During the flood which occurred in Germany and Bohemia, the last week
of November, Karlsbad was especially unfortunate; it suffered such an
inundation as had never before been known in the "Sprudelstadt." On
the evening of November 23, the Tepl was very much swollen by the
rain, which had continued for several days, but it was supposed that
there was no danger of a flood, as the bed of the river had been put
in proper condition. During the forenoon of November 24, the water
suddenly began to rise with such astonishing rapidity that within half
an hour all the lower streets were like turbulent rivers and the Alte
and Neue Wiese were transformed into a lake. The stores on the Alte
Wiese were under water to the roofs, and the proprietors, who were
trying to save their goods, were surprised by the water and had to
take refuge in the trees. They were rescued by having ropes thrown to
them, and during this work a catastrophe occurred which was a great
misfortune to all classes of citizens. The beloved burgermeister of
Karlsbad, Dr. Rudolf Knoll, who had just recovered from a severe
illness, was, with others, directing the work from the balcony of one
of the houses, when a rope by which a man was being drawn through the
water broke, and the man was carried off by the waves. The fright and
excitement of the scene gave the burgermeister a shock which caused
his instant death, but the man who was in danger was brought safely
out of the water.
The water was 9 ft. in Marienbaderstrasse, the Marktplatz,
Muhlbadgasse, the Sprudelgasse, Kreuzgasse, Kaiserstrasse, and
Egerstrasse, and flooded the quay, causing great destruction. All
places of business were flooded, the doors and iron shutters were
pushed in by the force of the water and the goods were carried away or
ruined.
The house called "Zum Kaffeebaum" was undermined and part of it fell
to the ground; the same fate was feared for other buildings. The
Sophien and Curhaus bridges were carried away. Other bridges were
greatly damaged, and the masonry along the banks of the river was
partially destroyed. The Sprudelgasse was completely washed out, and
the condition of the Muhlbadgasse was almost as bad. The fire
department with its apparatus had great difficulty in saving the
inhabitants and guests, as there were very few boats or pontoons at
their command, and the soldiers (Pionniere) from Prague and the
firemen from the neighboring towns did not arrive until evening.
Fortunately the water began to fall in the night, and the next day it
had gone down so that it left its terrible work visible. The Sprudel
and the mineral springs were not injured, but, on the other hand, the
water pipes of the bathing establishments and the gas pipes were
completely destroyed.--_Illustrirte Zeitung._
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