NARRATIVE OF A CHRISTCHURCH RESIDENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4577, 23 February 1893, Page 4

NARRATIVE OF A CHRISTCHURCH RESIDENT.

A GRAPHtO DESCRIPTION. Mr W. H. Greenfield, h former resident of Ohribtchnrcb, writing from Brisbane on Feb. 7, aends the following details regarding the great fl:.od in that city .— Being an old Christchurch resident, or rather having spent my boyhood days there, received my education, and served n?y apprenticeship at the office of the Lyttelton Times, and having bo many friends there, I naturally find my thoughts drifting that way occasionally. At the present time no doubt many, if not most people in Canterbury, and, in fact, throughout the Colonies, bu.ve turned their attention this way, and are anxiously awaiting news from us here in Brisbane, concerning this terrible flood, of which we are just in the midst. I feel that it is my duty to. pen as correct a repoit as possible of it from beginning to end for my friends in Christchurch. It had been raining off and on since Jan. 20 until Jan. 30, when it set in in real earnest, and kept at it incessantly day and night for seven days, when it broke for a few hours during the day, but rained very heavily during the nighc aguin. On Feb. 1 the forecast from the weather office predicted a fresh in the river and possible floods, and showed that there had been very heavy rainfall all up tbe coast. On -Feb. 2 the weather reports from surrounding country told us very plainly thai; we should have a severe flood, the lowlying lands around Brisbane being then already submerged from locally fallen rains. The people in these districts were then bußily engaged removing to higher places —places above our previous highest flood marko, little dreaming that such a terrible flood waa at hand whioh would compel them to shift again. All along the* wharves merchants and others were ac- * tively engaged removing goods. On Friday, Feb. 3, reports of anything but an encouraging nature were coming in fast from all around the country, showing exceptionally heavy rainfalls and floods • . higher than ever known before in most places, while in Brisbane it had been raining incessantly aince Jan. 30, and there was no appearance of its clearing off anywhere, THE FLOOD BOSK EVERY HOUK, and the current; in the river had become so great that steamers could not make way ' against it, and thus all communication by stream was stopped. The dibris coming down the river hourly increased in quantity, and the outlook became so bad in the afternoon that many business people hurried home to make everything secure there, and then hurried back to look after their business, fearing that by the morning many or moat of the suburbs would be practically cut off from the city, which fear unfortunately ptoved to be too well founded, for during the night the waters roße and passed all previous records. - Then commenced a general exodus from all placea within eight to ten feet of the then flood, level. After reaching tbe laßt flood marks, tbe stream increased , wjLth such velocity that all housea on low lands in the vicinity of the river were lifted off their stumpa and washed away, carrying everything before them, and grave : fears were entprtained for the safety of .-.. Victoria bridge, it being well known that . if the water rose to the decking the j structure must go. Already the Corpora- ..,-. tion. men were working hard to keep it free ' '-front the fast-collecting masn of wreckage. On Sunday the water had risen to a depth of three feet over the southern portion, and , between the afternoon and the following morning all the northern portion completely disappeared. THUS £140,000 WAS SWJEPT AWAT. ! This bridge was exactly a quarter of a mile in length. Then came word that the Indoorpilly railway bridge and all the other bridges had shared the same fate. The river during the whole of Sunday was one surging masa of wreckage, consisting of houses, which would come crashing into one another and break up, pianos, furniture of all sorts, boxes, casks, hay and Straw Btaoks, pumpkins in hundreds, fruit trees, trees of all descriptions, dead horses, cows, pigs and poultry. In some cases it seemed as though the house, garden 'and everything belonging to it had come away in a body, and, as if to make the scene more terrible, the roar of the rushing waters waa deafening. Many of what had just a few days before been comfortable homes were carried away and lost forever. Suddenly there is a cry from the crowd on the banks, " Another boat broken away," and a big powerful steamer dashes past, crashing with terrible force into whatever may be in ita>way aa it is swirled around. One could not help exclaiming, ' "GOD HELP THE POOE 7BLLOWB ABOARD," who were absolutely powerless to help themselves or guide the boat on its perilous voyage. Next the cry went up that five or six dredges had broken away. We could see it to be too true, for fully threequarters of a mile up the river they were dashing along. With a friend I hurried down to the bank, only six yards away. Rounding from Humbug Reach ■to Bulimba Reach we saw a magnificent two-storied house on New-Farm aide rise fronx off its stumps and .'.'' ■ '■ einki tinder these dredges, which' appa-' >" *ently ground it up, for it only came to the surface in bits. About; three seconds after this three more dredges came flying past, all dragging their anchors. Next came three of our river barges at a terrible rate, with apparently no one on board of them excepting a poor unfortunate foxterrier dog, who seemed to know too well that ha wbb in a dangerous position by the way he ran whining from end to end of the vessel. Yesterday (Monday, Feb. 6) my friend and I made an early start to make an effort to reach South Brisbane. Although only living three ■ mileß from Ihe boundary, we had to traverse twelve mileß before we could get near, and then had to be rowed half a mile across Norman Creek, near Brisbane river. On landing ab the Lytton road we went up Shif ton road, Kangaroo Point. We found so much of the Point under water that NOTHING COULD BI BEEN BUT HOTTBE TOPS AND WATEB, the flood having gone right over the lower portion, carrying off everything tnoveable. On this point there were several foundries and Peacock's jam factory, but it is impossible to tell how they have fared uutil the flood has subsided. On retracing our steps we got on to the river terrace, which is one of the highest parts around the river, forming a high precipice, with the river immediately below, and from here we obtained a good view of what were once our beautiful Botanical Gardens and Government Domain. All the low parts along the ziver were completely under water, with a great number of Bteamera, ahipa' boats, punts, &c, right up in the garden, and tied to whatever substantial trees were adjacent. The beautiful new ' and commodious residence of the caretaker, whioh was built near the garden ferry, was a total wreck, while the lower part of onr .lovely fernery suffered severely. AH the dumps of bamboos on the bank of the river round the Government Domain have been swept away, the current running right across the Domain point. Government Blouse being on good high ground, escaped by several feet. Looking down towards Petriefa Bight, off Kangaroo Point, only the roofs of the various Shipping Companies'sheds could be seen. OurguD boat, the Gayundah, and one or two othe • boats, were out in mid-stream, those on board having a very anxious time of it, for fear the vessels would break away, but fortunately they stood it well. Looking toward South Brisbane the river appeared to be an enormous size. The railway coaling wharves were several.feet under water, only the funnels of the steam cranes being visible. On going around the bend, the remains of Viotoria bridge (the southern portion) were plainly wen, the northern half right up to the stone work having been awept away, though the . wreckage had collected to such an extent ss. to form a wall. All along the south bank Only the roofs could be seen above water f indeed*, it looked very much as though all South Brisbane was submerged. Working around into South Brisbane we

