EXTRAORDINARY FLOOD AT CAPE TOWN.

Evening Star, Issue 2992, 20 September 1872, Page 4

EXTRAORDINARY FLOOD AT CAPE TOWN.

(Fr ;ni the Cape Standard, June 4.)

On Friday last there was a tremendous fa 1 ! of rain over Cape Town—some believe a waterspout to have burst over the mountain —and for one hour some of the streets of the town were impassable. Considerable damage was done to many establishments. In some streets the torrent came down deep and smooth, but at the corners of others it wrs dashing up into red waves, with eddies like one of our colonial rivers when they are up. AVherover there was a ground floor the water swept in, and in some places office furniture, legal documents, stationery, and everything that was floatable, were afloat. The offices at the corner of Church street and St. George’s street were filled with water nearly three feet deep. The main body of water in St. George’s street was sufficiently strong to rush on, increasing in volume, notwithstanding that it threw off branches down the side streets. The streams from these side streets again swelled the large stream down Adder ley street, whilst through the confined passages leading to tj;e Colonial office it was sent with terrific force down Grave street. The vapioiis streams met and formed a lake at the bottom of Adderley street, surrounding the handsome blook of buildings in which is the store of Messrs Anderson and Co. The water in this store was about 4ft. deep, and reached to nearly the window sills on the ground floor. Covering a space of some eight or ten acres there was a perfect lake, and in the centre of the street, just opposite Messrs Anderson’s store, one of the barrel drains had burst, and ■was throwing up huge columns of water. Out o i the fake small ijvera, cutting up the roads in their progress, were running into the bay, which hail a margin of the dull red that contrasted plainly with the dark blue of the crested waves, which were rolling in before a stiff westerly breeze. Between the Sailor’s Home aud the block of buildings we have alluded to, the water washed up to the waists of the men who were Waikiug in it, and the Vulcan Iron Foundry, which is on a alight rise, had its floor covered, but the building itself looked very much like a JNoah’s Ark waiting on some hill top for the water to subside.