STORMS AND FLOODS IN EUROPE.

Evening Star, Issue 3117, 14 February 1873, Page 2

STORMS AND FLOODS IN EUROPE.

The elements were the greatest anarchists in Europe during the month of November. The continuous rains disarranged all the usual agricultural operations ; in many counties of Kngland rivers overflowed their banks ; in districts less exposed to floods tbe lands were sodden, so that no wheat could be sown; and it was broadly stated that unless a change speedily came, the prospects of next year’s harvest would be extremely .loomy. The last week of the month the weather changed to violent storm. The ga’es were very severe, and the wrecks numerous, especially on the south coast. Yet other countries have suffered from the inclement eason greater and more sudden injuries than we have known. The month before there were inundations in Italy. Since then there have been floods in Germany. Later still we have had terrible accounts from Denmark, where the inroads of the sea have been greater than ever before recorded, and cht- devastations such as to amount to a great national calamity. A hurricane from the north-east brought down the waters of the >altic, so that the whole coast westward from Pomerania, including theeas ern shores of Denmark, was disastrously flooded. From Stettin to Apenrade in Denmark, every seaport town was uoder water, A German correspondent of the Guardian, always wellinformed, gives a vivid picture of the ext> at of the desolation

•‘Of general damage each place has to report the same story. Houses blown down or unroofed, furniture swept away, ricks, trees, and crops floated off, cattle drowned, ' the laud covered 2ft. deep in sand, towns under waier, and the labor of centuries utterly rained. All the elaborate devices to keep the sea off are destroyed—dykes and embankments cut thr ugh or levelled. The parks and gardens of the larger towns are full of stranded timber and wreck, the streets have been as Venice in their means of lo emotion, aud the accounts are full of such accidents as horses dragged up two pairs of stairs to be stabled, and herds of pigs finding temporary accommodation in dancing academies. The Ashing villages have naturally suffered the most. In many the storm made a clean sweep of every house, aud hundreds, even thousands, of families were roofless. Fishing vessels have gone to the bottom in shoals ; off Stralsund alone 80 were lost. In the Bay of Swinmunde scores of vessels foundered in the gale ; but providentially the loss of life was not great. One coal vessel, with a crew of twelve hands, ran aground, aud attempts were made to get near her, but it was impossible, as the sea was breaking over her in waves hou e-high. In the morning she had gone to pieces, and every soul had perished. , At Ryck a yacht was' driven from her-aacjiotsj and deposited in one of the streets of the town ; aud now that the waters have gone down, scores of stranded vessels lie high and dry iu various eccentric positions. To add to the disasters, at one or two places large fires broke out in the middle of the storm. At Kckeuforde Ares broke out at two spots j iu one house forty meu had taken refuge* wh§u the place burst into flames, and the people bad tq rush through tfye flood, which was breast high all round thp hopse". Th(i little town is a perfect rain, the streets are feet deep in seaweed and gaud, commingM with furniture, dead cattle, broken boats, aud trees. At Stralsuud, in like manner, a large factory caught Are, and as it could not be approached on account of the flood, it had to burn itself out. The sight at this time is described as something awful. The tremendous storqi raging, and the waves dashing wildly down every street, the crash of falling riales apd timbers, with the banging of drift; ing ships against each other and the and in the very centre of all this wild ruin an island of flame spouting out sparks of Are and burniug wood, which foil hissing into the dark streams. Fortunately the beavy rain prevented the fire extending itself. Such stories might be multiplied at el, Fleusburg, Rostock, aud all the seaports. The damage ip immense. Ac Jjiibeok the police have had to to 'w abopt the streets with food fpr the people who are imprisoned in tljgir houses. It is unnecessary dip »u4 that every telegraph post is blown down §u4 all railway communicatiQn shopped, ■’ ~ .