He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 205

205. The Thames

Theo University Library

Theo visited the university library whenever he had the chance.

He was searching for information about the Great Flood of London in 1799 that wasn’t available online.

He studied the causes and consequences of the Great Flood of London, along with the weather conditions at the time, to determine the most effective preventative measures.

‘Even if the sewer systems had been expanded back then, it wouldn’t have been enough to prevent the disaster. So, is evacuation the highest priority?’

Theo didn’t know if he could return to the 18th century, or when he would return if he could.

It wasn’t a matter of choice.

However, he didn’t want to have any regrets when he went back.

But a problem arose.

Whether he was searching online or examining specialized books and historical records, the exact date and time of the Great Flood of London were unclear and inconsistent.

‘Hmm… Some sources say it was dawn on August 2, 1799, while others say it was August 1 or 3. There are even sources that say it was July 22 or 23…’

Given that these were records from the 18th century, they might not be entirely accurate.

He knew of cases where major historical records differed by more than a month.

However, in large-scale natural disasters like this, even a few minutes can make a difference when countless lives are at stake.

Therefore, knowing the precise time the disaster occurred was paramount.

‘Dawn in August 1799. With heavy rain, the Thames, the city’s main waterway, began to overflow.

And a few hours later, the low-lying areas in the heart of London, including Westminster, Southwark, and Chelsea, which were along the riverbank, would have been the first to be hit.

Therefore, sturdy walls or embankments should be built along the river to minimize the overflow. The city’s drainage system should also be improved significantly. The main waterways should also be properly managed in advance.’

However, there’s a limit to how much physical infrastructure can be improved. No matter how much preparation is done, the low-lying areas must be evacuated.

To do that, a systematic evacuation plan must be established to inform people of the possibility of flooding as quickly as possible…

To properly execute all these plans, knowing the exact date and time of the disaster in advance is crucial.

‘There are at least ten thousand residents to evacuate from the lowlands. It’s impossible to evacuate all these people from July 22 to August 3 indefinitely. And what if all the recorded dates are wrong and it happened at dawn on July 21?’

Theo had gained considerable knowledge by directly observing the Thames River and studying accounts of the Great Flood from books and papers.

However, he still couldn’t pinpoint the exact timing of the event.

The conflicting dates and times of the Great Flood of London in each book and document only added to Theo’s confusion.

Even if he, who isn’t a meteorologist, went back to the 18th century, it would be difficult to predict the weather by simply looking at the sky or making a professional judgment.

No, even for a meteorologist, in an era without supercomputers or satellites, it would be virtually impossible to know the weather in advance and prepare for it.

‘Sigh… what am I going to do…’

Theo’s worries deepened.

‘I can’t do this alone. I should go to school tomorrow and talk to Professor Blair.’

Professor Ian Blair was a professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Theo University and a world-renowned expert in climatology and atmospheric dynamics.

Theo University, Professor Ian Blair’s Office.

Theo visited Professor Blair, mentioned the school’s challenges, and casually brought up the Great Flood of London.

“I’ve been taking walks along the Thames every evening, and every time I walk, I can’t help but think about how many people died during the Great Flood of London in 1799.”

“That’s right. I don’t think there has ever been a disaster where so many people lost their lives so quickly in a single incident.”

“But, Professor, I found something strange while researching the Great Flood of London. Why are the recorded dates so different? Some are more than 10 days apart. Do you know why?” Professor Blair nodded.

“Everything in London was submerged at the time. Of course, there was no time to record the events accurately, and I think errors occurred because records were made long after the fact, once things were organized.

In addition, the London suburbs, which recorded the Great Flood of London, were still using the Julian calendar, which was 10 days off from the Gregorian calendar, so there may have been confusion in the records.”

“Ah! The Julian calendar! That could be it.”

Theo also remembered being confused by the Julian calendar in the 18th century.

