FLOODS IN AMERICA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 134, 16 October 1868, Page 3

FLOODS IN AMERICA.

«s>» r l he Times Philadelphia correspondent, writing on July 28, says : — A terrible flood occurred at Baltimore and its vicinity on Friday, July 24, which caused great destruction of life and property. The city of-Baltimore is built on hills rising gradually from the Patapsco river, the ground immediately along the river being low, and ia divided through the centre by a stream known as Jones's Falls, which is bridged at the crossings of the streets. Jones's Falls is liable t > freshets with every rain, and on extraordinary occasions, when the body of water is too great to be carried off, the raging torrent overspreads its boundaries and sweeps down the streets almost submerging the lower parts of the town. There have been previous floods from this cause, the greatest being in 18.17, when 20 lives were lost in the city and millions of dollars worth of property was destroyed. The present flood has proved more disastrous than any of its predecessors, though the loss of life within the city limits has not been as great as in 1837. The rain, which began falling at an early hour on Friday morning, by 9 o'clock descmded in sheets, and so continued for nearly six hours. All the streets adjacent to Jones's Falls were flooded by a rise of the stream. North, Calvert, Holliday, and Baltimore streets, the latter the principal thoroughfare of the city, were swept by a headlong torrent, which carried with it hogsheads, barrels, boxes, bales of hay, and other property from the shops and storehouse on those streets. Gay, Frederick, and Hanover streets were submerged, the water along them being four feet deep. On North street, at one time, there was eight feet of water, and the people were driven to the upper stories of the buildings. Many warehouses and factories were nearly swept away. Nine of the bridges at the street crossings were carried off. The flood subsided more rapidly than it rose, and in a few minutes after the rain ceased the people were able to ventuie abroad and see the -extent of the calamity. Before evening of the next day six bodies of drowned persons and nearly 200 bales of cotton were recovered from the river, which was literally blocked with the wreck of the flood. It is not known how many lives were lost, but it is thought the whole number will not exceed ten, and may not be over six. The lowest estimate of the loss of property places it at 3,000,000 dols. The heaviest losses are by Wood, Weeks, and Co., sugar refiners, who lose 30,000 dols ; Head and Co., tanners, whose loss ia 20,000 dols ; and Fisher, Brothers, importers, who lose 16,000 dole. The iron foundry of Bentley, Larrabee and Co is almost a complete wreck, but their loss is not stated ; it is chiefly on the building. The aggregate of private loss must be enormous. But great as was the calamity at Baltimore it was exceeded by what befell the little town of Ellicott Lily, on the Patapsco river, and on the line of the Baltimore and >' >hio Kailway, about 15 miles from Baltimore. Here the river rose nearly 40 ft. above its level, being swelled by the torrents from the adjacent hills. Nearly 40 houses and two factories were swept away, eeveral other factories being greatly damaged ; and miles of the railroad, with several bridges, some of them iron, were swept away. Thirty-seven persons are known to be drowned, and half- a dozen more are missing. One resident, Dr Owings, lost his wife, six children, and two servants. Another family, consisting of man and wife and five children, was all lost. A lady and her two neices, and a man and his wife and their neice were also drowned. Three other families of three each, and another of two, swell the list of the drowned, in addition to the persons carried off. About 20 of the bodies of those drowned at Ellicott city have been recovered at the Uelay Station, seven miles from Baltimore, whither they had been borne ' by the flood. At the Uelay Station but two lives are known to be lost, but several factories were damaged or destroyed. The loss of property at Ellicott city is estimated at 1,000,000 dols. The sympathies of the benevolent of neighbouring cities for the poor people who lost their all by the flood have been aroused, and subscriptions have been started for the relief, Mr George W. Childs, of the Public Ledger, heading the list in this city with 1000 dols. The rains extended north into Pennsylvania and a flood in the Lehigh river was the consequence. Here, also, hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of property was destroyed ; but, fortunately, the loss of life was small, only two persons, a man and a woman, being reported drowned.