MIRACULOUS ESCAPE OF THE BRISBANE TRAIN.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 375, 8 June 1889, Page 5

MIRACULOUS ESCAPE OF THE BRISBANE TRAIN.

Shortly before 8 a.m. on Monday intelligence 1 cached Muswellbrook that the mail train bad run off the line about two miles north of the town. About two miles fiom Muswellbrook the Aberdeen-road is crossed by a gully known as Meehan's, o\er which is a small bridge, and the railway ciossing. The heavy rains had caused the gully to overflow its banks, and the culvert nob being large enough to allow of the escape of the volume of water it sw opt over the rails and washed them down the side of the embankment, 10 minutes before the ai rival of the brain. Mrs Moehan, the gatekeeper's wife, showed the danger signals, and her son-in-law is said to have stood neck deep in water, and displayed a red light, bub the warning signs were not noticed by the driver. He did nob observe the critical position of his train until within 60 yards of the crossing, when he at once applied the brakes, but not soon enough to prevent the engine toppling down the embankment into several teeb of water. The po^ibion the engine fell in miraculously brought the train to a standstill. Next to the engine was a secondclass carriage, which was jumped between the tender and sleeping compartment in an almost perpendicular position. The front wheels of thesleeping'carriagewereoffthelino and a further incline of a lew inches would lmvo caused it bo lose ibs equilibrium and dragged bhe remaining carriages down the embankment, when loss of life or bodily injuries would have been unavoidable. The passengers ascribe the providential sboppago of the train to the promptitude of bhe driver, who had to swim out of the stream into which the engine Avas precitabed. The travellers retained their composure splendidly, although some ladies were naturally very frightened.

MISERY AT MARRICKVILLE. Ab the Royal Exchange Hotel, in the subuib of Marrickville, many of the families who were flooded out avo housed. In all, 67 persons were so accommodated, having been rescued in carts, and in some in stances in boats. Upwards of a hundred pairs of blankets were purchased at the instigation of Alderman Smith and others. The men were accommodated in the billiard rooms, and the women and clrildi-en were put up in the various lodge rooms and spare rooms. In view of the saturation suffered by the houses, it will be some time before many of them will be habitable. Consequently a scheme was formulated by a number of gentlemen yesterday for the housing and maintenance of the dostitute people in a number of empty houses in various dry parts of the borough. From the tower of the hostelry a fine view of the surrounding country was obtained. Signs of depredation were to be seen in all directions. Trees uprooted, several houses unroofed, sheets of water, and roads covered with deep mud left by the receding waters could be seen on overy hand. The Chinese settlements on the flats are still submerged, while some damage has eventuated at the reclamation works.

ROUGH ON SNAKES. A telegvara from Windsor says The hulk of the steamer Alma was left resting on one arch of the Fitzroy bridge, bub she was got off in time. Most of bhe farmers ha^ve lost something through the flood, bub look forward to the forthcoming season as likely to be very productive. Fully 100 black snakes have been killed since the water rose. j They have been landed on the banks with the rubbish. Three were killed in one house this atternoon. News from Riverstone states that the body of the man Jenkins, who was drowned on Monday, has nob yob

been found. Several parties are out in search of his remains. Jenkins was a fruitgrower just outside Riverstone, and leaves a widow and family.

DROWNING IN THE SUBURBS. In the suburbs the effects of the storm were heavy — roads, drains, and bridges were swept away in numerous places. A sad accident occurred on Monday afc Canterbury, and resulted in the loss ot one life. The omnibus leaving Sydney for Canterbury arrived at the latter place shortly before 1 p.m. On approaching the bridge which spans Cook's River, in George-street, the driver found that bhe volume of water had covered bhe bridge much more than when he left for Sydney on the morning trip. Nevertheless, he decided to try to cross the bridge. After getting into the water some distance the four horses attached to the vehicle were swept off their feet, and the animals and vehicle were swept away with the current. Those upon the 'bus at the time, in addition to the driver, were Constable Plunketb and the fare boy named Price, who it is said resided at Newtown. After beine* in the water some time Plunketb and Coleman were rescued — thcformer by some Chinamen, and the labter was caught in a tree. The boy Price was drowned. The horses were drowned, and the 'bus, completely wrecked, was found later in the day some distance down the stream. When rescued Plunkett was very exhausted, having been much knocked about. The body of the deceased boy was recovered close to the scene of the accident. The handrails of the Cook's River Bridge were submerged fully 6 feet, and in this way the driver was baffled as bo the depth of bhe water, which was in perfecc torrent.

THE STORM AT BE A. Eager faces might have been observed ab the Pbsb Office shipping 1 telegraph board on Tuesday morning. Many disturbing reports had spread during the previous day of vessels wrecked, overdue, or in distress, and the casualty section of the telegraphic notice board was expected to contain the news of the disasters. None of the vessel? reported so far sustained any damage worth mentioning from the bad weather, but all report a gigantic sea raging. The Elingamite was off the Heads hours before she could venture in, and the sea running like a mountain. The little Queen of the South from norbh wards, had a lively time of it, steaming her hardest against the fearful odds of gale and sea. A rather exciting incident occurred during her passage from the Macleay River. The captain, who would not leave his post on the bridge for an instant during the impenetrable thickness of the weather, was swept by a wave over the bridge rail bodily into the wild sea, bub with the next roll of the steamer grasped a stanchion and found himself on boaid again.