page 159 in the direction of the current coming from the garden. Again it made for the shed, and again struck the door, forcing it open. Pettigrew, still holding by the cart, which was now rapidly entering the opening it had made, perceived that the opposite gable had by this time been carried away, and that he would be borne into the main stream behind. With great presence of mind, or rather, perhaps, in the madness of despair, just as the cart was entering the building, he tore a slate or two out of the roof at the top of the door, and got hold of a slate-nail with the forefinger of his left hand. The cart, too, on which his feet still rested, was delayed in its course by his legs pressing against the eaves of the house; and, fortunately, at this moment he seized the lead of one of the skylight windows with the other hand, and raised himself to the roof, where he sat with the water within a few feet of him. Pettigrew now turned his thoughts upon poor Bruce, whom he observed standing by an outhouse, about seven yards from the spot where he had last seen him. A range of buildings adjoining now gave way, carrying with them the side wall of the house on which Pettigrew was sitting; fortunately, the roof had a connection with another house---the only one left entire within his reach. Still his position was perilous in the extreme; but with a fortitude that never forsook him , he hastened to the more secure roof, and remained there, with the waters rolling wildly about him. Bruce was still where Pettigrew had last seen him; but he soon saw him lifted by the waters and borne along a short distance till he came in contact with a pump, which he clasped with both arms. The window of a greenhouse now drifted towards him, and by means of it he raised himself to the top of the pump. Mr Pettigrew shouted at him to get on the roof of house at hand; but he had scarcely said the words when the house was swept away. Bruce continued to stand by the pump, grasping it and the window-frame as the only means now left him of support; but, alas for the frailty of man's hopes! a large fruit tree, which had been torn from the garden, was swept towards him by the ruthless current, and, with one fell stroke, it forced him away, blasting the expectations of many anxious onlookers, who could render no assistance. All hope, however, was not yet gone; for still alive, he was carried a little below the bend of the river, where, with the grasp of death, he clung to a growing tree, reviving the almost extinguished hopes of the spectators. Pettigrew shouted to him to climb the tree; and Mr Cuthbertson's son and others repeatedly threw a rope to him; but the awfulness of his position seemed to have deprived him of all energy and sense of recollection; for, though the rope fell within a few feet of him; he was unable to avail himself of the advantage thus afforded; and, in a short time, he was swept away. After the water had somewhat abated, hid lifeless body was found at the corner of Green Street. Pettigrew's position was still awfully perilous, as he had no way of escape from the frail tenement on which he sat, and around him and against which the waves were beating in great fury. Casting his eyes up the water, he saw the large boiler already mentioned, which seemed the evil genius of the flood, tumbling towards him: he trembled for the consequences; for he thought that one stroke of it against the house might shiver it to atoms, and engulf him in the yawning deep. For a moment it paused, as if planning his instant destruction; then, as if by mercy, it floated west of him, and made its way down river. Pettigrew remained on the roof till the flood subsided, when he descended in a state of great exhaustion. The horse which he and the unfortunate Bruce had ventured their own lives to save, was borne down by the current, and afterwards found dead. Farther down the stream, a house formerly used as a glue-work, at Townhead Bridge, was levalled with the ground; but the bridge itself withstood the power of the torrent---the parapets being all that were destroyed. The large boiler, after pressing a short time against the arch, went crushing beneath it, and came bounding out at the other side with fearful velocity. Messrs Brown, Merry, and M'Gregor's printwork (now Mr Higginbotham's) immediately below the bridge, was deeply inundated, and the loss which they sustained was very great. A wright's shop in connection with the work was so sapped that it fell into ruins a short time after the waters had abated. Almost the whole of the wall which enclosed the ground on the opposite side of the river was also driven away. A little farther down, the dam of the Messr Blackwood's mill became almost a total wreck; and large pieces of solid rock behind it were dashed down the channel. At Ladeside there was considerable havoc; and the lives of the inhabitants were so endangered, that many had to force their way out by the back windows to the higher ground in Soulis Street. The public works situated between Ladeside and the Flesh Market Bridge, namely Mr Crooks' tanworks, Messrs Gregory and Thomson's carpet factory, and Mr Wilson's woolen mill (now Mr Somerville's) sustained very great damage. A dye-house, in the same locality, belonging to Messrs Brown and M'Laren, carpet-makers, was entirely