LATER NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XII, Issue 490, 11 July 1867, Page 3

LATER NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA.

GREAT FLOODS. IMMENSE DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY. (From the Sydney Morning Herald, tiJau June.) r J u;-; weather yesterday was as violent as on the p-L-vious clay, amt, up to the houj of our g.nng to press this morning, showed no abatement. Thu Government Astronomer reports (hat on the lihh instant the wind rose rapidly at 7 p.ta. in direct i on- varying from K.ii. to K.N.E , and continued to increase until 9'3j a.m. on the tiOtli (Thursday), when the greatest velocity was registered —namely, o2 miles per hour, equivalent to over 33ib on the squire toot. The lota! amount of rainfall, from the commencement of the storm to 9 a.m. yesterday, was 7.5 inches. The number of miles t-aversed by the wind, as registered by Robinson’s anemometer, in twenty four hours—namely, from 9'30 a.m. on the UJth, to 9 30 a.m. on the 3lst — was t:55 miles.

The river, at Penrith, was within three feet of the floor of the railway bridge at 439 p.m. yesterday. The whole countiv about Emu P.ains is under water, and many of the houses on this side of the! river are submerged. An immense quau* tilv of ciriit wood, hay, and stock is tljit-! iug down the stream. The picture is truly melancholy, the tops of the homes in imny instances being taken possession of by fowls, eats, Ac. There has, iortun-

ateiy, been no loss of life. .Early yesterday morn in 2 the Premier (Mr Martin) and the Minister for U orks (Mr Byrnes), accompanied by Mr Whitton, the Engineer-in-chief lor .Railways, left Sydney for Blacktown and Penrith to 1 see the extent of the lloods, and to make provision for the saving of life and proper ty endangered. We have been favored by the Colonial S>cn'( "y «itb a copy of t ie following telegrams —one Iron; Mr Byrnes and two from tne Station-Masters at Penrith and Windsor: Wir.d-'or, 910 a.ra. Mr W. Walker to the Colonial fieeretary. Send some boils to Windsor iiuuicdietely. Brer.t ..anger of loss of Hie, and few boats, tend i y rail aid t lienee by water. Hood nearly as high as ls6f. and rising. The following answer was despatched at 10 o’clock: — Six heats crews will despatched instantly by Special train to Vv iudsor. llave gome one in wait ng. Blscktown, 2'5 p.m. The Minister of Works to flic Colonial Secretary.

I have sent on four boats to Windsor. Got to River-tone in time with boats to save a family otf the roof of a house. Mr Martin and I are just starting from Blacktown to Penrith. Windsor, 4‘30 p.m. Raining heavily. Flood still rising. Water three feet higher than great flood in June, 1864. The bo its have arrived. Penrith., 4o p.m. From Station-master to Colonial Secretary. Raining heavily. Very high flood. Government boats reselling people. Have not heard of anv casualty.

Life ENDixaERKD by Tin; Flood. —In the account we gave yesterday of the weather it was noticed that a house at Marrickville was under water up to the windows. This small building is inhabited by Mrs Blundell (a widow) and her two children. Every Hood rises above the foundation of the d welling, and the amount of risk incurred depends entirely upon circumstances beyond human control. Wet the place is not abandoned, nor is there any boat kept on the premises. A few months ago the master of the house died. At that lime there was a flood which nearly reached the corpse, and for some time prevented the undertaker from performing ids duties. On the present occasion tlie people of the neighborhood’ felt considerable concern lest the woman should still be in the house. No tidings could be gathered of her or her children, the attention of the police was directed to the matter. A young man swam off to the house, and found that the woman had taken there her helpless children. Tbet we e on a door placed across the raiters, and had with them one loaf of bread. The police stationed in the district promptly procured a boat from Cook's River, and removed the inmates to the house of a neighbor.