Chamberss Edinburgh Journal, No. 440

Edinburgh Journal, No. 440, by
Various

Project Gutenberg's Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 440, by
Various This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and
with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 440 Volume 17, New Series,
June 5, 1852
Author: Various
Editor: Robert Chambers and William Chambers
Release Date: August 7, 2006 [EBook #18999]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK
CHAMBERS'S EDINBURGH ***

Produced by Malcolm Farmer, Richard J. Shiffer and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net.

CHAMBERS' EDINBURGH JOURNAL

CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS,
EDITORS OF 'CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE,'
'CHAMBERS'S EDUCATIONAL COURSE,' &c.
No. 440. NEW SERIES. SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 1852. PRICE 1-1/2d.

VISIT TO THE SCENE OF THE HOLMFIRTH FLOOD.
The great flood which took place in the valley of Holmfirth in February
last, was in itself a deeply-interesting and awe-exciting incident. I was
curious to visit the scene, while the results of the catastrophe were still
fresh, both on account of the sympathy I felt with the sufferers, and
because of some physical problems which I thought might be illustrated
by the effects, so far as these were still traceable. I therefore took an
opportunity on the 22d of April, to proceed from Manchester to
Holmfirth, accompanied by two friends, one of whom, though he had
not visited the place since the calamity happened, was well acquainted
with the scene and with the country generally, so as to be able to guide
us in our walk. A railway excursion to Huddersfield, and a second trip
on a different line from that town to the village of Holmfirth,
introduced us to a region of softly-rounded hills and winding valleys,
precisely resembling those of the Southern Highlands of Scotland, as
might indeed be expected from the identity of the formation (Silurian),
but which had this peculiar feature in addition, that every here and there
was a little cloth-making village, taking advantage of the abundant
water-power derived from the mountain-slopes. The swelling heights
were brown and bare, like those of Tweeddale; and there the blackcock
may still, I believe, be found. The slopes are purely pastoral, with small
farm-steadings scattered over them. But down in the bottom of the dale,
we see the heavy stone-and-lime mill starting up from the bare
landscape, with a sprawling village of mean cottages surrounding it,
giving token of an industrial life totally opposite to that which is found
beside the silver streams of the Tweed and its tributaries. When we
passed near any of these spots, we were sure to catch the unlovely
details, so frequently, though so unnecessarily attendant on
factory-life--the paltry house, the unpaved, unscavengered street, the

fry of dirty children. It was a beautiful tract of natural scenery in the
process of being degraded by contact with man and his works.
Arriving at Holmfirth at one o'clock, we found it to be a somewhat
better kind of village, chiefly composed of one or two irregular streets
running along the bottom of a narrow valley. Hitherto, in passing up the
lower part of the vale, we had looked in vain for any traces of the
inundation; but now we suddenly found ourselves in the midst of ruin
and devastation. Holmfirth is only two miles and a half from the
reservoir, and being at a contracted part of the valley, the water came
upon it in great depth and with great force. We found a bridge deprived
of its parapets, the boundary-walls of factories broken down, and
court-yards filled with débris and mud. Several large houses had end or
side walls taken away, or were shattered past remedy. In a narrow street
running parallel with the river, and in some places open to it, many of
the houses bore chalk-marks a little way up the second storey,
indicating the height to which the flood had reached. When we looked
across the valley, and mentally scanned the space below that level, we
obtained some idea of the immense stream of water which had swept
through, or rather over the village.
A rustic guide, obtained at the inn, went on with us through the town,
pointing out that in this factory precious machinery had been swept
away--in that house a mother and five children had been drowned in
their beds--here some wonderful escape had taken place--there had
befallen some piteous tragedy. Soon clearing the village, we came to a
factory which stood in the bottom of the valley, with some ruined
buildings beside it. This had been the property of a Mr Sandford, and
he lived close to his