swept down. The Academy was much flooded; and the wall behind it, with its iron railing, was thrown about in fragments. Immediately below the Academy, at the house next to the Corn Exchange Buildings, the water was six feet seven inches above the level of the street. The house of the late mrs Finnie, on the other side of the river, was completely deluged; and Mrs Finnie herself was in great danger, but was rescued by the noble exertions of two individuals named Gray and Richmond. We come now to the Flesh Market Bridge, situated nearly in the centre of the town; and here, perhaps, life and property were in greater danger than at any other place along the whole course of the river. The bridge, which was built in 1770,is connected with a range of other bridges running behind it, on which the Council Chambers, the Police Cells, and other houses are erected. The arch, or rather arches, of these structures are somewhat flat, giving to the passage beneath the appearance of a confined tunnel. At the mouth of this passage the water gathered to a great height, overturning the walls along the river, and the parapet of the bridge, and rushing into Green Street. Waterloo Street, the Cross, Guard Lane, Market Lane, and thence down King Street. Most of the inhabitants being in bed, the alarm created by the cry, "The water is flooding the town!" was beyond all description. Men, Women, and children started from their slumbers, and, almost in a state of nudity, ran in all directions seeking the more elevated spots; while others, terror-stricken, were unable to move from their position. As if to add to the horror of the page 161 scene, the large boiler before spoken of floated into Waterloo Street, striking and injuring the walls of some of the houses. For a short time it was turned round and round by the edying waters, and was again borne back into the river and dashed against the bridge, which many thought would fall to pieces before it. At last, on the water subsiding a little, it went crushing beneath the arch, emitting, as it disappeared, the most terrific sounds. It ultimately rested at a short distance below Sandbed dam. The furniture and other goods belonging to various shopkeepers in Waterloo Street were either carried away or rendered almost useless. Life itself was in great peril. One family, unable to escape by the doors of their house, began to knock the back out of a wall-press, with the view of finding a way through a neighbour's rooms; and what is rather curious, and shows the despairing state into which many were thrown, that same neighbour was, at the very instant, using similar means on the other side of the wall, in order to escape through their apartments. At last, by their united efforts, the wished-for passage was effected. Still the means of escape had to be sought. Ultimately, one of the party forced out a back window, and leapt upon a stair on the opposite side of the court. He then secured a plank, which he laid from the stair to the window, and by this means the others escaped to safety. As we stated above, the Council Chambers and the Police Cells are erected on one of the bridges, and fears were entertained that these might give way. In the cells were twenty-one prisoners, male and female; but, fortunately, the keeper, Mr Geddes, was early apprised of the rising of the water, and, by praiseworthy exertions, succeeded in rescuing them. The prisoners were conducted to the new Court-house in St Marnock Street; and so perilous was their way down King Street, that three of them were nearly swept away. As an evidence of the danger the bridge was supposed to be in, we may mention that Mr Hamilton, town-clerk, hurried through the flooded streets to the Council-house, and brought away all the valuable papers. The Cross was covered with an entire sheet of water; and all the shops, particularly those in Regent Street and Cheapside, were more or less inundated. So violent was the rush of the torrent from Waterloo Street into the Cross, that some of the shop-doors were burst open; and at the Old Bridge behind Victoria Place, the water boiled up in a fearful manner, taking away the back wall of a dwelling-house, and flooding Bank Street to the base of the Low Church steeple. At Sandbed Street, the iron-railed wall running along the river, and a considerable portion of the wall of the garden behind the Union Bank, were overthrown. The wooden bridge also, leading from Sandbed Street to Nelson Street, was completely carried off; and at the same place, the workshop of Mr George Connell was laid in ruins. A large cistern, which had been borne down from the dye-work of Messrs Brown and M'Laren, was driven into one of the lanes diverging from King Street to Sandbed Street; and here a considerable piece of the causeway was scooped out, evincing the resistless power of even the side-currents of the flood. To those who could look upon it without thoughts of danger, King Street presented a noble spectacle. It was converted into a broad Page 162 river, which rolled along in sullen grandeur, carrying upon its waves trees, planks of timber, tubs, casks, chairs, and other articles; but its very murmur seemed to proclaim that the town was destined to be swept away. In one or two places stones were torn from the pavement; and a lamp-post near Dr Paxton's house (now Mr J. Alexander's) was laid prostrate as if it had been a reed. So rapidly, indeed, did the torrent sweep along, that two men were borne off their feet, and narrowly escaped being drowned. They were extricated by the active exertions of the late Mrs David Brown, and some others. To particularize the merchants whose shops and cellars were flooded along King Street would be invidious, as a vast quanity of goods belonging to all, from the Cross downward, was greatly damaged or destroyed. The appearance of Titchfield Street was similar to that of King Street. Douglas Street was perhaps more flooded that either, as not only the water coming Titchfield Street, but that from the main river, at the west end, rushed into it, creating much alarm, and putting life itself in danger. A little below this spot the wooden bridge at West Shaw Street was borne away; and several gardens in the vicinity were greatly injured. In that of Mr James Stevenson the water was two feet six inches deep. The property of the late Mr Templeton, shawl-manufacturer, likewise suffered materially. The pillars of the gate leading to the house were overthrown, and the house itself flooded to a considerable depth before the inmates could effect their escape. In the same locality, the nursery grounds of Messrs Dreghorn and Aitken were deluged to a considerable extent. Even below the junction of the river with the Irvine, where the water had greater scope, the crops in several holms were greatly damaged. Such is a brief outline of the ravages committed by the flood on the memorable morning of the 14th of July, 1852. We may add that the torrent continued in all its fury from about four o'clock till six, after which it gradually subsided, exposing to the eye, at various places we have mentioned, the melancholy spectacle of wreck and ruin. (Taken from "History of Kilmarnock", Archibald M'Kay, 1864.) I have copies of the book if anyone is interested.

Thanks Rich 2nd episode even more exciting! Brian Boyd ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rich" <richboyd@speednetllc.com> To: <CLANBOYD-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, August 05, 2005 12:29 AM Subject: [Boyd] Flood in Kilmarnock (Part 2) > > > page 159 > > > > in the direction of the current coming from the garden. Again it made > > for the shed, and again struck the door, forcing it open. Pettigrew, > > still holding by the cart, which was now rapidly entering the opening > > it had made, perceived that the opposite gable had by this time been > > carried away, and that he would be borne into the main stream behind. > > With great presence of mind, or rather, perhaps, in the madness of > > despair, just as the cart was entering the building, he tore a slate > > or two out of the roof at the top of the door, and got hold of a > > slate-nail with the forefinger of his left hand. The cart, too, on > > which his feet still rested, was delayed in its course by his legs > > pressing against the eaves of the house; and, fortunately, at this > > moment he seized the lead of one of the skylight windows with the > > other hand, and raised himself to the roof, where he sat with the > > water within a few feet of him. > > > > Pettigrew now turned his thoughts upon poor Bruce, whom he observed > > standing by an outhouse, about seven yards from the spot where he had > > last seen him. A range of buildings adjoining now gave way, carrying > > with them the side wall of the house on which Pettigrew was sitting; > > fortunately, the roof had a connection with another house---the only > > one left entire within his reach. Still his position was perilous in > > the extreme; but with a fortitude that never forsook him , he hastened > to the more secure roof, and remained there, with the waters rolling > wildly about him. Bruce was still where Pettigrew had last seen > > him; but he soon saw him lifted by the waters and borne along a short > > distance till he came in contact with a pump, which he clasped with > > both arms. The window of a greenhouse now drifted towards him, and by > > means of it he raised himself to the top of the pump. Mr Pettigrew > > shouted at him to get on the roof of house at hand; but he had > > scarcely said the words when the house was swept away. Bruce continued > to stand by the pump, grasping it and the window-frame as the > > only means now left him of support; but, alas for the frailty of > > man's hopes! a large fruit tree, which had been torn from the garden, > > was swept towards him by the ruthless current, and, with one fell > > stroke, it forced him away, blasting the expectations of many anxious > > onlookers, who could render no assistance. All hope, however, was not > > yet gone; for still alive, he was carried a little below the bend of > > the river, where, with the grasp of death, he clung to a growing > > tree, reviving the almost extinguished hopes of the spectators. > > Pettigrew shouted to him to climb the tree; and Mr Cuthbertson's son > > and others repeatedly threw a rope to him; but the awfulness of his > > position seemed to have deprived him of all energy and sense of > > recollection; for, though the rope fell within a few feet of him; he > > was unable to avail himself of the advantage thus afforded; and, in a > > short time, he was swept away. After