AUSTRALIAN FLOODS

Hokitika Guardian, 26 March 1926, Page 1

AUSTRALIAN FLOODS

FOUR BIG RIVERS RISING. [Australia & N.Z. Cable Association.] ' SYDNEY, Alareh 25. There has been further heavy rain 1 ill the basins of the Hunter, Hawkcsbury, Macquarie, and Castlereagh rivers. These threaten serious lloods at .Maitland. The Hunter River is rising steadily. Aten are now employed stacking sandbags in an endavour to prevent the timid waters reaching the, town. Should they fail, then one of the must disastrous floods on record in the district is anticipated. Reports from other parts cl the country state that all the rivers are steadily rising. There are now terriffic seas running along the coast. To-day on Sydney Harbour. the ferry service had to lie suspended. Many of the ferry steamers were badly battered. Several large oversea steamers have wirelessed that they are luivc to olf Sydney Heads, as they are unable to enter the harbour owing to terrific seas that are running between the Heads. All the coastal vessels are sheltering. A number of yachts in the harbour to-day broke from their moorings, and were wrecked. The. weather to-night shows no sign of improving. A COLLIERY FLOODED. SYDNEY, Alareh 23. As tiie result of the torrential rains, a dam near Cessnoclc overflowed, and the weight of the water on top of the old workings of the Aberdare Colliery caused many tons of earth to subside into tho tunnel, and a deluge of water to flow into the pit. •Several deputies on duty were swept off tlieir feet, lint they managed to escape through a shaft. Mon are now working feverishly to fill up the subsidence and so prevent further water from going into tho pit. As a result of the .subsidence eight hundred employees have been rendered idle for two weeks.