TERRIFIC FLOODS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 43, 20 February 1929, Page 10

TERRIFIC FLOODS.

NORTHERN N.S.W. UNDER WATER. FOUR PERSONS DROWNED. WHOLE TOWNS INUNDATED. t MANY FAMILIES IN DANGER. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY. February 1-3. Disastrous floods, declared to be the and must devastating ever experienced inundated tlie north coa-t of New South Wales during this week. Torrential rain* fell in the district? between Gloucester and Graf ton, and flood waters iuvaded the towns of Gloucester. Taree. and a hundred smaller villages. causing enormous damage to crops and houses. Four per?ons were drowned when trying to rescue marooned occupants of houses.

There wa> complete disorganisation of railway and communication services, railways and road* at times being twelve and fifteen feet under water. River bridge*, hitherto proof against floods, were washed away and destroyed in many cases. In one day at Kempsev 10-' M points of rain were recorded, while over the week-end there was a registration of 23 inches. Gloucester was the scene of a double tragedy on Saturday afternoon last. Flood waters reached a height of 40 feet above the river's summer level, and in the town live buildings were wa»hed away. The two men drowned were Leslie' Henrv Lee (35). a railway guard, of Gloucester, and John Coulton (19), of East Greta! Lee was one of a little band of people staying at the Royal Hotel at the lower end of the main street of Gloucester. They found themselves cut off from the main town and the wooden building began to sway, so great was t he force of the flood waters. Neighbouring buildings crashed and crumpled up, and occupants of the marooned hotel began to fear for their own safety. Then Lee, the only strong swimmer among them, said he would attempt to swim the 400 yards separating the hotel frojn safe high ground. He suggested that they attach a line to his waist, and he would get assistance and send a raft acros? on the line to the marooned occupants of the hotel. Attempts to dissuade him from his project failed, and he- plunged into the

-wirlinp Hood waters. Several times he was drawn under by the terrific sweep of the Hood, but managed to reach the higher ground. He went to the town for help, and returned nith police and civilians, who constructed a raft and tied the rope to it. and ?ignalled the hotel occupant:- to pull it over. The line broke, however, and Constable Lett, of 'iloui-ester. waded into the water to see if he could make hi- way across to the hotel. He failed, and Lee then da-hed in. and. when he was only halfway iiero-j. the intervening waters he suddenly disappeared.

Meanwhile, .Tuhn L'oulton. a young man al?o staying at the Koval Hotel, decided to follow Lee is his' dash lor help. He dived into the water, and was making good progress when a heavy loobeing .-wept down rewards the sea by the turbulent flood water* struck him oil the head and -tunned him. He could be seen floating down fm- , O me distance and then Ik- disappeared. Both bodies were recovered late this week when the flood waters had subsided. A -ecoud-hand .-hop in the town was lilted off its piles and swept on to a spit of dry land, where it became a total wreck, and its contents were released on to the flood water-. A garage, a blaek.-niith'? shop, and a billiard saloon have l>een swept away bv the water. A petrol pomp outside" the garage was torn up out of the ground and taken .)0 yards away, despite its weight Several motor cars and the underground petrol tank were found 300 yards awav in a little eddy of the flood. ' Thev were covered with grass and weed*.

During 24 hours U\ inch,- of rain tell 111 the hills surrounding the town which feed t he Gloucester River, a tributary of the Manning River. The flood waters ro~e with amazing rapidity. At o.:J0 a.m. on Saturday last police were warning townspeople of a pus-ible rise in the river, while at 0 a.m. the police station itself w completely submerged under the flood waters, and'at noon the flood was at its greatest height Old residents of the district state that the high level of the flood exceeded that of the ISStJ flood, considered to he the in the history of the district. Further north, on the coast, heavy lose? were inflicted on the farmers in the valley of Maeleay River. Record maize crops, thousands of acres of valuable grass lands, and a large number of cattle and stock have been destroyed. 35ft Above Summer Level. fn the town of Keuipsey. one of the largest and most prospe'rou? on tho north coast, hundred? of people have been rendered temporarily homeless, and

police hav c had a busy time rescuing marooned families. By 9 o'clock on Saturday the Kiver had risen M •)-3lt above summer level, and during ."Sunday and. Monday big volumes oi water* from the tablelands watershed poured down and caused the river » rise another 15 to 20 ieet in parts. Patients in the Kempsey hospital had to be moved from their wards in the miildings to safety on higher ground at [West Kempsey. A few hours later tbs hospital buildings had disappeared under the flood waters. An amusin? incident occurred in the various hotel" bars. Though the water wa> four feet deep, drinkers continued to wade through the slush to the bar, where bu-iness was as usual, ■with tM barmaids and attendants in bathing costume,-. Workmen at the powerhouse also r-tuek to their job*. Water poured into the building, but by raising tie dynamo-* and r-witchboards the sem« wa- continued, and the town was supplied with electricity and power. Flood waters of the .Macleay reached >uch a strength that they forced a new exit to the s.-a at Grassy Head, and a tremendous body of water poured through the new "outlet, making a deep channel and considerably relieving if e districts which were und'er water, w water; are receding in most parts, lea*' ing a track of de-trmtion and uncovering many homes and properties wflicfl are total ruins.

The Manning Diver al-o broke I» i>ank-. and placed many families in ue vicinity uf Taree In danger, several iamilie? on Nland* ir. the middle_oi we river were re-cued in the nick of uniea- the n0t,..! eattT- now completely w«<ui area ten mile? wide by about -■) rc" e ' in length. A party travelling from !>ane Lv air reported that the flood area; were a pitiful sight. -Several faniiJKj "ew noticed taking refuge on rool= o hou.se; and tree-.

At William, -n ih- L'pper two migrant.-, brothers were swt-pt away when they tried i-u-ira the ri\.-r tu re.-oue a iim } l ?*{L were in imn.inont danger ot drowned. Both boys were 'swimmers, but it i≤ thought- that became tangled in the wreckage w debris and were dragged under bf undertow. The family was later rescu by a boat party. The Government of New South _ wtjj has st'iu big eon*iennients of ;°T; trh-t. f. temporary relief g trirts to p rosido -emporafr those who have 'i*ui rendered iomeie* by the floods.