THE DESTRUCTION OF SZEGEDIX. 31 



when ten thousand loaves one day, and fifteen thou- 

 sand another, arrived from Buda-Pesth, the means of 

 distributing the food was very inadequate, owing 

 simply to there not being enough boats. There was 

 gross neglect somewhere, and such neglect in face of 

 this dreadful disaster fixes a heavy responsibility on 

 those concerned. I have stated earlier in my narra- 

 tive that very little provision had been made before- 

 hand, in respect to pontoons and boats. I must re- 

 mark that the officers and men of the regular army 

 cannot be too much praised for their unwearied exer- 

 tions in saving life and property by night and by 

 day. The pontoon service, according to my humble 

 judgment, was less well managed. 



There is much diversity of opinion about the num- 

 ber of deaths caused by the disaster at Szegedin. The 

 central authorities state that the bodies recovered up 

 to about the third week in April, did not reach one 

 hundred. As an eye-witness of the disaster, and 

 remaining after it took place five days on the spot, I 

 can myself entertain no doubt that many more than 

 this number Avere drowned in the confusion of 

 that dreadful night ; and it was the opinion of 

 some of the high military officials that the victims 

 must be counted by thousands. The houses were 

 crushed in by hundreds, many of them falling in 

 such a manner that the roofs came down intact, 

 thereby holding down any bodies that might be 

 beneath. 



