QUEENSLAND STORM

Grey River Argus, 25 January 1947, Page 5

QUEENSLAND STORM

N.S.W. Heat Wave

CYCLONE MISSES BRISBANE. SYDNEY, Jan. 24. A cyclone moving south has closed the port of Brisbane, stopped air traffic between Brisbane and Sydney and brought exceptionally heavy rain and gales on the far north coast of New South Wales. Nineteen towns in New South Wales reported temperatures over a century within the past 24 hours, the highest being 114 degrees at Ivanhoe, at Murwillumbah, N.S.W. While the inland and southern pai’t of New South Wales swelters in a heat wave, flood warnings have been issued to towns along the northern rivers.

Four inches of rain fffil in six hours.

Cyclone warnings have sent ships into shelter along hundreds of miles of coastline. The auxiliary schooner, Tagua, on route to the Solomons from New Zealand, is sheltering in Hervey bay after a long battle with heavy seas. The Tagua, which was in Wellingnton a few months ago, is owned by the Cook Island Trading Company, The master is Captain D. Matheson, of Auckland. The ship is manned by a Cook Islands crew, but Captain Matheson usually carries three other Europeans—a mate, engineer, and wireless operator. The cyclone, which missed Brisbane city, may not go further south than Lismore, N.S.W. At Brisbane winds reached a velocity of 50 miles an hour. Three hundred and two points of rain fell and the roads and fields were flooded. Many campers wore forced to abandon their tents and belongings. At the resort of Southport, 50 tents were destroyed. Other seaside towns suffered damage when buildings were unreofted and caravans blown ovre.