204 THE GREAT FLOOD IN ESSEX.
Now let us observe the rainfall of August 1st. Fifteen "stations"
give a fall of over 2 in. :—viz., Southend, North Ockendon, Ilford,
Woodford ("The Harts") Woodford (Haggar Lane), Epping, Brent-
wood ("Sawyer's Hall"), Brentwood ("Dudbrook House"), Billericay,
Ingatestone, Roxwell, Writtle, Chelmsford, Great Baddow, and
Little Braxted. North Ockendon heads the list with 4.56 in.,
Billericay shows 337 in., Ingatestone 3.20 in., and Brentwood
("Sawyer's Hall") 300.
From data I have of rainfall in Essex (July 1882 to December,
1886), I can find nothing to compare with these figures. The
nearest amounts to them are on September 10th, 1885, when
Dedham registered 2.20 in., Little Braxted 1.96 in., Braintree
("Bocking Place"), 1.85. Braintree ("Fennes") r8o, and Earl's
Colne 1.70 in. I further find that on September 3rd, 1884, at Southend,
1.85 in. was registered in the twenty-four hours, and at Bradwell-on-
Sea on the same date, 1.88 in. Mr. Holthouse, of Southend, tells
me that on July 13th, 1880, he registered 2.15 in. between 3 p.m.
and 5.45 p.m., which is certainly a very remarkable record, and I
wish I had data respecting it from other parts of Essex. It may,
therefore, well be said that the rainfall of August 1st was a very
heavy one for Essex, and coming, as I have shown, at a time when
the land was well saturated with moisture, on account of a succession
of wet days preceding it, it is not surprising that such a flood was
occasioned.
I have shown that the heaviest rainfalls just before this flood were
in that district which suffered most. I do not mean to say that there
must be such falls in that district to cause such a flood, for it is quite
possible that if the heaviest rains had fallen in the district watered by
the upper parts of the Chelmer, Cann, and Roding, similar disasters
would have been brought about at Chelmsford, Romford, Ilford, and
other places in the south-west of the county.
I give herewith a small outline map of the county of Essex, which
will, perhaps, more graphically present the details of Table B. The
amount of rain collected at the various "stations" during the week
preceding the flood, is shown on the map as follows :—Where under
4 in. fell, I have placed a -, where over 4 in. fell a +, and where
over 5 in. fell a O.
In conclusion I wish to thank all those rainfall observers in Essex
who have so kindly responded to my request to be furnished with
particulars of rainfall, and notes respecting the flood. I have not