128 Memorándum on the great fluod of the river Indus. [No. 2, 



Memorándum on the great flood of the river Indus ivhich reached 



Attok on the lOth Attgust, 1858. — By Captain T. G. Mont- 



gomerie, Bengal Engineers, F. R. G. S. \st Asst. G. T. Survey, 

 of India, Sfc* 



"At 5 a. M. on the lOth August, 1858, the Indus at Attok was 

 very lovv. At 7 a. m. it liad risen 10 feet. By 0.30 p. m. it had risen 

 50 feet, and it continued to rise till it stood 90 feet higher than it 

 did in the morning. The Cabul river continued to flow upwards for 

 ten hours." — Eoctract from the proeeedings of the Asiatic Societyfor 

 September 1858, Journal Vol. XXVII. p. 366. 



The flood destroyed a large amount of property in British 

 tenitory both above and belovv Attok ; and the back water (on the 

 Cabul river) destroj^ed the greater part of the prívate property in 

 the cantonment of Naoshera. 



After the subsidenee of the water, numerous reports were curren t 

 near Attok, viz. : that the river was still blocked up and that 

 another similar flood might soon be expected. These reports were 

 generally given out on the authority of the inhabitants far up the 

 river, who had sent down word to say that the water was still 

 dammed up. 



Such a sudden flood or cataclysm on such a gigantic scale, at 

 all times an important and interesting subject of enquiry, was rendered 

 still more so, to me by the above mentioned circumstances. 



Being at the time of the flood in the territories of the Máha- 

 rájah Rumbhir Singh. I was in a favorable position for making 

 enquiñes in the Upper Valley of the Indus as far as the Máharájah's 

 territories and influence extended, and I consequently made all the 

 enquiries that I could. 



On applying to the Wazeer Punnoo, the governor of Kashmir, 

 lie told me that had auy damage been done in the Máharájah's terri- 

 tories by a flood on the Indus, he vvould certainly have heard of it, 

 but up to that time he had received no report on the subject. Hovv- 

 ever I begged him to write to all the Máharájah's officials (on the 



* See papers by Capt. Henderson and Major Becher, Journal, Vol. XXVIII. 

 pp. 199 and 219. 



