STORMS IN N.S. WALES

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 June 1930, Page 7

STORMS IN N.S. WALES

TRAIN STRIKES LANDSLIP SHIPS SEEK SHELTER [BY CABLE—PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] SYDNEY, June 17. A tempestuous night with torrential rain in the coastal districts and outback caused the people in many centres, and especially in the north, to fear floods. Numbers of people removed their- household belongings to higher quarters. The Kempsey express train, carrying a large number of passengers, had just emerged from a tunnel near Hawkesbury River, when the locomotive struck- a mass of fallen rock and earth. The engine left the rails. The following coach was damaged, but the occupants were unhurt. The train services were partially dislocated for three hours.

MANY REFUGEES

(Recd. June 18, 11.30 a.m.)

SYDNEY, June 18.

The cyclone continued to rage throughout the night, the wind reaching a velocity of sixty miles perhour. All along the coasts vessels are sheltering from the : sea’s fury. Over 150 families in the Cessnock district have abandoned their homes owing to flood waters. People in Patterson were also forced out of their houses, seeking safety on higher ground. The Hunter river has swollen to 33 feet ‘at Patterson and is still rising.

In Newcastle many homes were inundated, and families at Cockle Creek have taken shelter in the railway station.

In the main street of Cessnock the water is ten feet high in the shops. Further heavy rain and strong winds are predicted along the eastern areas. Coastal shipping has been suspended.