ICE FLOODS IN THE SEINE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5951, 23 March 1880, Page 5

ICE FLOODS IN THE SEINE.

The present generation of Parisians had never seen such a sight as was presented on Jan. 4 on the breaking np of the ice in the rapidly-rising river. The spectacle was a most exciting one; and while picturesque and impressive in itself, it had a serious aspect in consequence of the great destruction of property and the hair-breadth escapes that took place at many points. Prom early morning until sunset little short of one million of people must have been stationed on the banks of the river gazing at the extraordinary scene. Daring the night of Jan. 2 the ice had come down in immense blocks up to the Pont Neuf, and, hurrying along with its huge beams, barges, fragments of pleasure boats, swimming baths, and numbers of empty barrels piled itself up against the bridge. In the morning the ice gave and cracked into a number of pieces, and whirling all the wreckage it had brought up went rushing down the Seine. Conspicuous in the midst of the wreckage was a small pleasure steamer, which kept spinning like a top. The huge mass first destroyed what remained of tho wooden \ bridge, and then attacking the arches of the old stone bridge, now being reconstructed, swept them clean away with a noise like thunder, and went on in the direction of St. Cloud. Above stream the river was pretty clear, and all further danger seemed to be over, when at eleven o’clock, coming down from Bercy, another avalanche of ice, thickly strewn with barges and huge beams, was seen advancing at headlong speed; it caught one large barge, and seemed to crumple it up as though it had been paper. The avalanche divided itself into two parts, one following the main stream, which was clear of ice, and doing less damage in the course of its progress than might have been expected ; the other part went np the small arm of the Seine, broke up the ice there, and destroyed several barges laden with charcoal, carrying away also hundreds of empty casks from the embankment near the Dalle _aui Vine, Most of the barges were driven against the bridges and destroyed, the mariniers and their families, who live on board those huge machines, escaping in the very nick of time. A heavy fog now settled in the river, and shrouded the scene in dark- : | ness. By way of precaution, traffic was i prohibited over four bridges the Font Sully, the Font dea Arts, the Font des Saints , | Peres, and the Pont Solferino—but they have sustained no visible damage. '!