The Great Sheffield Flood took place on 11 March 1864, resulting in the loss of 238 lives.
The tragedy occurred when the newly-built Dale Dyke Dam at the Bradfield Reservoir collapsed (it was being filled for the first time), thus releasing over 700 million gallons of water down the Loxley Valley and into the centre of Sheffield.
So to mark the day, here is a report of the disaster that appeared in ‘The Manchester Times’ of Saturday 12 March 1864.
Manchester Times – Saturday 12 March 1864
Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000504/18640312/016/0005
