Sheffield Independent – Thursday 24 January 1884

Floods in the Mexbro’ District.

At eleven o’clock last night the river Don was running over its banks at Mexbro’, and at Denaby the river and canal united, the waters rushing along at great speed. A very wide area of land was submerged, and at one point the flood had encroached upon the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway.

The bridge spanning the river at Denaby was several feet under water, and, for some distance, the highway was swept by the current. The Denaby Main miners, who were working on the “night shift,” and who live at Mexbro’, were consequently unable to proceed to the pit on foot, but a horse and cart went to and fro with as many as would venture to be thus conveyed across the flood. The wind being so high and the flood so strong, this mode of transit was attended with no little danger, and only few of the men consented to its adoption.

Hundreds of acres of land in what is known as “The Pastures” were under water, and at Conisbro’ the rivers Don and Dearne, as well as the canal, in many places were connected, sweeping onwards in the direction of Doncaster.

At the village of Bolton, and also near Adwick, the floods were very serious. The wind throughout the day had blown with great violence, but at the time of writing its fury had much increased.

The police had not received reports of any mishaps; but on the high-standing “Common,” at Mexbro’, and at the elevated land at Bow Broom, Swinton, it was a risk to walk, owing to the falling slates and broken chimneys.

During the evening, a portion of a chimney fell through into the bedroom at the residence of the master of the National School, at Mexbro’, but it fortunately happened that the room was unoccupied at the time.