DISASTROUS FLOODS IN TASMANIA.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume XIII, Issue 1373, 29 September 1858, Page 3

DISASTROUS FLOODS IN TASMANIA.

[From the bfait/ancl Mercury, August 31.] By way of Melbourne, we have news from Tasmania to the 17th instant. The papers give particulars of the most serious floods ever known in that colonv. The coaches have been interrupted, and it would seem that telegraphic communication between Hobart Town and Launceston has also been suspended. In the former place, as well as in the country districts, very considerable loss, both of life anil property, has been sustained during the pre valence of the flood. The Launceston Examiner says: —On Thursday afternoon the flood came down the Macquarie River with fearful violence sweeping everything before it; and so rapid was its rise that the residents living within its reach with great difficulty escaped to dwellings on higher ground, taking' what they could carry with them. Much property has been destroyed. A great quantity of fencing and some enclosures of stone walls were swept away. A number of valuable sheep were lost, the property of T. Parrawore, Esq.. Thee has been only one flood so high for the last twenty-five years. The road on the northern approach to the bridge has been partially swept away, and one culvert burst. It has also been attended bv fatal consequences. On Friday morning last, Mr. William Smith, overseer to P.T. Smith, Esq., of Syndal, came by his death under the followingcircumstances : —He had just before assisted a friend to get over a rivulet called Johnston's Creek, both being on horseback. Mr Smith, on returning, broke his stirrup, and the horse became restive and threw him. He rose again, and exclaimed to bis wife and family, “Good bye! I am going,” for it happened just in front of his own residence. Deceased was about 45 years of age, and has left a wife and five young children to lament their loss. He had been in the service of his employer for 25 years, bore a most exemplary character, and was much esteemed bv all who knew him. His body has not yet been found hut the utmost exertion is being used for its recovery. The flood has done immense damage about Oatlands—miles of fencing on all the low lands swept away', sheep drowned, and cross-roads rendered utterly impassable. The spire of the new Scots Church fell a few nights ago, shaking and cracking the whole building in every part so seriously that it will have to be entirely pulled down. This will be a heavy loss to the Presbyterians, the church having’ cost something over £2OOO. The Jordan is so much swollen that Mr, M’Rae had to strip, tie his clothes round his neck, and swim his horse across the raging torrent at Jones’s Ford, narrowly escaping with his life. The floods at the Huon settlement have been very heavy, and have done great damage. Amongst the heaviest sufferers are Mr. Nation—cattle, garden, fences ; Mr. Linnell—crops and fences entirely gone, also punts and boats ; Mr. Holmes—fences and garden; Messrs. Chamen and Kellaway—crops.

The Hobart Town Mercury of the IGth adds : —On Saturday morning the waters had considerably subsided, the rain during the night had been trivial ; during the dav, however, some heavy showers fell at intervals, but without any preceptible influence on the creek, cr any further carnages to the premises of the residen's. with the exception of the destruction of a stone wall, newly built for Mr. Fleming, painter. at the angle of .Murray and Bathurst streets, 30 yards of which have been totally undermined. The amount of injury sustained by Mes-rs. Bisby, Edwards, and R. L. Hood, is very considerable, but it is not possible to ascertain the extent until the water shall have wholly subsided, when a proper survey will be made. Mr. Hood,’ we may observe, estimates his loss atilOO, and Mr. Murray, at O’Brien’s Bridge, at £BOOO. We have no further accident or injury to report. Much injury has been done to the lower floors of the houses in the various parts of the city, by the bursting and overflowing of drains .and culverts, thus evidencing the necessity of an improved and efficient system of sewerage, not only as a matter of importance, but as a protection to property, and, doubtless the Corporation will turn their attention to this most necessary purpose, in preference and priority to any other public work. We are happy to state that Mr. George Guy, whoes death was reported and generally believed, is alive and well, the intelligence having been brought to town by the Richmond coach on Saturday morning. The following are briefly the particulars of lhe accident (nearly fatal) which happened to Mr, Guy : On Wednesday evening, on his jonrncy to Richmond, the night being dark, and the rain and tempest increasing, when about half a mile on the other side of Grass Tree Hill, he took the horses out of the conveyance and

mounted one (or the purpo e of proceeding home ; he foil .wed the course of the road until he reached the bridge near Mr. Edward Lord's farm, about a mile and a half from Richmond. Here the bridge had been washed away—a fuel of which Mr. Guy was ignorant, and as he was attempting to cross, he was precipitated with the horses into the flood ; one of the horses was swept away by the torrent and drowned, its body being found about half a mile down the creek, the other swam ashore with Mr. Guy, who took refuge in a but on the farm, and pro reeded tq his own residence the following morning. The Launceston mail arrive! at half-part twelve o’clock on Saturday, in Mr. G. Frost’s break, the pole of the coach having broken twice between Gatlands and Jericho. 'lhc fol lowing was the state of the roads at the places mentioned : —At Ross, as we have already noticed, the floods have been extensive : a culvert had hurst, leaving room for only one vehicle to pass, and that with const lerablc danger after dark. On Friday afternoon the body of an old man, overseer to Mr. P. T. Smith was found in that vicinity, having been swept away by the flood and drowned. At Saltpan Plains a cu’vert had also been partially d strayed, flooding the road to some extent. At Antill Ponds the road was five feet deep in water, and was further impeded by large logs and fragments of rock, washed down from the hills above. The bridge recently erected by Mr. Harrison had been swept away, and large piles, more than two feet in diameter, and upwards of six feet in circumference, had been hurled into the road. The bridge over Blackman’s River was in great danger of being carried away by the trees and timber which were hurled against it by the force and velocity of the current, some of the trees being of a large