DAMAGE AT GREEN ISLAND

Evening Star, Issue 18257, 23 April 1923, Page 6

DAMAGE AT GREEN ISLAND

Tlie heavy rain which started on Saturday evening and continued steadily throughout the night caused the biggest and most disastrous flood which has ever been scon in the Knikorni Valley by the oldest inhabitant. The stream was in high flood early in the day, and gradually I increased until it reached its height about 13 o’clock in the afternoon, after which it gradually subsided. But the rain set in heavily again, and had every appearance of continuing throughout the night. The whole of the lower part of the valley from the cattleyards downwards was flooded, j the worst places being between Ilarraj way’s mill and the railway crossing, the | water being about Sft deep and running ever the branch railway. Behind the mill it was about 4ft deep in Beattie’s, j Calendar's, and Stjlfvart's houses. At | Concord there was a largo rush of water I access the road at the church, and from the railway tunnel to the ironworks a stream of water was running bet we the tracks like a mill race. The Chinamen's : gardens at Burnside were almost wholly | under water, and Mr Manson’s house, below the Church of Christ, was flooded. On the other side of the railway the old | cement building was scoured right through, and the flat lower down was badly flooded, almost all the residents having their gardens scoured and stripped of most of the contents, besides having their homes flooded. Some of the owners had to leave, and stay with friends who were on higher ground. The water was running down the Ironworks branch railway like a mill race, and on the flat opposite the Green Island station the dwellings of Messrs Duncan, Day, Lousely, Kane, and Miller were surrounded, Miller’s being the worst, his garden soil and vegetables and fowlhouses being washed away. Further down Mr Wilde had two stacks of hay standing in about 3ft of water. In Green Island proper Miller and M'Donald, J. M'Lcnn (baker), and R. Campbell will he the heaviest losers. M'Donald and Miller's curing cellar was flooded. There were a large number of pigs in the salt. One of J. M'Lean’s fowlhouses, with about 200 fowls, was caried away, and Mr Campbell’s cellar was flooded, doing considerable damage to his stock. At Mr Wynn’s boot store the washhouse and footbridge wore carried down stream and a sleeping hut was canted over towards the creek. The bridge at Martin’s on the Main road was unable to take the water, which ran to a considerable depth over the road, and formed a river along the Brighton road to Cameron’s manure works. The water also entered Martin’s house at the back, and ran out at the shop door. From the ! Green Island Hall to Brown’s Hill a small j lake existed, and motor traffic was stopped. ! Mr Hanson (Quarry road) is also a sufferer, the water tearing up the asphalt in his back yard and entering his house. Several slips were reported in the neighborhood, some on the railway. At 9 o’clock the rain was still fairly heavy, and showing no sign of abatement.