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41
As the floods of August 2nd were very heavy, and affected
this district to a slight extent, I think it may be interesting to
quote some paragraphs from Symons' "Meteorological
Magazine":
"At Erith the sewers were unable to carry off the water,
and it washed away a portion of the road and carried about
100 tons of earth on to the South Eastern Railway, which was
soon flooded to the depth of several feet. The 10.30 a.m.
down train, after leaving Erith Station, ran off the rails where
the accumulation of earth and water blocked the line."
"Owing to the immense amount of rain, the Ravensbourne
and Quaggy are overflowing at Newcross, Deptford,
and Lewisham, and many houses are flooded in their basements.
In the Isle of Dogs one of the large open fields at the
back of the West Ferry Road is a veritable lake, with four feet
of water at one end and two at the other. In the lane
leading from the Midland Railway Dock to Manchester Road
the water rushed over the pavement into the front areas of the
houses with such force that the gardens were swept down into
the front rooms."
"Plaistow and Stratford are in much the same condition.
A house in Grafton Road, Plaistow, had six feet of water in
the cellars. The fields abutting on the Great Eastern from
Bow to Stratford are more or less under water, and so are
many portions of Epping Forest. Across Hackney Marshes
and round about Temple Mills, all the houses in the hollows
are flooded, and the same applies to the lower parts of Tottenham,
and a few houses at Lower Clapton. The condition of the
poor people living around Victoria Dock is deplorable, many
streets being impassable. The basements of the houses in
Barking Road and several adjoining streets are inundated, and
the West Ham fire engines and gangs of men are employed
pumping the water out."