GREAT FLOODS IN VICTORIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13279, 11 September 1906, Page 5

GREAT FLOODS IN VICTORIA.

MANY TOWNS FLOODED, HOUSES AND FACTORIES DESTROYED. SOME THRILLING ESCAPES. HEAVY LOSS OF STOCK. By Telegraph Association.—Copyright." Melbourne, September 10. These was. a phenomenal rainstorm in the city last night, end many/of the low-lying streets were partially submerged. : The Saltwater River, at Footseray, is in flood, and covers a wide area. The police were busy all night rescuing people from their bouses. • ,- At an early hour this morning the river, was still rising. < Heavy floods are reported from Braybrook, Essendon, Elstemwick, and Brighton, and destructive inundations are also reported from Ballarat, Bendigo, Seymour, Kilmore, and many places in the country. Great damage has been done to property and crops. , RAGING TORRENTS IN STREETS. (Received September 11. 12.24 a.m.) Melbourne, September 10. The flood in the Saltwater River is the highest for 40 years. The waters continued to rise during the early part of the day, but are now subsiding. No rain has fallen to-day, and reports from the various flooded districts show that the waters are falling there. Still, however, a lot of flood water came down this morning. The districts around Footscray, M'aribyrnong, Kensington, and Brunswick are vast expanses of water, and some of the streets are raging torrents. Rescue boats were kept busy all last night, removing residents. Many of the houses are deeply submerged, and some have been wrecked and swept away. Flemington racecourse is covered to a depth of 6ft, and it is feared that it has been extensively damaged. The training tracks have suffered considerably. GREAT LOSS OF STOCK. The most disastrous effects were experienced at the abattoirs stockyards yesterday. About £20,000 worth of sheep and cattle were yarded, and at daylight to-day a large portion of the yards, which are on the bank;' of the Saltwater River, were submerged to a depth of 10ft. The lowest estimate of the losses at the stockyards' is 10,000 sheep and 250 cattle. Other estimates place the numbers drowned much higher. The losses of pigs, sheep, and other stock from the farms along the river must also have been very large, judging from the number of carcases drifting down with the flood water from the higher reaches. WRECKAGE IN THE RIVERS. The River Yarra, is now bringing down vast quantities of trees and remains of crops, intermixed with drowned stock, and occasionally household effects. Two hundred and fifty sheep, of a flock grazing on the Flemington course, were drowned. All the glueworks, boneinills, and factories oil the banks of the Saltwater River are submerged, and in some cases the buildings have been swept away. So far no loss of life has been reported, but there have been a number of narrow escapes. WOMAN'S GALLANT RESCUE. ' A woman, who on Saturday gave birth to twins, had an exciting experience. Her home became flooded, and she was rescued in a boat, which was swept away by the current. Constables wading up to their necks secured the woman and the infants, and carried them two miles through the water to safety. UP A TREE ALL NIGHT. As a lady and gentleman were crossing the Cum pap so River their buggy was swept away, but they managed to reach a tree, and remained there till morning. They were then rescued. Reports have been received by the Railway Department of several country linesbeing badly damaged by the floods.