ESCAPES FROM DROWNING

Grey River Argus, 7 February 1941, Page 11

ESCAPES FROM DROWNING

MELBOURNE, January 16. Heralded by weird lightning and violent thunder, one of the heaviest cloudbursts in the city’s history struck Melbourne last night Two persons had to be rescued from drowning in Elizabeth Street, and pedestrians scrambled for safety as the water surged down some streets, carrying debris and washing abandoned motor cars with it. Many thousands of pounds worth of damage was done by flood waters, which poured into city basements and submerged the floors of many stores in Bourke and Elizabeth Streets and other shopping areas. Ordeal of Woman Nearly one and a quarter inches of rain fell in the city in half an hour. Lightning and flood waters caused a “black-out” in many suburbs, and interrupted telephone communication and train services. Hundreds of motor cars were temporarily abandoned in the streets, and many broke down. One of the two persons almost drowned in Elizabeth Street was Mrs Caroline Davies, aged 51, of North Melbourne. When the water swirled down the road she was in a basement 15ft. below the footpath. The water poured down the steps, and before she realised what had happened it had risen to her shoulders. Mrs Davies battled her way through the inrushing water, and when she reached the roadway the force of the water swept her nearly 100 yards down Elizabeth Street towards Collins Street. There she crashed into the back of a motor car which had been twisted around and was standing side on in the middle of the road.

The woman’s plight was noticed by a soldier, who rescued her in an exhausted condition. She was taken by ambulance to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Man Swept Off Feet Fearing that other people might have been trapped in the same basement, the police called out the lire brigade, and the premises were pumped dry. The other person to have a narrow escape from drowning in Elizabeth Street was a man who rolled up his trousers and attempted to cross outside the Post Office. He was knocked over by the force of the water, and carried 60 yards down the road. Several men waded out and assisted him from the water. Elizabeth St’ eet was awash from side to side to the depch of a loot, and shops were inundated and basements flooded. Pieces of paving and asphalt were undermined and carried away. Wooden benches from Victoria Market floated down the street, and the tributary at each cross street added to the torrent. Serious flooding occurred in Flinders Street. Electric trams ploughed through it, and some car-drivers tried their luck with mixed success. About half of them got through.