The Julian calendar was about 10 days different from the Gregorian calendar [the calendar most widely used today], and at that time, the Julian calendar and the Gregorian calendar were both used in different countries and regions, sometimes causing confusion.

“So, in the late 18th century in England, there was no modern meteorological agency or meteorologist like today, so it would have been impossible to predict the Great Flood of London at all?”

“Yes, probably. At that time, there was no institution in England that specialized in meteorology, and they didn’t specifically train such scholars. That’s why the damage was so severe during the Great Flood of London.”

“Actually, there was someone who predicted the Great Flood of London to some extent.”

Theo was surprised by Professor Blair’s words and asked.

“Really? Someone predicted the Great Flood? Is that… really true?”

“Yes, it was Luke Howard, who was a pharmacist.”

“Luke Howard?”

“He’s also called the ‘Father of Modern Meteorology’ today.”

Theo’s ears perked up at the words ‘Father of Modern Meteorology’.

However, although he had lived in London in the 18th century for 20 years, he had never heard of ‘Luke Howard’.

“Was he a famous person at the time?”

Professor Blair smiled and shook his head.

“No. He was just an ordinary pharmacist. However, he devised the names and classification methods for clouds that are used in modern times, laying the foundation for modern meteorology.”

In those days, when clouds were simply seen as ‘lumps of water hanging in the sky,’ he understood and explained the scientific principles of clouds, the movement of the atmosphere, and their formation and dissipation.

Why do we classify clouds as cirrus, cumulus, stratus, and nimbostratus?

These are all terms he created at that time, and we are still using them hundreds of years later.”

“So, from your perspective, do you think that ‘Luke Howard’ accurately predicted the Great Flood of London at the time?”

“Many scholars underestimate him, saying that he predicted it by chance, but I don’t think so. Of course, it wouldn’t have been as accurate as modern forecasts. However, it seems that he definitely noticed the unusual movement of clouds at least a week before the Great Flood of London occurred. There are even records that he contributed articles to related magazines out of concern about the Great Flood of London.

However, it was a time when superstitions prevailed, such as the belief that rain fell because there were too many sinful people. In those days, who would have listened to his claims without any authority?”

“………”

***

Back in his office, Theo immediately searched for ‘Luke Howard’.

‘Luke Howard lived in London. Such a young man who was ahead of his time was in the same place and time as me…’

Born in London, England in 1772, the son of a tin manufacturer, Luke Howard made a living as a pharmacist.

And, as Professor Blair said, he developed a systematic cloud naming and classification method comparable to Linnaeus’s [Carl Linnaeus, 18th century Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist] biological taxonomy.

At that time, a major climate change came to Europe due to a volcanic eruption that started in southern Iceland, and he seemed to be paying attention to this change and participating in scientific discussion groups such as the ‘Askesian Society’ to devote himself to meteorology.

‘Askesian… Society? Askesian Society…’

Theo wrote down his life and achievements in a notebook, committing them to memory.

One month later. Late evening, near Westminster Bridge on the Thames.

After settling in London, a walk along the Thames was becoming Theo’s end-of-day ritual.

It was partly for exercise, but also to contemplate how to deal with the Great Flood of London while walking along the river.

The Thames in the 18th century and the Thames in the 21st century were different in many ways, but the river’s course was similar, so there was no major problem in planning countermeasures.

Theo was studying the base of the bridge for a long time, researching when the water would rise to that level during a flood.

‘The current bridge and Westminster Bridge at the end of the 18th century are very different. It’s smaller and narrower than it is now, so it’s bound to be more vulnerable to flooding.’

Westminster Bridge, built in the mid-18th century, was a huge bridge for its time, but it has been rebuilt and repaired in the 19th and 20th centuries to reach its current state.

Therefore, the bridge shouldn’t be judged based on current standards.

Because it was narrower and technically inferior to the current bridge, it was bound to be more vulnerable to heavy rain and flooding.

Oh –

Hahaha –

Congratulations –

Clap clap –

Just then, he heard clapping and loud voices coming from the Thames.

