FLOODS IN AUSTRALIA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20338, 21 February 1928, Page 9

FLOODS IN AUSTRALIA

EIANY DISTRICTS SUBMERGED. THREE PEOPLE DROWNED. (Fret* Association— Bj Telegraph—tlopyngot J SY’DNEY, February 20. The latest reports indicate that the seriousness of tne Hoods, both north nd south, Las been increased by incessant heavy storms in the Riveriua district making the work of repairing the railway lines increasingly difficult. War.hawuys had been repaired, but within a few hours of being mended the line was again broken. Stock owners in the Murray Valley are arepariug for more serious Hoods. At Grafton the river is again rising. Torrential rain is still falling, and further Hooding now seems inevitable. At Uhnana the Clarence River broke its banks and Hooded the country for miles. A large area of (arm lands, in eluding areas under cane and maize, were submerged. Flood boats have arranged to leave Uhnana at daybreak to pick up settlers whose lives a.e threatened by the oncoming vvatcis. It is stated that 12 families are in danger. The Richmond River is in high Hood in the Kyogle district. A fall of 3in of rain caused a rise of 50ft. The water filtered the western portion of the town, which is isolated. Many ’muses are submerged. The police warned residents before the flood readied its maximum 60ft; then it commenced to recede. The telegraph lines are down at Kyogle, and it is difficult to obtain news from centres up the river. Tt is still raining. A message leceivcd from Junce reports that tlie weather is fine and that the waters are falling. Orange experienced one of the biggest floods in its history. Lower parts the town were flooded to a depth of Reports from Kyovle state that - —-n and his wife named Smith were - ’ in Gracey’s Greek. At Oakley Park an elderly man named John Brennan was also drowned. VICTORIAN RIVERS RISING. HEAVY RAIN CONTINUES. MELBOURNE. February 20. Heavy rain continues to fall in many pits of the State. No serious damage is reported The rivers, however, continue to rise. Should the rains continue there is a danger of serious flooding. All the iow-Iying areas near Rutherglen are Submerged, the water being 2ft deep. THE TOWN OF KEMPS BY. SIX FEET OF WATER IN STREETS. TRAFFIC SERIOUSLY AFFECTED. SYDNEY, February 20. (Received Feb. 20, at 11 p.m.) The weather iu the city is unsettled and showery, and many country parts report further raiu. At Grafton this morning the river was up 22ft, aud swirling through the maiu streets. Much water is still to come down stream, and it is feared that many houses which nave so far escaped will be submerged. Resiliences aud public buildings are already crowded with refugees, and numbers of people since Wednesday have been going about in bathing suits only.

A pathetic feature of the visitation Is the isolation of many dairy herds ,on islands in the Clarence Valley. All that can be seen of these islands are high spots, with the homes surrounded by clustering cattle. Thousands of gallons of milk produced by those herds are being poured Into the river and wasted. It Is estimated that 21,009 acres of maize and several hundreds of acres of sugar canc have been destroyed along the Clarence Valley, and extensive damage has been done to bridges and culverts, while a wide acreage of pasture has been rendered unavailable for months. The town of Kcmpsey is in a bad way. The waters from the flooded Macleay River invaded the town to a depth of aix feet in the lower streets. Patients wore removed from the hospitals to safer

ground. There is devastation all along the Macleay Valley, and over 100 families were compelled to abandon their homes and take refuge in the townships. It is estimated that 10,000 acres of maize has been destroyed. At Lithgow the vaters broke into the Cobar mine tunnel, and completely flooded the mine. At Arnu<l ale a number of residents were forced to leave their homes. A man named Holmes was washed from a bridge at Bunbarra and drowned, while another man engaged in lepmr work at Marrina was caught in the flood and drowned. Stories of flood damage and railway destruction are coming in from all parts, north and south. Washaways on both main and branch lines are numerous, and traffic generally is very seriously held up. COUNTRY LINES SUSPENDED. . RIVER SHIPPING HAMPERED. SYDNEY, February 20. (Received Feb. 21, at 0.30 a.m ) Railway passengers from Melbourne are reaching Sydney many hours late, as they have to be boated across washaways or utilise hastily-constructed deviations. On some country lines, both north and south, traffic is entirely suspended, and many travellers are marooned. Even when the floods subside it will be days before normal conditions can be restored. Sixty dairy cows on an island in the Clarence River, maddened by hunger, were daringly rescued by men in a motor launch. Shipping plying on the northern rivers is seriously hampered by large quantities of floating debris, including drowned stock.