272 



The Review of Reviews. 



rhoU'sraph ly] 



\Xi'7('S/'ij/''-r lUustraliims, Ltd. 



England's Summer, 1912. 



is a national asset ot" no small magnitude, 

 and the lack, of life in the open air during 

 their chief annual holiday must react in 

 serious detriment to their subsequent health 

 and etHciency. The damage to the crops 

 up to the present is enormous. Further 

 loss may be obviated by a fine Se]3tember ; 

 but already tiie value of the national harvest 

 has been impaired, it is reckoned by ex- 

 ]ierts, to the extent of several shillings a 

 quarter. As the decrease of one shilling a 

 quarter represents a national loss of a 

 million and a half sterling, the diminution 

 ill the national income in consequence of 

 these August rains is something formidable. 

 The climax of the downpour was reached 

 on August 26r]i. On that and the follow- 

 ing (lav the rainfall in the Eastern counties, 

 which arc normally the driest portion of 

 these islands, reached the portentous total 

 ior twenty-nine hours of more than se\en 

 and a third inches. This amounts to a 

 quarter of the average annual rainiall : that 

 is, as much rain fell in twentv-niiic hours as 

 usually falls in three whole months. This 

 is said to be a downpour un|)rccedented in 

 our hydrometric annals. Widespread de- 



struction resulted. In East (' 

 Anglia eighty bridges were 

 destroyed. Railway embank- 

 ments were washed away. 

 Railway communication was 

 interrupted over a wide area. 

 Tiiecity of Norwich was cut 

 ofi"' frorn the rest of the 

 country. The highest water- 

 mark of previous floods was 

 surpassed by eighteen inches. 

 A square mile of the lower 

 streets of the city were under 

 water; 10,000 of its towns- 

 folk were rendered homeless 

 are iieing housed and 

 other public build- 



and 

 fed in schools and 

 ings. The electric light and power station 

 was paralysed. For several nights the city 

 was in darkness. Happily, only two or three 



//■^..^^■.,l;<'• ':il 



Norwich Streets, August, 1912. 