He looked up and saw a small cruise ship heading from Westminster to Greenwich, with a wedding reception in full swing on the deck.

The bride in a white dress and the groom in a handsome tailcoat were holding hands and smiling brightly, popping champagne, and their family and friends were celebrating their marriage beside them.

Their appearance suddenly reminded him of the wedding reception in the 18th century.

He smiled for a moment at the memory of dancing with Princess Maria, like the happy couple on the ship.

But Theo turned his head away, feeling a sudden pang of loneliness.

But at that moment,

Bang –

Kwakwakwang –

Woojigeun –

A loud crash and the dull sound of breaking and splintering filled the air.

When Theo looked back in surprise, the small cruise ship holding the reception had been rear-ended by a large cruise ship coming from behind.

The badly crumpled small cruise ship was split in two, and the ship instantly capsized and began to sink. And the 30 or so passengers on the ship fell into the river without even having time to escape.

Ahhh –

Save me –

Euaaak –

Save them!

The leisurely and happy evening on the Thames was shattered by the desperate screams of the people and was instantly turning into chaos.

Without even thinking, Theo threw off his belongings and shoes and jumped into the water.

Splash –

Theo had been taught to swim by his father since he was very young, and he was also familiar with ‘swimming with clothes on’.

However, swimming in a river or sea is completely different from swimming in a pool.

Especially now, in a drowning crisis, without a life jacket, the weight of wet clothes makes movement even more difficult.

Even if you are usually confident in your swimming ability, it’s easy to panic if you enter the water wearing everyday clothes instead of a swimsuit.

In situations like these, you shouldn’t rush to rescue people, no matter how skilled you are at swimming.

However, Theo’s body reacted automatically to the people’s screams.

Pa – Pa Bak –

Theo quickly swam towards the people struggling in the river.

After a while, when he saw a person who had fallen into the water 2-3 meters in front of him, he quickly dove underwater and approached the drowning person from below.

The panicked person tried to grab and cling to Theo as he approached from below, but Theo twisted his body, approached the person from behind, grabbed their armpits, and pulled them along using a breaststroke.

“Huff – Huff -”

After rescuing two people and bringing them to safety, Theo’s body, as he swam back into the scene, felt noticeably heavier.

Judging from the sound of sirens in the distance, ambulances were on their way, but there were still too many people to save.

At that moment, the sight of a white dress floating halfway in the water caught Theo’s eye. It seemed to be the bride who had gotten married today.

Other nearby ships were approaching and rescuing people frantically, but no one had seen the bride because she was hidden behind the wreckage of the ship.

Theo swam with all his might and dove underwater towards the fallen bride.

Then, he turned his body, grabbed the bride’s arm from behind, and kicked hard to pull her up.

A person who was treading water nearby reached out and grabbed the bride’s hand.

The moment he thought his heavy body had become lighter as the bride was pulled up.

‘……!’

Suddenly, Theo’s body stiffened and began to sink endlessly into the water.

Even when he relaxed his whole body, he felt like he was sinking further and further down.

Theo tried to kick in panic, but it was useless.

It was as if someone was grabbing his feet and pulling him down.

Theo lost his composure.

Then, water began to pour into his mouth and nose.

Even if only a little water enters the trachea, normal breathing becomes impossible, and air escapes from the lungs, causing buoyancy to be lost and causing him to sink.

From then on, even the most trained swimmer will not be able to escape the water.

“Keo – Keo Worry -”

It seemed like someone was sadly shouting at Theo. But his consciousness was fading away. Theo slowly sank beneath the Thames.

.

.

.

How much time had passed?

In his faintly revived consciousness, he felt someone grabbing Theo’s hand tightly and pulling him out of the water.

Swoosh –

Chwaaaak –

His limp body was pulled out of the water and laid on the ground.

The urgent murmurs of people were heard like a dream.

‘Alive… am I…?’

Theo lost consciousness again, with a sense of relief that he was alive.