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Bursting of the Fleet Ditch and destruction of part of the Metropolitan Railway... 1862. Creator: Unknown
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Bursting of the Fleet Ditch and destruction of part of the Metropolitan Railway... 1862. Creator: Unknown
Bursting of the Fleet Ditch and destruction of part of the Metropolitan Railway: scene of the accident, [London], 1862. Owing to falls in the Fleet sewer the waters had accumulated to a great extent against the wall of the embankment...a warning was given by the cracking and heaving mass, and the workmen had time to escape before the embankment fell in...the massive brick wall...rose bodily from its foundations as the water forced its way beneath, and, slowly breaking up into fragments, fell over with the scaffolding, roadway, lamps, pavement, and "plant" of every description into the road beneath...the whole of the line was flooded up to Frederick-street, workmen and horses being driven out before the rapidly-rising water...on the opposite side of the railway, the water gradually creeping up its dark brown walls, stood the great burial vault containing the bodies from the old Clerkenwell pauper burial-ground...One end of this...had been already partially burst open by the shock, and at every moment threatened altogether to fall and scatter its ghastly contents upon the stream...a gang of three hundred navvies were set to work to tap the Fleet sewer above the site of the accident, and draw the water off through a temporary open channel'. From "Illustrated London News", 1862
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Media ID 35125721
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Aftermath Bad Weather Brick Brickwork Burial Ground Civil Engineering Clerkenwell Islington London England Collapse Collapsed Collapsing Damage Damaged Danger Dangerous Destruction Engineering Fleet Ditch Flood Flooded Flooding Floods Lumber Masonry Metropolitan Railway Peril Public Transport Railways Scaffold Scaffolding Sewer Sewer System Timber Bursting Sewers
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Bursting of the Fleet Ditch and Destruction of Part of the Metropolitan Railway - A Catastrophic Event in Victorian London, 1862
EDITORS COMMENTS
This photograph captures the aftermath of a devastating accident that occurred on the Metropolitan Railway in London, in 1862. The image, titled "Bursting of the Fleet Ditch and destruction of part of the Metropolitan Railway: scene of the accident," shows the destruction caused by the bursting of the Fleet Ditch, which flooded the railway and damaged a section of its embankment. The scene is chaotic, with the massive brick wall of the embankment having risen from its foundations and collapsed into the road below. The scaffolding, roadway, lamps, pavement, and various plant and equipment are all visible among the debris. The cause of the disaster was the accumulation of water in the Fleet Ditch, which had cracked and heaved against the embankment wall. Warnings were given, and the workmen managed to escape before the wall gave way. The entire railway line was flooded up to Frederick-street, and workmen and horses were forced to evacuate before the rapidly rising water. On the opposite side of the railway, the great burial vault containing the bodies from the old Clerkenwell pauper burial-ground stands ominously. One end of the vault had already been partially burst open by the shock, and the threat of it collapsing and scattering its ghastly contents into the stream loomed large. A team of three hundred navvies was quickly assembled to tap the Fleet Sewer above the site of the accident and draw off the water through a temporary open channel. This photograph is a testament to the resilience and quick thinking of the Victorian workforce, as well as the destructive power of nature and the challenges faced in building and maintaining the city's infrastructure during this era.
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