found that the flood had risen into the Ship Inn, Stanley Btreet, and the street itself, whioh had a downward grade toward the Victoria bridge, was altogether under, and only the top flats of two-storied buildings could be seen. About half-way down the view was blocked by A PILE OF HOUSES heaped up in, the middle of the street. ' Going from here up Sidon Btreet. and on to the new railway embankment between Gay and Hope streets, we could get right down to- Melbourne street (which runs to the right to Victoria Bridge) with water on both sides of us. Oa either side of this embankment ia South Brisbane proper — a portion of the city which was thickly populated. From Tribune street right along to the Milton reach of the river there is nothing but a huge sea, with housetops here and there, and piles of debris everywhere and houses upside down ; in fact, it is too difficult to describe. The water had even gone over the railway embankment for some distance. Here and there on high ground were to be seen piles, of furniture and HOMELESS WOMEN AND CHILDREN, they having shifted wherever they could on , the Saturday night, and trusted to Providence for the rest.. All this was indeed a moat appalling sight, and yet nothing to what we expect to see when the flood has gone down, for hundreds of homea have been swept away, and there is no knowing the number of livea that have been lost with them. Many of what might be termed the more fortunate ones were busy washing the thick sediment off the walls and floors of their homes as the water went down, and well it needs it, for even now the stench is dreadfully sickening, a fact whioh makes us fear a fever plague Boon. '-From this wretched scene we made our way towards Woolloongabba. Although we did not see such an appalling sight here as at South Brisbane, still the water had completely submerged hundreds of houses, and wrought ruin. This Buburb being more scattered the relief parties could get at those in distress much easier, and take them to places of safety. TJTTEB BU*N MEETS THE ETB EVEBTWHEBB. There is not a suburb around Brisbane, nor Brisbane itself, that : has escaped; in f aot, the ' whole country might well be described aB a huge sea with numbers of small islands, eaoh packed .With human beings, with nothing but destitution staring them in the face. . As we pass by each it stirs the inmost soul to see the distress and feel utterly powerless to assist our fellow creatures. 1 have 'seen several what were: to me terrible sights from time to time, bat never have I witnessed anything so terrible, bo destructive, as this . flood of February, 1893. And it is possible for a similar flood to come again, before this season is passed. I have spoken of only a very small portion of the country. We cannot get to North Brisbane to see how they are doing. We know that nearly all Fortitude Valley is under water, and Rosalie and Milton and all the lower portions of Toowong. Indoorpilly is a sea, aa well as Jeronga and Oxley ; in fact, all the suburbs without exception. The reports from Gympie, Maryborough, Bundaberg and elsewhere show that they aro- as badly off, if not worse—though that can hardly be — than we are in Brisbane. God help the hundreds of poor homeless families !