the water had somewhat abated, > > hid lifeless body was found at the corner of Green Street. > > > > Pettigrew's position was still awfully perilous, as he had no way of > > escape from the frail tenement on which he sat, and around him and > > against which the waves were beating in great fury. Casting his eyes > > up the water, he saw the large boiler already mentioned, which seemed > > the evil genius of the flood, tumbling towards him: he trembled for > > the consequences; for he thought that one stroke of it against the > > house might shiver it to atoms, and engulf him in the yawning deep. > > For a moment it paused, as if planning his instant destruction; then, > > as if by mercy, it floated west of him, and made its way down river. > > > > > > Pettigrew remained on the roof till the flood subsided, when he > > descended in a state of great exhaustion. The horse which he and the > > unfortunate Bruce had ventured their own lives to save, was borne > > down by the current, and afterwards found dead. > > > > Farther down the stream, a house formerly used as a glue-work, at > > Townhead Bridge, was levalled with the ground; but the bridge itself > > withstood the power of the torrent---the parapets being all that were > > destroyed. The large boiler, after pressing a short time against the > > arch, went crushing beneath it, and came bounding out at the other > > side with fearful velocity. > > > > Messrs Brown, Merry, and M'Gregor's printwork (now Mr Higginbotham's) > > immediately below the bridge, was deeply inundated, and the loss > > which they sustained was very great. A wright's shop in connection > > with the work was so sapped that it fell into ruins a short time > > after the waters had abated. Almost the whole of the wall which > > enclosed the ground on the opposite side of the river was also driven > > away. A little farther down, the dam of the Messr Blackwood's mill > > became almost a total wreck; and large pieces of solid rock behind it > > were dashed down the channel. At Ladeside there was considerable > > havoc; and the lives of the inhabitants were so endangered, that many > > had to force their way out by the back windows to the higher ground > > in Soulis Street. The public works situated between Ladeside and the > > Flesh Market Bridge, namely Mr Crooks' tanworks, Messrs Gregory and > > Thomson's carpet factory, and Mr Wilson's woolen mill (now Mr > Somerville's) sustained very great damage. A dye-house, in the same > > locality, belonging to Messrs Brown and M'Laren, carpet-makers, was > > entirely swept down. The Academy was much flooded; and the wall > > behind it, with its iron railing, was thrown about in fragments. > > Immediately below the Academy, at the house next to the Corn Exchange > > Buildings, the water was six feet seven inches above the level of the > > street. The house of the late mrs Finnie, on the other side of the > > river, was completely deluged; and Mrs Finnie herself was in great > > danger, but was rescued by the noble exertions of two individuals > > named Gray and Richmond. > > > > We come now to the Flesh Market Bridge, situated nearly in the centre > > of the town; and here, perhaps, life and property were in greater > > danger than at any other place along the whole course of the river. > > The bridge, which was built in 1770,is connected with a range of > > other bridges running behind it, on which the Council Chambers, the > > Police Cells, and other houses are erected. The arch, or rather > > arches, of these structures are somewhat flat, giving to the passage > > beneath the appearance of a confined tunnel. At the mouth of this > > passage the water gathered to a great height, overturning the walls > > along the river, and the parapet of the bridge, and rushing into > > Green Street. Waterloo Street, the Cross, Guard Lane, Market Lane, > > and thence down King Street. Most of the inhabitants being in bed, > > the alarm created by the cry, "The water is flooding the town!" was > > beyond all description. Men, Women, and children started from their > > slumbers, and, almost in a state of nudity, ran in all directions > > seeking the more elevated spots; while others, terror-stricken, were > > unable to move from their position. As if to add to the horror of the > > > > > > page 161 > > > > > > scene, the large boiler before spoken of floated into Waterloo > > Street, striking and injuring the walls of some of the houses. For a > > short time it was turned round and round by the edying waters, and > > was again borne back into the river and dashed against the bridge, > > which many thought would fall to pieces before it. At last, on the > > water subsiding a little, it went crushing beneath the arch, > > emitting, as it disappeared, the most terrific sounds. It ultimately > > rested at a short distance below Sandbed dam. The furniture and other > > goods belonging to various shopkeepers in Waterloo Street were either > > carried away or rendered almost useless. Life itself was in great > > peril. One family, unable to escape by the doors of their house, > > began to knock the back out of a wall-press, with the view of finding > > a way through a neighbour's rooms; and what is rather curious, and > > shows the despairing state into which many were thrown, that same > > neighbour