HEAVY RAIN IN SYDNEY

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28532, 11 March 1958, Page 13

HEAVY RAIN IN SYDNEY

Public Transport Disorganised

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, March 10.

Hundreds of homes and shops were flooded today in one of Sydney’s heaviest rain storms. Falls of'up to almost a foot of rain have marooned scores of families, immobilised hundreds of cars, flooded three schools and caused thousands of. pounds worth of damage.

The heaviest downpour of the day set in soon after 4 p.m. Trams and buses in the city and inner suburbs travelled at snail’s pace.

All train services on the inner city underground loop were stopped late today when the tunnel between the Quay Station and St. James Station was flooded to a depth of two feet. Fire brigades were called in to pump out the water. Railway officials at the underground stations advised all passengers to seek alternative means of getting home.

As rush hour crowds began swarming to these • stations extra amplifiers were hastily installed to warn the public of the delays facing them. Ticket offices at the Quay Station were closed and all entrances to the station were barred. Extra police were called to control the crowd. Meanwhile all trams and buses leaving Circular Quay were packed and thousands of passengers were stranded. The Weather Bureau has forecast more heavy rain in the next 24 hours.

ROYAL FLIGHT INTERRUPTED Delay May Be Two Days PORT LOUIS (MAURITIUS) March 10. The Queen Mother may have to remain in Mauritius for as long as another two days, according to the British United Press. The aircraft carrying spare parts for her grounded Super-Constel-lation has been forced to turn back to Cocos Island because of a cyclone. The Queen Mother will not stop at Nairobi on the way, as was originally planned. The Queen Mother yesterday went to church in Port Louis and visited beauty spots in Mauritius, including “La Nicoliere” a lovely lake below a mountain route. In London today the “Daily Telegraph” expressed the hope that the Queen Mother would be able to return later to Kenya. “It was bad luck for the crowds that waited fruitlessly at the bedecked airport of Nairobi yesterday to greet the Queen Mother on her fleeting visit to Kenya.

“Everything was set for a welcome as loyal and enthusiastic as those she had received throughout a splendidly successful tour. Indeed, international airlines had so many famous machines on display that it seems extraordinary that step-gap transport could not have been provided,” the newspaper said. Votes Counted In Sudan KHARTOUM, March 10. The counting of votes in the Sudan’s first General Election since she achieved independence will begin today. Polling in the General Elections, in which the two main parties were the Umma and National Unionists, ended on Saturday and counting is expected to end tomorrow. Although there has been calm throughout the country since the 12-day poll ended, the authorities are taking no chances, and have banned the carrying of cudgels, knives, spears, swords or firearms. They have also prohibited rallies, processions and\demonstrations until March 31.