The Floods in Queensland.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7071, 17 February 1893, Page 2

The Floods in Queensland.

I The following further particulars are from , a Melbourne letter ; j For a time telegraphic communication was I altogether cut off from Brisbane, and the in* r formation concerning the floods transmitted j to Melbourne has been of a " scrappy ” character. The first news was received from ( Ipswich, on the Bremer River, fifty miles by water from Brisbane, i News os to tho condition of affairs at , Brisbane was obtained through a copy of Tuesday’s Brisbane Courier being obtained. The condition of South Brisbane is pitiable in I the extreme. In the West End, a flourishing i part of that portion of tho city, only twenty* , five houses remain The whole of Stanley street* , the main thoroughfare of South Brisbane, it . one long stretch of ruin and desolation. The lossI of property is enormous. At Kangaroo Point; r families piled their furniture on tables, bufe inch by inch tbo water invaded their homes, i until they were forced to forsake their little I all and take to tbe rescue boats, which plied wi»h difficulty. Some people refused to leave l , hoping against hope that the water would act reach ihem, but at length the gatherings of a lifetime were loft to the pitiless torrent, and they hud to flee for their lives. Rescue parties ’died all day and night, and saved many families who could hardly realise that their homes bad gone from them Fortitude Valley and Newstcad suffered terribly. All houses wore inundated, and the loss of property was great. At s-sreakfast Creek a*’ d Albion the destruction that has been caused *j B terrific to contemplate. Many £*»»•’«-, are living ir, boats with a sail for covering, while others Jess fort mate a : e living under large pieces of Umber arranged to afford slight protoction. There was u great loss of poultry and live stock, and there is a horrible otench throughout the whole of the district. At Milton the flood was particularly severe, and on Sunday night only fiften houses on thesouth aide cf the railway remained out of water. Enormous damage was done to the furniture and go-ids of residents. In the Oxley district the position of the residents l was at one time a very critical one. They were hemmed in by the waters, and it war ft-ared that many who had to leave their* n->met would be lost for want of food andi clothing. The Colonial Secretary induced! Captain Drake, of the Marine Defence Foroa to race the waters with the torpedo I-oat Midge, towing a whaleboat loaded wit*, pro* . visions. He took on board 200 Q pairs of | blankets, 400 loaves, 500 tins of preserved | meat, four chesfa of tea, and a quantity of sugar, and by skilful ' navigation the perilous voyage was performed in safety, and the necessities of the people for tho time were supplied. The Botanic Gardens are completely under water, and the curators residence is washed off the blocks. The gardens, which were the pride of Brisbane. if not of the colony, are a complete wreck. It is now evident that over 500 houses have been washed away, and at Sandgato theshores arc covered with floating flood debris.. Tho latest news from Gympie is that the floods rose lift higher than the great flood of 1890.. About twenty bouses in the main street werewashed away, Tho Theatre Kojal and otherbuildings were removed from their foundation; a mile. Monkland is a scene of desolation. Near the Great. Eastern battery 12 we-e swept away. All the mines in Monklandi are flooded, and_ hundreds of miners are thrown out of work. It will take three mouths at least to get out the water. The total damage oa the field is estimated at £20,000. At Maryborough half the towo was under water, and the Baramba Orfcek rose 40ft. Tewatia was fl odsd beyond ' recognition, and immense loss will follow. Cooibarabel has been washed away, but no lives were lost. The latest news from Maryborough states thas the waters are receding, and revealing the terrible nature of the.disaster which h»s befallen the district.