AUSTRALIA'S BLACK WEEK.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 46, 24 February 1927, Page 19

AUSTRALIA'S BLACK WEEK.

CYCLONE, FLOODS, FIRES.

40 KILLED IN QUEENSLAND.

THREE IN VICTORIA.

(from Our Own Correspondent.)

SYDNEY, February 18,

The last week might well be described as Australia's blackest week for years, lor, in Victoria, three persons were burnt to ueath, and two others badly injured, in fighting menacing bush fires, of a similar nature to those which last year caused such havoc there. And, in Queensland, more than 40 were killed and drowned in the awful floods which followed the heavy rains and the cyclone which devastated many towns on the northern roast, causing damage which is estimated as well in excess of £1,000,000.

The three lives lost in the Victorian fires were all members of the same family. They were Leslie Speed (40), Colin Speed (3) and Thomas Speed (2), who were burnt to death on their dairy farm at Stoneyford, in the westera "district of Victoria. Three other children of the Speed family escaped. Numerous properties in that area and surrounding districts were burnt out, and the same scenes of heroism as those which characterised the firefightinothere a year ago were re-enacted. C Queensland Damage. Cairns and the small townships surrounding it were almost wiped out of existence by a terrific cyclone which struck the coast at the week-end. In Cairns itself the damage was much more than £250.000. for most of the main buildings were blown down, and what were left were either severely damaged or washed away in the floods which followed the torrential rains accompanvino r the blow. In_ some cases the Burd'ekin River was 65ft above ordinary summer level, aid was rising at one time at the rate of 2ft 6in an hour. They are described as the most devastating floods and cyclone in the history of Queensland, and the awful deathroll—at least 40 persons are known to be dead as a resu;t—bears out that statement. When a boardinghouse was swept away by flood waters in the Ingham district, eleven Italians were drowned without having had a chance to escape. Green Island, near Cairns, right in the path of the flood waters', was engulfed, and five persons known to have been there before the flood waters came down the river were missing afterwards. In Ripple Creek district 200 persons were borne to safety in the nick of time in boats. Communication with the stricken areas is still very patchy, though the flood waters subsided on Wednesday. Just how torrential the rains were may be gauged from the fact that, in five days, at Tullv, nearlv 60 inches of rain fell. In the Ingham district, where the death roll was highest, wonderful work was performed by volunteer boat crews, who toiled unceasingly to rescue families marooned on the housetops and in the highest trees. One family was on the roof of a house from 10 "p.m. on Thursday night until 8 a.m. on Saturday. Eight blacks, who were in an aboriginal camp between Ingham and Bemerside, are missing. During the blow a pearling lugger was sunk off Dunk Island, and the crew swam six miles to the shore. The problem of getting food to isolated districts has become acute, for many railway bridges are down all over the country, and one centre, in the Etheridge district, has not been served by railway since January 13. Aeroplanes have been commissioned to take small supplies through and ease the situation somewhat.

Wonderful heroism has been displayed, especially by blacks, in the floods. The native crew of the pearling lugger Sunshine, which was wrecked near Dunk Island, was especially courageous. Alexander McLeod, the owner, and Harold Eggers, the mate, were the only whites on board. McLeod could not swim a stroke, and Eggers had an injured leg. Their position was terrible, but the blacks came to their rescue, and undertook the awim of six miles to land, taking it in turns to support the white men.

It was naturally an awful journey, not only for the white men, but for the black crew. They stuck to their task manfully, however, and landed their charges on the beach in an exhausted condition.

From Cardwell comes a further story of heroism on the part of an aboriginal. He is Willie Murray, and, with his gin, had to leave their hut at Bigger and Sons' slaughter yard when the waters rose and swept them away. They reached dry land, but were surrounded by the flood waters, which rose gradually until they had to climb into the branches of a tree. The gin died there from exposure and exhaustion in the awful cold and rain. Murray left her body in the fork of the tree, and battled his way through the flood waters to the Ingham pumping station. Here he learnt that Mr. and Mrs. E. Burke and their familv were perched on the top of their home on Saltwater Creek.

No help was possible from Ingham, so Murray, though himself nearly exhausted, set off again through the flood waters to Kennedy, where he knew there was a telegraph station intact. Word was sent through to the local police from there, and the Burke family was rescued. Some of the residents of Tully were rescued in the nick of time. The stationmaster's family, when the flood boats arrived, were up to their necks in water.

Another aspect of the situation is rather amusing, were it not for the tragedy of the thing. Cairns is now without drinking water, though it has been deluged with more than 30 inches of rain. Service pipes from the reservoirs, and the drains and other water runaways, have been so deluged with flood debris that they are not able to be used. The cyclone and flood rains of 1927 will not easily be forgotten in Queensland for manv vears to come.