AUSTRALIAN FLOODS

Hokitika Guardian, 21 February 1928, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN FLOODS

DA 1 ItV II101! 1)8 ISOLATED. . (Australian A X./. Cable Association.) SYDNEY, Fob. 20. The weather in the city is unsettled and showery. .Many country parts report further rain. At Grafton this morning the river was up 22 leet and swirling through the main streets. Much water is still to come down stream, and it, is toured that inane houses, which so far escaped, will he submerged. Residences and public buildings are already crowded with refugees. Numbers of people, since "Wednesday, have been going about in bathing suits only. A pathetic feature of the visitation is the isolation of many dairy herds, on islands .in the Clarence Valley. All that can he seen of these lands are the high spots with homes surrounded by clustering cattle. Thousands of gallons of mill; produced by these herds is being poured into the river amt wasted. It is estimated that 21.003 acres of maize and several hundred acres ol sugar cane are destroyed along the Clarence Valley and extensive damage has been done to bridge culverts, while a wide area of pasturage will he unavailable for months. The town of Kempsey is in a had way. The waters from the lints led Maelcay River invaded the town to a deplli of six feet in the lower streets, and patients were removed from the hospitals to safer ground. The devastation is all along the Mneleay Valley. Over a hundred families were compelled to abandon home and lake refuge in the townships. Il is estimated that 10.00(1 acres of maize has been destroyed. Acting on early warnings most of the stock was removed, hut still a considerable number were drowned. At I.ithgow the water broke into tlie Collar Aline tunnel and completely flooded the mine. At Ariendale a number of residents wore forced to leave their homes. A man named Holmes was washed from a bridge at Bandana and drowned. Another niiin engaged in repair, work at Afarrina was caught in the flood and drowned. Stories of flood damage and railway destruction are coming in from all parts --north and south. AVasliaways on both main and branch lines are numerous, and traffic generally is very seriously held up. Railway passengers from Afclbourne are reaching Sydney many hours late. They have to lie boated across washaways or utilise a hastily constructed deviat ion. On some country linos, both north and south, traffic is entirely suspended and many travellers are marooned. Even when the floods subside it will he days before normal conditions can he restored. Sixty dairy cows on an island in flic Clarence, maddened by hunger, wore daringly rescued by men in a motor launch. plying on the northern rivers is seriously hampered by large quantities of floating debris, including drowned stock. CONDITIONS IMPROVING. (Received this day at S a.m.) SYDNEY. Feb. 21. The weather bureau report to-night says the rain inland is clearing hut more is expected on the uortn coast as the rivers, however, have still to discharge immense quantities of water from tlieir upper reaches and widespread inundated areas. T lood conditions in townships in lower reaches are still dubious and in most eases the water is beginning to recede. The outlook is generally more hopeful. Two additional drowning fatalities are reported.