QUEENSLAND FLOODS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4575, 21 February 1893, Page 4

QUEENSLAND FLOODS.

Obom otjb own correspondent.] MELBOURNE, Feb. IS. The Argus says the damage by the flood will amount to many millions sterling. The estimate of lobb by the Brisbane merchants alone ia two millions. Captain Vernon giveß A DRAMATIC ACCOUNT of the escape of himself and family. He , cays : — We remained in the house, getting things out of the way until the water drove us out. We then went in a boat to the loft of the stable, but within half an hour were ' driven out. We intended fastening on to a tree, but the' current was 'bo strong that we did not manage it. As a forlorn hope we made for the main stream, on the chance that we might teach land on the other side, but ran into the branches of a tree. THE BOAT CAPSIZED, and we were all struggling in a < fearful torrent. My boy and one of the girls managed to get hold of branches, and by the greatest miracle my wife, the other two daughters, my ; brother and myself got hold of the branch of a tree about 30ft away. This branch was soon under water, so my wife tore up : her ekirt and made a rope of it, and my \ brother and I managed to pull them , through the water to another small branch. This too was getting covered with water, so we managed, after a hard Btiuggle, to pull the children on to a main branch ; but the river was running at <3uoh an awful ; rate that we could not attempt to bring my wife. There waß a small fork at the' top of the' limb she was on, and with the help of my shoulders she managed to scramble on to this, and there she remained, in the most fearful position, till we were rescued. It rained, and was bitterly cold, and the wind blew all the time. X then got to where my little girls were, and held on to them. We were in this position for TWBNTT-THBHB HOURS, and when t was getting near dark we gave up hope. The end must have come within an hour, when to our joy we saw two little flat bottomed punts coming to the rescue. There were two men in each punt, and how they had managed to guide their frail crafts I cannot tell. Within ten minutes we were all aboard, and after we landed on the other Bide, were received with the greatest enthusiasm by our Ger- , man friends. They cried, laughed hysterically, and seemed mad with joy; and in a very short time we were housed and. in dry clothes. We managed to get across to Cluen yesterday for an hour or two. THE SCENE OF DEVASTATION I cannot describe. I found a dead horse and four big calves in the house-ceiling, j where we placed our valuables. The clothes had fallen down, and everything was lying in. a jumble, covered with a foot ; of mud. The stench was fearful. The ' children are all right, but I do not think : my wife will ever completely get over it. i From Loword to Fern Vale only one house \ besides ours is left on the bank of the j river. The principal articles of food and horse-food are fetching FAMINE PEICBS. The following are some of the retail prices :— Flour, five pounds persaok of two hundred pounds; sugar, 4d to 6d per lb; maize 10s to 15s per bushel. Potatoes in some places are sold at a penny each. The bakers, by common consent, are oharging very little more than the ordinary price for bread. THE STEAMERS ON THE BIVBB were in great peril dnring the flood. While the Woodonga was lying on her two anchors a keen watoh had been kept. The eheds on the wharves were covered, and the vessels were b winging in a lake, being kept in course by reference to the compass alone, and officers and crew had an anxious time. On Saturday night it was noticed that the Konoowarra, which was lying just above, had broken her cable, and for a time a collision appeared imminent ; but the vessels cleared each other, and the Konoowarra was brought up and moored in the stream, where she remained until the waters fell. The same night the Natone, which had also broken from her moorings, passed the Australian Atsocation's boat, and all the Government dredges went down the stream. The Muninyong also had a narrow escape from {being run into by a Bmall stern- wheeler, which was just kept off her bows. All night the utmost anxiety was felt, as in addition to the larger veseels that broke loose, numberless small craftß were carried ,down the stream, as well as the . wreckage of bridges and houses.