Great Floods In The District

Taken at the corner of Church-street and Duck-street, about 9 a.m. on Wednesday

  Very heavy and almost incessant rains fell in this district during Tuesday night and early on Wednesday morning, with the result that extensive floods prevailed.

  It is many years since Rushden suffered so seriously from floods as on Wednesday.

  The greatest sufferers were the inhabitants of Duck-street.  Shortly after 6 a.m. water began to overflow from the brook after passing under the Standard Rotary Company’s works, and at the back of Messrs. John Cave and Son’s works, whilst the manholes in the road also poured out streams.  In a very short time Duck-street, from the bottom of Victoria-street up to nearly the bottom of Fitzwilliam-street, presented the appearance of a lake.  The back parts of the houses were quickly flooded, and one cottage, next to the shop of Mr. John Shortland, was soon over a foot deep in water.  Unfortunately, the occupier has been paralysed for some time, whilst his wife was also ill in bed.  Neighbours waded to their assistance and blockaded the door to keep out as much water as possible, and at the same time kindly attended to the bodily requirements of the occupants.

  It is not given to everyone to have their breakfast handed through the bedroom window but this was the case in Duck-street in several instances.

  The culvert of the brook was running full bore, but the rush of water from the higher parts was so great that it came up the gullies and manholes with considerable force.

  Work was stopped in some of the factories owing to the engine-rooms being flooded.

  Curiously enough, complaints were loud and long from the residents of High-street and vicinity about the scarcity of water, and on enquiries it was found that for some cause or other water in the mains had been turned off.

  An immense stream of water rushed from the Rectory field and Mr. C. E. Knight’s orchard, under the fence, and into Rectory-road.  The fence was forced out of the ground by the strength of the stream.

  Mr. F. Vorley’s shop in Duck-street was invaded by the floods – a thing which has never occurred since the brook was arched over.

  The rush of water proved too heavy for the culvert between Mr. G. H. Skinner’s premises and those of Mr. John Claridge on the Wellingborough-road, and a stream of water, filling the whole breadth of the road, poured out.

  The old house formerly occupied by the late Mr. Samuel Knight was flooded, and strenuous efforts were necessary to bail out the water from Mr. Scott’s house next door.

  Gaps were broken in the hedge and in the wall to permit of the outflow of water.

  A good part of the garden in front of Mr. Claridge’s house was under water.

  The stream flowing across the junction of Wellingborough-road and Church-street into Duck-street blocked traffic.

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