DESTRUCTIVE FLOODS IN LONDON AND GERMANY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 2530, 3 May 1876, Page 3

DESTRUCTIVE FLOODS IN LONDON AND GERMANY.

London, Maroh 10. Tho present w: ok has boen, tho stormiest which has beon oxporionood in England during tho past hundred years. Thero have boen terrible gales, storms, and floods in England, France, Gormany and Belgium. Damages in thk MEXBOPoidS.—In London many largo barges wero sunk in the Thames. On Sunday last, a number of houses woro unroofed, and many persons injured by tho falling material. A largo portion of tho Country districts is undor water. A remarkable accident ooourrod on Sunday. A tolograph wire was broken by tho i'oroo of tho wind, aud its rofraotion almost sovered tho head of an omnibus driver from his body. FiUßrcr- AOOIDBNT.--A terrible oalamifcy ooourrod at Caub, a small town of Northern Germany, on tho Rhino. A mountain whioh overhangs tho town threatened a landslip somo wooks ago. A wall thirty feet high had beon built for tho protection of tho town. Last Sundoy an earthfall from tho mountain ooourrod, breaking down tho wall and burying a portion of tho town undor tho earth. Twonty-nino of tho inhabitants of Caub and many oattlo woro killed. Troops wero despatched to tho soono of tho disaster tohelp to extrioato tho sufforors and assist tho minors in searching for tho doad. Six mangled bodies have been reoovered so far, and 280 porsons havo boon temporarily aocommodatod with sholtor and food, The Gorman Government is greatly blamed, as the inhabitants of Caub years ago petitioned the authorities for the removal of tho threatening rooks. Wksthrn Eußorn.— A Berlin correspondent telegraphs that tho galo cxtondod over' tbo wholo of tho West of Europe It blow in circular form j from tho North in Franoo, and from tho South in Bolgium, In Gormany tho storm oausod torriblo inundations ; housos woro unroofed, tho stooplos of ohurohos blown down, telegraphs prostrated, and railroad traoks washed away. In several plaoes earthquake shooks wore folt during tho prevalence of tho storm. Thoro havo beon several shipwrecks. Tho loss of life by tho visitation is comparatively small. Tho inundations consequent on tho storm havo injured the young crops, and a new sowing will bo neoossary in many places. Many persons iv Borlin have boon rondored homoloss.

Attstbian Thbbitorv.— -A Vienna correspondent tolegraphs that in Bohemia aud Hungary onormous tmots of oountry and abovo a hundred townships havo been flooded during tho pant twonty days. In tho neighbourhood of Vionna tho lossos in houao property railways, and agriculture amount to l,2&0,000dol. HuNaABY.—In Hungary, tho total loss, as foreseen, will amount to 10,000,000d01, of whioh one-half falls ou tho agricultural intorents. 1,600,000 aores of arable land in Hungary avo still inundated. Tho loss of houso property is incalculable. Whole .villages havo almost disappeared, and others aro in ruins. At Buda-Pceth 100 housos have already collapsod, arid it is feared that wholo blooks will fall. Within 2„ days the Danubo, whioh roso 24 feefc abovo tho low water level, hns only fallen 18 inches. Tho action of tho authorities is praiso worthy. Tho aotual loso of life in Hungary arid Austria is below 40, but many porsons havo died from expoouro and illnoas. Fovcr is spreading, and groat distress prevails among tho people along tho river f rom Komorn to Solavonia.

Gebmany.— Reports of heavy floods oontinuo to roaoh us from all parts of Germany, Austria and Hungary. Tbo waters of tho uppor Elbe havo overflowed their banks and oausod serious damage and loss of lifo at places so widely opart as Drosdcn, Mogdoburg, and tho frontiers of Bohemia, The rivor has ovon reached tho " flood marks of 1698, of 1712, and 1824, though not 1784 and 1845." A correspondent, writing from Dresden, dosoribos tho soono of tho inundation as witnessed from a tour at Zohaohwitz, a fow milos abovo tho oity, as wild and wonderful in tho extreme. Ho says:— "On tho low-lying land on tho loft bank of tho river tho waters extond almost an far as the oyo oan reach, thoy surgo at tho foot of tho hills that bound tho right bank Tho stream sweeps all boforo it—boats, timbor, ohosts, troos, furnituro, and dead animals aro whirlod onward with resistless foroe. Tho villages, so oharming in summer with their vinoyards, roao gardens and picturesque cottages. ~~

Hcldenau, Zsohieren, Tolkewitz and Laubegast — stand deep in water ; they look as if built on pilos. Tall trees are Submerged to their topmost branohes, fields and medowe are turned into lakes. The Muglitz and Lookwjtz havo burst from* their narrow beds and inundated the dwellings in their banks. Gross and Klein-Zoohaoh-witz alone havo escaped, and stand out like oases in a wild waste of waters. In Nieder and Unter-zohioron devastation and calamity have reaohed their extreme limits. The villagers have been compelled to floe for their livos from tho floodod and falling oottages. Many havo been compelled to sloop in the opon air under pelting rain, and so turbulent is the swollen stream that no boats can approaoh tho abandonod dwellings. The royal gondola houso at tho Summer Palaoo of Pillnitz has almost disappeared from sight. The flood has oven reached the grand staircase of the royal dwelling, and the ohurch at Waeh* nitz is threatened with destruction. Loss of Life.— Tho flooded condition of the roads has rondored the giving of help to tho distressed a matter of great diflloulty, and communication by wator is extremely dangerous and almost impossible. In Laubegast, two young women as they attempted to stop into a boat, wore seized by the flood and, in a momant, swept away beyond hope of resouo. In Dresden itself, great inconvonionco has been caused, and the fall of tbe railway bridge at Rieso, where the line to Borlin orosses tho Elbo, is nothing loss than a publio oalamity.