FLOODS IN MELBOURNE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21414, 11 February 1933, Page 8

FLOODS IN MELBOURNE

TROPICAL RAINSTORM SHOPS AND SUBWAYS AWASH HAVOC IN SUBURBAN GARDENS Heralded by ear-shattering thunder and # blinding lightning, a tropical rainstorm struck Melbourne on the afternoon of January 26. Low-lying streets were flooded in a few minutes, and so heavy was the downpour that even on the higher levels a sheet of water spread over road and pavement, and it was impossible for pedestrians to walk dry-shod. Cars parked in Elizabeth Street acted as snags for the rubbish that was carried along the road in a swirling stream; some' were submerged td a point above the seats, and the carburetters of many moving qars at street intersections were flooded, causing frequent disorganisation of the traffic. The storm burst about "half-past 4 o'clock, just as city people were preparing to leave their offices. It continued about an hour and imprisoned thousands of men and women, most of them lightly clad because of the hot day, under verandahs and other shelter. Those who ventured out were soon soaked to the skin, and in Elizabeth Street many waded in water up to their/ankles or deeper. ~ So penetrating was the rain that even the dome of the public reading library in Swanston Street was not proof against it, and rain pattered down among the readers. Showcases and shop windows in Bourke and Swanston Streets could not withstand the water, which seeped in, and at night shop assistants were engaged in moving damaged stock from the windows. Floors of Shops Flooded The Elizabeth Street subway of th» Flinders Street railway station waa several inches under water, and a special staff of porters was put on to divert passengers to other - subways. At Spencer Street station a bridge of goods trolleys was improvised to carry passengers over the flood waters in the subways, A heavy flow of storm water passed through the Central Hall and its approaches owing to f the overflow of the down pipes in the east wing of the Vic- • toria Palace above, water being forced through an office ventilator into the' foyer and upon the ground floor. Much damage was done in the department store of Foy and Gibson Proprietary, Limited, in Swanston Street. The ground floor was flooded to a depth of Sin. by water which collected in a light well to such a depth that it burst the door*. ; open. Shop assistants, and climbed chairs and clung to counters tc> avoid the flood. Patrons of Young and Jackson's Hotelwere forced to stand upon the footrail of the bar, and the kitchen of Tate's Tea-, ; house, in the Manchester Unity Building, was awash in Bin. of water, some of which penetrated into the dining rooms. Lost Dogs' Home Isolated A curious freak of the storm water® H was the flooding of the ninth floor of the Myer Emporium by water, which penetrated, apparently, from the roof; stock had to be removed. At Kensington, the Lost Dogs' Home was an island in a sea of water 18in. _deep, the overflow of the Moonee Ponds Creek, in which children paddled, bathed, and rode on tubs and boxes. „• '.-/.".T ". Suburban gardens were laid waste. Hailstones beat down shrubs and plants; many pots were left -with not a whole: leaf and mot a stalk standing after two> or three minutes of the hailstorm, which was at its worst at a quarter to 5 o'clock in the suburban of Brighton, Sandringham and Cheltenham, where the most damage was reported. A strong wind intensified ' the fury of the storm. At the height of the storm a dense screen of rain descended.