was, at the very instant, using similar means on the other > > side of the wall, in order to escape through their apartments. At > > last, by their united efforts, the wished-for passage was effected. > > Still the means of escape had to be sought. Ultimately, one of the > > party forced out a back window, and leapt upon a stair on the > > opposite side of the court. He then secured a plank, which he laid > > from the stair to the window, and by this means the others escaped to > > safety. > > > > As we stated above, the Council Chambers and the Police Cells are > > erected on one of the bridges, and fears were entertained that these > > might give way. In the cells were twenty-one prisoners, male and > > female; but, fortunately, the keeper, Mr Geddes, was early apprised > > of the rising of the water, and, by praiseworthy exertions, succeeded > > in rescuing them. The prisoners were conducted to the new Court-house > > in St Marnock Street; and so perilous was their way down King Street, > > that three of them were nearly swept away. As an evidence of the > > danger the bridge was supposed to be in, we may mention that Mr > > Hamilton, town-clerk, hurried through the flooded streets to the > > Council-house, and brought away all the valuable papers. > > > > The Cross was covered with an entire sheet of water; and all the > > shops, particularly those in Regent Street and Cheapside, were more > > or less inundated. So violent was the rush of the torrent from > > Waterloo Street into the Cross, that some of the shop-doors were > > burst open; and at the Old Bridge behind Victoria Place, the water > > boiled up in a fearful manner, taking away the back wall of a > > dwelling-house, and flooding Bank Street to the base of the Low > > Church steeple. At Sandbed Street, the iron-railed wall running along > > the river, and a considerable portion of the wall of the garden > > behind the Union Bank, were overthrown. The wooden bridge also, > > leading from Sandbed Street to Nelson Street, was completely carried > > off; and at the same place, the workshop of Mr George Connell was > > laid in ruins. > > > > A large cistern, which had been borne down from the dye-work of > > Messrs Brown and M'Laren, was driven into one of the lanes diverging > > from King Street to Sandbed Street; and here a considerable piece of > > the causeway was scooped out, evincing the resistless power of even > > the side-currents of the flood. > > > > To those who could look upon it without thoughts of danger, King > > Street presented a noble spectacle. It was converted into a broad > > > > Page 162 > > > > > > river, which rolled along in sullen grandeur, carrying upon its waves > > trees, planks of timber, tubs, casks, chairs, and other articles; but > > its very murmur seemed to proclaim that the town was destined to be > > swept away. In one or two places stones were torn from the pavement; > > and a lamp-post near Dr Paxton's house (now Mr J. Alexander's) was > > laid prostrate as if it had been a reed. So rapidly, indeed, did the > > torrent sweep along, that two men were borne off their feet, and > > narrowly escaped being drowned. They were extricated by the active > > exertions of the late Mrs David Brown, and some others. > > > > To particularize the merchants whose shops and cellars were flooded > > along King Street would be invidious, as a vast quanity of goods > > belonging to all, from the Cross downward, was greatly damaged or > > destroyed. The appearance of Titchfield Street was similar to that of > > King Street. Douglas Street was perhaps more flooded that either, as > > not only the water coming Titchfield Street, but that from the main > > river, at the west end, rushed into it, creating much alarm, and > > putting life itself in danger. A little below this spot the wooden > > bridge at West Shaw Street was borne away; and several gardens in the > > vicinity were greatly injured. In that of Mr James Stevenson the > > water was two feet six inches deep. The property of the late Mr > > Templeton, shawl-manufacturer, likewise suffered materially. The > > pillars of the gate leading to the house were overthrown, and the > > house itself flooded to a considerable depth before the inmates could > > effect their escape. In the same locality, the nursery grounds of > > Messrs Dreghorn and Aitken were deluged to a considerable extent. > > Even below the junction of the river with the Irvine, where the water > > had greater scope, the crops in several holms were greatly damaged. > > > > Such is a brief outline of the ravages committed by the flood on the > > memorable morning of the 14th of July, 1852. We may add that the > > torrent continued in all its fury from about four o'clock till six, > > after which it gradually subsided, exposing to the eye, at various > > places we have mentioned, the melancholy spectacle of wreck and ruin. > > (Taken from "History of Kilmarnock", Archibald M'Kay, 1864.) > I have copies of the book if anyone is interested. > > > > > > > ==== CLANBOYD Mailing List ==== > RING OF BOYDS http://k.webring.com/wrman?ring=clanboydwebring&addsite > > http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=boyd-trees > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.338 / Virus Database: 267.9.9/62 - Release Date: 2/08/2005 > >