout in July, of the
same year, and about 80 persons per
ished; and on the 27th of that month
Pittsburg and Allegheny City were del
uged with rain and over go 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 10000 persons were
left homeless. Hungary, Northern
Italy and Spain were again visited by |
severe floods in March and October,
1879, and in Spain over 200 lives were |
lost. What was probably the most
widespread and devastating inundation
that ever occurred in America visited
the Mississippi Valley in February,
1882, when that mighty river burst all
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 hundred miles wide.
But the loss of life was trivial in COM
parison with a similar flood and inunda-
ton of the Yellow River in China, in
December, 1887. BY that rising of the
waters populous district of 10000
square miles was overwhelmed, 5000, 900 /
persons We're driven from their ruined
homes, and 10000 others persisted in
the waters.