STEAMER WEDGED IN CEMETERY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17738, 7 January 1926, Page 1

STEAMER WEDGED IN CEMETERY.

AIRMAN DESCRIBES WIDESPREAD DEVASTATION RESULTING FROM FLOODS IN HOLLAND.

By Telegraph.—Press Association. —Copyright.—Sydney “ Sun *' Cable. (Received January 7, 9.15 a.m.) LONDON, January 6. A special correspondent of the “Daily News,” flying in a monoplane, reconnoitred Holland with a view to ascertaining the extent of the floods. Instead of being fertile country, the place resembled an archipalego on the edge of the North Sea. Millions of acres are submerged, frequently to a depth of twenty feet. The correspondent watched the villagers fleeing, saw boats aground in gardens, a steamer wedged in a cemetery, windmills looking like lighthouses, and cataracts half a mile in length, flowing from broken dykes. The damage at Leige is estimated at £1,000,000. President Hindenburg has given £IO,OOO to relieve German flood victims.

ENORMOUS DAMAGE WROUGHT IN RHINELAND; 20,000 HOUSES WRECKED IN COBLENZ.

By Telegraph.—Press Association.-—Copyright.—Keuter’s Telegrams., (Received January 7, 11 a.m.) BERLIN, January 6. The subsidence of the floods in the Rhineland is revealing enormous devastation. Twenty thousand houses were damaged in Coblenz, and thousands of families are in dire distress. Sixty thousand workers are idle. The damage is estimated at £1,000,000. Neuwied suffered severely. Thousands of inhabitants are homeless, and factories have closed down. It will take months to recover from the disaster. FLOODS SUBSIDING EVERYWHERE, BUJT FURTHER AREA INUNDATED WHEN DYKE BURSTS. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.—Auk. and N.Z. Cable Assn. (Received January 7, 11 a.m.) AMSTERDAM, January 6. The floods are subsiding everywhere, except in Northern Limburg and Deventer, where another dyke on the River Ysel burst near the village of Brummen, inundating a large area. Foot and mouth disease has broken out among cattle in Balgoy and several other villages. AND COLOGNE FEELS AN EARTHQUAKE. By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright.—Reuter’s Telegrams. (Received January 7, 11 a.m.) COLOGNE, January 6. An earthquake shock at 12.40 this morning lasted for five seconds. Buildings shook violently and many people rushed into the streets without dressing, and spent the remaining hours till daylight in the open. The damage was slight. Only districts adjacent to the Rhine were affected.

WAGGA FLOODS CAUSE MUCH DISLOCATION. By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright.—Reuter’s Telegrams. (Received January 7, 11 a.m.) SYDNEY, Janaury 7. The railway services have been seriously dislocated as a result of storms in the Wagga district. Three washouts occurred on the southern line and one on the western line. Considerable damage was done. Serious loss to farmers is involved in the destruction of the surface over a large area, which was lying fallow for next season’s crops. Some paddocks have been virtually washed away, and the rush of water burst many paddock tanks. Should a dry spell occur, there will be a serious shortage of water.