SYDNEY DELUGE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22313, 24 April 1947, Page 5

SYDNEY DELUGE

4 ‘RIVERS’MN CITY CARS UNDER WATER DAMAGE TO PROPERTY SYDNEY, April 22. One of’the greatest deluges in the history of Sydney to-day flooded shops, homes and offices, turned the streets into rivers, and stranded thousands of workers. Between 7 25 a.m. and 8.25 a.m. 1.80 ins. of rain fell in the city. Cars were submerged to their hoods in the suburb of Ultimo, and food floated off the low shelves of a shop in the centre of the ci'yIn the suburbs of Herne Bay, Granville and Rose Bay, houses were marooned when the water backed up &nd covered all approaches. Thousands Stranded The main downpour, which occurred at the height of the workday traffic, resulted in thousands of city workers being stranded in underground stations. The earlier arrivals seeing the streets running inches deep in water, stayed in the entrances, and later arrivals found all thi gateways blocked, At 8 a.m the rain clouds made visibility so poor that. cars in the main streets were still using headlights, ihe heavy demand for power and light at that time proved too much for the overtaxed Bunnerong system. Large-scale black-outs occurred in most industrial suburbs as soon as factories started up this morning. The Kingsford Smith Aerodrome at Mascot was closed from 8.30 a.m. “11 11.15 a.m. and six airliners bound for Sydney were diverted to Canberra ana Williamstown. City and suburban telephone services were disorganised through the flooding of underground cables, but the city was remarkably free from acciddents. Forty-two Leaks in One Roof The approach of the storm, which extended over 600 square miles, was heralded by thunder and hail about 4 a.m Two hundred and forty-eight points of rain was registered in the city and 310 points in the suburb of Rose Bay. Late this afternoon, it was still raining, but it had settled into a drizzle, Much damage was suffered by houses not yet repaired after the hailstorm of New Year’s Day. The fire brigade had numerous requests to pump out the cellars of buildings. Valuable paintings were endangered when rain poured through the roof of the Art Gallery, and proceedings were held up when the deluge discovered 42 leaks in the roof of the Supreme Court.