THE RIVER THIRTY FOUR FEET HIGH AT MAITLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 98, 3 May 1870, Page 2

THE RIVER THIRTY FOUR FEET HIGH AT MAITLAND.

EEPORTED LOSS OF SEVERAL

LIVES

FEARFUL DESTETTCTION OF

PEOPERTY.

ONE THOUSAND HEAD OF

SHEEP DROWNED

SINGLETON SUBMEKG-ED

HUNDEEDS OF FAMILIES

FLOODED OUT.

[Fbom the " Sydney. Empibe's " Special

Repobteb.]

NEWCASTLE, April 25. Suddenly and unexpectedly I am again called upon, in the exercise of my duty as your special representative in this district, to record the occurrence of a high and disastrous flood in the valley of the Hunter, extending this time from Hexham to Mugclebrook, and doing more damage above Maitland (if present reports turn out to be true), than any previous visitation. The fine -weather we had been enjoying for the past fortnight or three weeks broke on Thursday last, on the evening of which day the sky became heavily overcast with clouds ; and the nearness at hand of a decided chango was manifest to the most casual observer. On Friday morning it commenced to rain here, at Maitland, Singleton, and all up the line, continuing almost without intermission until yesterday (Saturday) night. In the district of Maitland and Morpetii, the downpour on Friday night and throughout Saturday was tremendous, the water literally descending in sheets rather than in separate drops. Several trustworthy warties, to whom I spoke on the subject, describe the thickness and impetuosity of the rain as exceeding anything they ever saw ; while others affirmed that it was just such another deluge as the one that preceded the great flood of 1867. One and all agree that the fall of wuter between Friday morning and Sunday morning was immense, but still scarcely anyone seems to have been prepared for a thirty-two feet rise in the river by Monday morning. Great as the downpour unquestionably iias in Maitland and the surrounding district, it is certain that at Branxton, Singleton, Glennie's Creek, Musclebrook, Scone, Murrurundi, &c, it must have been greater still, for no amount of local rain could have caused a river like the Hunter to rise so unprecedently quick and high as it has risen on this occasion.

The river commenced to rise in Maitland early on Saturday morning, and continued rising all the day, though not at such a rate as to give rise to any serijus apprehensions of another flood. By evening it had attained a height of about ten feet above the previous day's level, and was still rising. The next morning (Sunday), to the utter astonishment of every resident in town, it had risen to flood level, viz., some twenty-six or twenty-seven feet above low water level, as shown by the gauge at the Belmore bridge. The extreme suddenness of the rise took every one by surprise, and it is fortunate that the residents of the Horseshoe Bend and other low lying localities had daylight for it, or otherwise a considerable number of persons must of necessity have been drowned. I was assured on th« authority of several who had taken particular notice of the fact, that between ten o'clock on Saturday night and six o'clock on Sunday morning, the Hunter, at Maitland, rose no less than fifteen feet in perpendicular height— a rise, the rapidity of which I believe to be without parallel in the history of the district. The water continued to rise slowly throughout Sunday night, and up to two o'clock today (Monday), when it became stationary. At fifteen minutes past two o'clock the wash of the water as it rushed up against the piers of the Belmore bridge, went within two or three inches of the highest mark for 1869 ; and making due allowance for the " wash," was fully thirty-two feet six inches high—or, in other words, about six or eight inches higher than the great flood last month. The effect of all this can, in some respects, be better imagined than described j and it might almost suffice were I to stop here, refer my readers to the reports of the March inundation, and just say ditto, ditto, ditto. But as this might not suit some of readers, particulai'ly those who are acquainted with the district, and who will be anxious to learn all they can about this fresh visitation, I shall proceed to give a succinct account of what I saw and heard during my visit to East and West Maitland to-day; and in -order to make mj report more readable and intelligible, I shall divide it into a series of paragraphs, with separate Leadings, commencing with.

THE LOWER HUNTER, AT HEXHAM. Owing to the rapidity with which the water has come down the full effect of the flood has not yet been experienced at Heiham. Aj we passed along on the train to-day the river was not so high by two or three feet as it was a month ago, but by tomorrow (Tuesday) evening it will probably be across the railway line, as.it was before. But although not so high here as it was last month, it was still high enough to inundate a good deal of land and several houses. Opposite to the station at Lower Heiham it overflowed the bank, and was fast submerging the Maitland-road, and the Wesleyan Chapel, and other buildings within a few yards of the public school. Several cottages were already flooded, them, mates thereof having left and gone up to the high ground, near the Mmmi coal shoots. To the left of the railway the swamps were all covered, and looking in the'direction of the Mmmi hills there was almost an unbroken sheet of water of several miles in extent. On the other side of the line thqre was still a good area of land free from wai;er, and from the green look of some of the lucerne paddocks it was evident that the plant had survived the previous inundation. Should these paddocks be again submerged, as they are almost certain to be, the plant will be killed outright, and the parties renting them will be plunged still deeper into a state of misery and destitution. At Weakley's swamp, further on, the water was evidently rising fast, and was within a few feet of the line, though it wanted a foot or more in height to bring it up to the rails. Traffic across this swamp is almost certain to be interrupted to-morrow, although I sincerely hope it may not be, as the inconvenience arising from the non-running of the trains between Newcastle and Maitland is very great, much greater than between any other two stations on the line. Considering the frequency of these floods, it is a question whether the Government ought not to raise the line a little at this and a few other low spots; for it would surely be better to travel slow and sure than not at all, especially at these times, when the keeping open of the line is so requisite for the purpose of sending up boats and the transmission of the mail.