The Floods at Bourke.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 6 May 1890, Page 2

The Floods at Bourke.

■♦ " ■ A DESCRIPTION OP THE SCENE BY AN EYE WITNESS. Ihe rpecial contributor sent by the Argus to Bourke to report on the floods, hae forwtrded a graphic . account of th» calamity which has bean no long looked forward to with dread, — " The night passed quietly enough, the water making a further rise of B&in. At about half-past • ght o'clock this morning the alarm rang out, and there was an imin.^diate rush to the section indicated. An inner barrier had been broken down, and there was a rush of the general body of water against the embankment. It yielded a little, and but for the promptitude of the workers woald have given way. Picks and shovels were inßtantlv set to work, the earth was bauked up, and puddled, andbtfore noon everything was secure. This afternoon, at about two o'clock, I made, with Mr Wil is, M. L. A., a sort of royal procession about the ramparts. The member was loud y cheered along the line. We saw the enemy right befoie us, leagues broad, cold, cruel, gleaming, but still there were 500 men busy, as many more resting, and 250 men coming up by the after* noon train. We did not doubt that the works and the town might be sav*d. We returned to tha hotel and we were eitting quist, pensive and hopeful, vhea far vr.-y 1 fancied I heard the tollicg of a bell. I was not curs r«uJ !ist.3iiv'd ufcsnily. In ano'uber miuute oui Luvs's tlie alarm of the town, and "with no xmwtabn sound. In another instant & horseman dashod round the street corn er shouting " Cle^r out, it is all over " Then began a scena such as is witnessed but rarely, even in an adv»^turous lifetime. Women rushed out of all the little )ow lying cottages, their children in their nrtiß, shrieking, ye'ling, and praying. Men rushed about rather in confusion than wi h any well defined intention. "Get the women and children to the boats" was the cry. The Sturt lay nlongside the wbatf, 6ft above the evel of the street, and towards her multitude o! helpless people were hurried. Every bell in the township rang, a d everybody seemed panic-stri.'ken, when suddenly a hhout was raised that it might not be all lost and there was a sudden rusk towards the breach. Tarpaulins and tents would be wanUd, and every store in the town waa instantly raided lor tarpaulins, tents, bags and sheets of galvanised iron. Every cart, coavb, bnggy and dray was pressed into the service, an I away all hurried pell -moll across the flat. Hundreds of nvn were return ing in despair. These, the advanc ing army charged with shouU of contempt I, with Mr Willis and halt a dozen others jumped in a baker* cart aud gallped wildly out. We were abreast of the breach in five minut s, and saw iv an instant that the battle was hopelessly lostj,. The water was pouring in 80ft wide and 6ft deep. The breach had been made while the men were taking a brief imoke, ye 1 the gallant defenders were not to be daunted. Imtp the water dashed Mr WaddeU, the senior m rnber for the dutiict, and staggered along neck-deep to the bank. Ahunded others followed him carrying bags and tarpaulins, and they instantly set to work with all the courage of despair It was however but meeting a stream with sand. Foot by foot the bank upon which they stood crumbled beneath them, and though others followed on pluckily as ever, it waß a forlorn hope for the rampart defending party. It was coon evident that <;he dam and the town were d omt-d. It was twenty rainut«s past four when the water broke through, and l>y five o'clock the few defenders were making their way back through the flat through the flood, and the waters were half way aoross to the town. Then began another wild and unnecessary Ktampede, a dozen men on. hot and furious horses rode wildly to and fro, quite unnecessarily alarm* ing the women and the children. The wall had ff'ten way abreast of a very conkiflerible rite on tkt fUt.

It was immediately opposite the Hospital and the flood for many minutes only crept to<vnwards. It was deemed well, however to make all haste and to stir the folks up still further. The D3 Is were once mor« ringing. It was quite v necessary, for the agony was by this time intense. Poor creatur s with their babes were h lr.iDg al(n b , some carrying bags and bundl s, and variout odds an > ends of ' ous^ho d gear others weeping aid W:i in ; ai d deploring thi-ir most v frt mate lot. A boatload w.is r ady by mndown women and children chiefly, and all of course cryi g. She cast off just as the sun set, a d steamed out into midstream, one of these or. dinary litt c high'tle k d rir t boats atamiiug right above tWlevel of tha town, and stem ing very slowly against the str >ng stream. Jt was a wonderful picture, such as Australia never perh&p* saw before. Tley weie most of them lea Ting •veiy stick they posse s^d behind them They had deemed themselves lucky to escape by the skin of tbeir noaes, and to obt in dry camping grounds till the waters should sub* aide again. The lite boa>, with its full and high deck ioad of figures in all iroaginaiile colors — blue and red and pink streaming out— went away up the illimitable waters, which again began to reflect the orango of the sky; und another party musberad about the pier. The r-scned have all been taken to N6>-ih Bonrke, ahout three milss from Bourke, which isadiysandy ridpe, and here a large canvas camp has been formed. Home hundreds of women are here encamped. Th» town of Bourke it. self is given over to the waters, which ruu through it waist deep. Severa building* are giving way. It is fully exp ct^d that the waters wi 1 hot go down for three or four months The Directors of the Broken Hill Coaip'any have initiated the movement for a i elief fund with subscriptions of .£IOO each, J-'-ir W. Ciarke has given £200 and Lady Clarke £100 and already the fund reaches £1100 with only eleven subscribers.