A FEARFUL FLOOD.

Waka Maori, Volume 10, Issue 20, 6 October 1874, Page 256

A FEARFUL FLOOD.

In the month of July last there was a most fearful and destructive flood in Pennsylvania, one of the American States, situate on the eastern shore of the northern continent. The rain poured in floods from the hills, deluging two or three towns. Great boulders were rolled from their positions and hurled to the level below, and holes of great size were opened up in the streets by the strength of the flood. Many houses were washed away, and buildings that were not totally destroyed were greatly damaged. A number of houses were washed away and thrown together in heaps in the middle of the streets, and many others were carried several hundreds of yards and shattered to pieces. The water rushed along with irresistible fury, sweeping everything before it. The track of destruction of the flood was marked by wrecks of dwelling houses, bridges, immense heaps of stones, large piles of floodwood, and torn and ragged hill sides. Dead horses and cows were scattered here and there along the path of the flood, while the still angry rushing waters were filled with waggons of every description twisted into all imaginable shapes. The loss of human life was very

great. One hundred and forty bodies were recovered, and upwards of sixty were still missing. We clip from the Weekly News, published in Auckland, the following account of the destruction of property and loss of life in the City of Pittsburg : " From an intelligent German woman the following details have been learned: She was aroused at half-past nine by hearing a queer rushing noise of water pouring into the cellar. She called her husband, who on going down found the water up to the pavement in front. As he lived on a high portion of Spring Garden Avenue, he could see for a considerable distance around. The water below had risen to the upper stories of buildings, and when the cries for aid and heart-rending screams of the drowning inmates broke upon his ears, he at once comprehended the terrible situation. Presently some of the houses began to float off, and the air was filled with distressing cries of mothers and children. At short intervals flashes of lightening would reveal the ghastly, stricken faces thrust from windows of floating houses. The water rose higher and higher, and the buildings began to crumble and fall to pieces. The struggling forms of men, women, and children could be seen in the water battling for life. After an interval a gleam of lightening would again reveal the place, but the victims had disappeared beneath the floating debris. Never for a moment did the wild, despairing cries cease. No sooner did the cries of one cease in death than another would burst forth; and so on during the long hours of night they could hear screams and witness the dying struggles without the least power to help. At times they could see through the windows of a floating house, where the fires from the lightning still burned, mothers kneeling with their children in their arms. Presently a house would topple and fall with a loud crash, but not loud enough to drown the piercing shrieks of the poor wretches within."

The loss of property is estimated at considerablyover £200,000.