FLOODS AND INUNDATIONS are caused by excessive rains, giving rise to an overflow of the rivers; by the bursting of the banks of rivers, lakes and reservoirs; by the sudden melting of ice and snow; and by ir ruptions of the sea, produced by high tides, wind-storms driving the sea-water inland, earthquakes, volcanic outbreaks and the burst ing of sea banks. The felling of forest trees throughout extensive tracts of mountainous country also tends to make the rivers which have their origin there swell rapidly after a heavy rainfall; good and complete drainage of land has the same tendency. (For the Noachian flood, see DELUGE). The subjoined list embraces some of the most disastrous floods and inundations of which we have record.
684. A.D. japan; 780 sq. in. of Isle of Shikoku covered by sea.
968. Persian Gulf; many cities destroyed and new islands formed by irruption of 'ea.
1014. Many English seaports destroyed by sea.
1098 or 1100. East of gent inundated; Goodwin Sands formed.
1100 or 1108. Flanders inundated.
1161 or 1165. Sicily; irruption of eea; thousands drowned. 1170. Holland and Friesland; great flood.
1173. Holland; Zuyder Zee much enlarged.
1219. Nordland. Norway; lake burst; 36,000 people perished. 1228. Friesland; invasion of sea; 100,000 people drowned. 1277. Friesland; the Dollart formed.
1286-87. Holland on both sides of Zuyder Zee inundated in consequence of a storm.
1396. Holland; islands of Texal, Vlieland and Wieringen separated from mainland, and Marsdiep, the channel between Taut and North Holland. formed.
1421 or 1446. Holland; 72 villages inundated, of which 20 permanently about 100,000 persons drowned. Biebosch formed east of Dordrecht. and this town separated from mainland.
1521. Holland; 100,000 lives lost by an inundation.
WO. Holland; storm drove in the sea, destroying numerous villages and 20.000 people in Friesland.
1617. Catalonia, Spain; 15.000 perished in floods.
1629. Mexico (city) inundated.
1642. China, at Kaifong,• 300,000 drowned.
1646. Holland and Friesland inundated; loss of life, 110,000. 1726. Floods and inundations all over Europe.
1745. Peru; Callao destroyed by irruption of sea caused by earthquakes.
1767. England; irruption of sea on east coast.
1782. Formosa; west side of island submerged, and Taiwan destroyed.
1787-88. India, in Northwestern Provinces and Punjab; 16,000 lives lost by floods.
1791. Cuba; floods from excessive rain; 3.000 drowned.
1811. Hungary; 24 villages swept away by overflow of Danube.
1813. Austria, Hungary, Poland and Prussian Silesia; floods caused by rains; 4,000 perished in Poland. 6,000 in Silesia.
1824. Saint Petersburg and Cronstadt; 10,000 lives lost from overflow of Neva.
1825. Denmark; sea broke through from North Sea to Limfjord making an island; one third of Friesland 1840. Prance; overflow of Sa6ne and Rhone swept away
many villages and inundated Lyons, Avignon, Nimes, Marseilles, etc.
1851. Northern China; Yellow River burst its banks, and made a new outlet into Gulf of Pechili.
1852. Floods throughout Europe from Belgium to Bwitnev 1856. of France; floods did damage to extent of $28,000,000.
11168. Peru; Arica and Iquique nearly destroyed by earth quake waves.
1874. United States; Mill River Valley (Mass.) inundated by bursting of a dam; 144 drowned. Also floods in western Pennsylvania,• 220 drowned.
1875. Disastrous floods throughout central Europe, in United States, Burma, India and West Indies.
1816. China; floods in northern provinces; in Bengal 200,000 persons perished from inundation of a tidal wave. 1883. Java and Sumatra; parts submerged by volcanic wave.
(See Krakatoa).
1887. China; the Hoeng-ho in Ho-nan; millions of lives lost. 1889. Johnstown, Pa.; reservoir burst; 2,209 lives lost. 1891.C,onsuegra. Spain; 1.200 lives lost.
1893. Queensland; great destruction of property.
1896. Japan; 27,000 lives lost.
1900. Galveston. Tex.; 6,000 lives lost and 3,000 buildings destroyed.
1903. Kansas City, Mo., and Mississippi River towns; millions of dollars in property destroyed.
1903. Heppner„ Ore.; cloudburst; 300 lives lost.
1910. Paris, France; rising of Seine; loss of property $200, 000,000; loss of lives unknown.
1910. Anram• 1,000 lives lost.
1911. Owari Bay. Japan; inundation; 100 lives lost. 1911. Philippine Islands; tidal wave; 850 lives lost.
1911.. typhoon; 500 lives lost.
14psa; 1911. China; Hoang-ho River; 5.000 lives lost.
1911. China; Yang-tse Kiang River farmed lake 80 miles long, 35 miles wide; 100.000 lives lost, 3,750,000 persona homeless.
1911. Formosa• typhoon; 500 lives lost.
1911. Austin. Pa.; town destroy.W; 100 lives lost.
1911. Holland; coast inundated; 240 lives lost.
1912. Omsk, Asiatic Russia; 168 lives lost.
1912. Bolivar County. Miss.; 200 lives lost; property loss, S45.000.000.
1912. Guanajuato. Mexico; 300 lives 1912. Japan; typhoon; 400 lives lost.
1912. !Yap, Japan; 282 lives lost.
1912. China; coast inundation; 700 lives lost.
1912. Philippine Islands; 500 fives lost.
1912. Central America; 1.000 lives lost.
1913. Arabia; 350 lives lost.
1913. Ohio and Indiana; 730 lives lost; 60,000 buildings flooded; property loss, 8180,873,000.
1913. ICathlawar, India; 800 lives lost.
1913. Bengal; 500 lives lost.
1913. Japan; typhoon; 1.000 lives lost.
1913. Constantinople; cloudburst; 260 lives lost.
1913. Texas; 500 lives lost.
1914. China; West River Valley; 3.300 lives lost; 3,000,000 homeless; $43,000,000 property loss.
1915. China; West River country; 80,000 lives lost.
1915. Galveston, Tex.; inundation; 300 lives lost, property loss, 85,000,000.