The Floods at Bourke

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 133, 3 May 1890, Page 4

The Floods at Bourke

J..-M: y-^M^&mtoQ '&J>t\Ys2. .. Tlfe & p^bjutT cpfli^^uW serst. ,by. ,th t e, -Argus" to ' Bourse" tg^eppptj^ogjj^ef floods,., says .:— " The "night 'passed -quietly^o th« rw&ter - ui&king' /ia < f ftrlttei:"' rise ofc S&in. j oAft about heif^s^ijght o'clcfi3k4lri# ffiY>Vnlag o shs alafiiFY&n^ out, and there was. an immediate rush *to the - jßeuti<in MridicafttfD "''■ An » i Slier barrier-2-had* ftfeaa 1 dawn 1 ; ahd "there was a rush of. the general body' 'Of w^r . §.gk fustjthe, ej^ tyankmenfc . , • It ; yielded jajiijtt^aDdjb^tW the prpmptitude of- thejfj workers < i have, ; given way.' Piuks and .shovels f were ?■ however,- instantly set ,'^jto work, th^ •earth -WSs^baSked up)'" and', pudSlßd,, nbbfli : evety thing Mras secure Whife ;«itihifj -in an : 'hot"el the^'outburst 6i wafer <m&\ine>d:. Then "began a such as is witnessed but rarely;' *eveng^ifi. '"an^Ta^ventuyous ; lifetimes . Wom§n 3 ; rushe,d iput t gf all^thejiJitU© low -lying cottages, theireehiMre'a -ia • theirrr arras: —Bhriekinffj, gelling , and praying, Mtflj rus|iea; a fjoiit ramer in co.nfjisiQri.liihan' wiih 'any wfell definedUptentibn -* M Q^tiHe wbinen a'riii children; tjo, ith«j -boata" : was., the t cry 4 The Jjtuitclaj. alongside .the wharf, *6ft/aJ^Ya-th4ileyel. of ifche.festreet and towards her the multitude of helples* peopie-were r jraTried: Byery bellin the townafiip rang, andleVeryboidy s'ee'nYedJ pameigfrfafce'ni was ; that At '■\tfigtii?'"n6t ir be. £(il ; Joet, and there was a sudden rush to"wards the preach, Tarpaulins, and •tent^f^Suld ; b'^^wajdted, . aio,di every etore'in the 1 Town "was fnslantly raided for tarpulius, tents, bags and sheets -of galvanised; iron. "Every cart; coach, buggy and drayV ' was 'pressed intp-the service, a£fid ; a;wfi?if all hurried peli-mell across^tie flat. a The water was pourjng in 30ft . wide and 6f t ,deep % The ■breach* h&d been in£d4 wißile th^men, were :t'aMng;^f i ibr ief- •gßQpfee, '-■ jit the ! rrief eiders .'Swer^' riot to be. daunted. Into the Water dashed Mr Waddell. ; ; the jßenior, ni^mber for the 'district^". aiia F staggered ''along '.neck- ■ -deep r tb't|(e tk^k. .'& hundred others^' followeff^liitn, 1 ' carryings bags, and, tarpaulin^ anii'^hey iris^anly set to ' work" wlffh all tft&' courage of despair; It waajboweverj but meeting a at'rieam ■with sana::', 'TEo^ by, foot fap bainkfin whictf^y^ito^ crMlel b'en^eath' them, ja^thQugh.gthgrp.. followed on ; ;pluckily as ever,' it was" a.iprlprn 'hope ior the^raiiipart aefpndiiig^ party... I|, was fcqou evident thai- the dani and the town^w i er6' a dbomea! 1 it was twenty minutes^ast four ,w^en the waterbroke' thtough, 'and bY fiye pjclock.the' -few defenders t#ere maliiug' their way ' back through the. "Aelt, 'through 'the ' flood, and tm^oi^t^ Vere'^hajf way across tiM&p * iM& tOwili'' Then began another rwild- and unnecessary gtamipede^a dozen-nie^ On h'6t?and furiJus ihorsea rode , wiil3ly to and fro; quite unnecessarily' 'di'aTniin"g !lil th'e^ wbhaeii and the children. The wall^ad given ! way l \br^ast of a very considerable' rise oh tae flat. Poor creatures; ? with theiit babias, • were • hurrying'^ along, «ome carrying bags a"n,d f bundles, and Tarioua odd8 v t*nd ends of and wailing and deploTing^heir r mpsLuirfprtunate, lot. A boatload 4aa ready^-by^andown, ■women and ehj^e^ichieflyitaiid all of course crying^' She.j;ast o^P j^ust^is the sun s«t^ } stemmed, |u't into midstream^ * they most or them leaving evpry^tick|thjey.pQS|jesßed, i hind the.ra. T^iey 'Had deemed them- | eelve's liiukj to eicape. by , the sjkinpf ; their n6Bes'/ l aVd;tp^i}b'taj^dVy.Mm^p^^^^ ing grounds 5 till the ''waters should subside t.agai^, The Cu'ecto^s pf ? th.e Broken Sill Company having inidttttd 4he moxement for a r^ief. fund \vijth Bubscn jjtioius! of £100 , euc'h, ji^iV l^. •Clarke lui\6 given £200 and XarJx, Olarke 5 £1 bo, and ai ready ( !"t he i'uud ' poaches £1 100 ivith, p^lj^/eieveii'su^- 1 ■scribers. '""■'" \,\' !'*,,,: r ;