The Flood in Brisbane.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7070, 16 February 1893, Page 2

The Flood in Brisbane.

—... A letter from Melbourne to the Christchurch Press gives some particulars of the Brisbane flood, from which we extract the following .• —The rainfall began on the 31st January, and the fall in Brisbane itself in eight days was about 23 inches. About the headwaters of the river it was much heavier. At one point between Brisbane end Gym pie (north of Brisbane) 67 i inches fell in three day?. The Brisbane river makes a great loop near the town, and one of the main streets, Queen street, runs across the loop from river to river, and was continued by the Victoria bridge into South Brisbane. Stanley street, the main thoroughfare of South Brisbane, runs parallel with the river, and only a few feet above the wharves. The river rose until it flowed across the loop along Queen street, ‘he water being five feet deep in this main thoroughfare. In Stanley street the water was 30ft deep. Back of Stanley street were many others equally low, and this part of South Brisbane has been practically destroyed, while the main part of the city, within the loop of the river does not seem to have suffered anything like so much. The damage done by the floods is of course not confined to the city. An immense extent of farm lands wore submerged, and it is not beyond belief that the damage done in the country exceeds that in the city. A large portion of South Brisbane is completely wrecked or carried bodily away. Hundreds of houses carried off by tbe water found their way seaward, and quite as many He in ruins piled one upon the other- On Stanley street certainly one half of the buddings which lined the thoroughfare have either disappeared or have been forced into such positions as to render them uninhabitable. Here and tbe-e sheets of iron removed from tenements still standing, show how the dwellers were driven to break through on tho roof before they were rescued. The high railway embankment prevented dozens of bouses from floating away, but judging from their appearance, not one will be of any other use than for firewood. Tho destruction of the bridges was felt fo be a great calamity even by people themselves suffering or in danger of lesser or greater personal losses. Bris-bane and South Brisbane were connected by the Victoria bridge, a stupendous iron structure, 360 yards in length. It Uie d to be continually crowded throughout the day with trams, omnibuses, and other vehicles, and its footpaths on each aide of ita 30ft roadway were always crowded with pedestrians. The bridge was wrecked at 4 a.m. on Monday, the 6th, at which time there was a crowd gathered on the high land at the bridge approaches The first portion to go was tho second and third span, where the flood waters were running strongest. There was one loud crash, which shook the earth and made the surrounding buildings tremble on their foundations, and the wrecked portion went down into the river. Other portions followed rapidly, and before half an hoar had elapsed fully one-half of the bridge had disappeared. The waters did their work most completely, and nothing was left standing. No twisted iron work or broken woodwork marked the spot where the structure once stood. Of the non hern half of the bridge not a vestige was left. The structure had broken almost in the centre as sharp and clean as it could have been out by workm-n employed for tho purpose. Seven distinct crashes were beard, and as j span after span collapsed the water was dashed j a groat height. Special means were tried to 1 save the Indooroopilly railway bridge, a loaded | ttain being placed upon it 'to steady it. At | six o’clock on Monday morning there was a 1 great crash and a roar like thunder, and one of the 80ft spans of the bridge canted over down stream, and then disappeared under the seething flood. The sound of the collapse I was beard distinctly nearly a mile from the j site of the bridge, end very soon nearly all the residents of tho locality were on the spot. Not only was the 80ffc gap noticeable, but it was seen that one of the piers, 160 ft from the Ohelmer side of tbe river, bad gone. Tfce great span of 160 ft, with its archek back, was out of lino down stream, and with the southern end left without the support o? the pier there was an oscillation of fully 18in. Up to 1 pm., the remainder of the bridge stood, but tbe spans which had been left were assailed by a mighty rush of water far beyond anything anything anticipated when the structure was designed. Bight up almost to the level of (be floor the waters dashed, coming with a cross sweep from the south side. Occasionally down the stream would come a large log, a wrecked building or other floating mass, and be burled with terrible force against the girders. From the columns of tbe piers (he yellow waier recoiled and reared, showering spray over the side rails Finally the ends of the girders were caught by the flood and swept downwards, and at 1 p.m tho unsupported end of the 160 ft span, with its beautifully designed arch, was seen to move gradually down the stream. It had gone a few feet only when there was a mighty report j the span quivered for a moment, and then fell over. Many other bridges up tho stream were destroyed. It is estimated that 600 houses passed down the river from within a few miles of Brisbane, One man counted a hundred bouses come down and strike against the bridge within an hour. Six houses in a row came down the stream together, and were squashed to pieces against the bridge. An enormous quantity of wreckage of houses, furniture, clothing, household and other goods of all descriptions, much of which is valuable and in good condition, has been washed aehore at Sandgsto and other places around Morolon Bay, and salvors and loiters are reaping a rich harvest. A most serious incident in connection with the shipping is the accident to the Queensland gunboat Palumah, which was moored in the Garden Beach undergeir-g repairs to her machinery, and therefore quite helpless. Bbe drifted on to the Botanic Gardens, and all efforts to get her off proved futile. She is now lying high and dry on one of the principal walks in tbs gardens. A similar fate befel the A.U.B.S. steamer Elamang, which was laid up alongside ike river bank in the Garden Reaoh, and also the hulk Mary Evans, which was moored there. All three vessels are lying side by side in the gardens.