DISASTROUS FLOODS IN AUSTRALIA.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2465, 16 February 1893, Page 3

DISASTROUS FLOODS IN AUSTRALIA.

Brisbane, Feb. lei

Up to the present 425 families, representing 2000 persons, have been relieved. The fund has reached £6OOO, and it is estimated that 10,000 persons will require relief, absorbing at least £25,000. The Queen has cabled a message of sympathy to the sufferers by the floods, and requested to be supplied with fuller details. Feb. 14. The river is slowly rising, and the wharves are again submerged. Railway communication with Sydney is interrupted and the line is further damaged. A heavy flood has been experienced in Toowoomba. The streets are flooded and many shops inundated.

Later. The second flood is rapidly subsiding. .Sydney, Feb. 14. The fund in aid of the Queensland sufferers has reached £3OOO.

Boats are plying in the streets in Grafton, rescuing residents, many of whom have sought shelter in the public buildings. The water is now receding. It is believed that half a million bushels of maize have been destroyed. London, Feb. 10.

Sir G. S. Baden-Powell, in a letter to the Times, suggests that a fund be started to assist the sufferers by the floods in Queensland. The Auckland correspondent of the Christchurch Press telegraphs the following particulars : HOW THE FLOOD OCCURRED. The city of Brisbane is situated on the Brisbane river, which winds about in an exceedingly picturesque manner, But these windings render the city particularly prone to be flooded. The tremendous force of the current, indicated by the collapse of the Railway bridge, and by the breach in the Victoria bridge at Queen street, having swept everything moveable in front of it, the floods would impact upon the cliffs at the base of Kangaroo Point opposite Government House, and the back water would begin to invade the Botanical Gardens and the city streets. At Petrie's Bight there would be another check ; the lower part of Kangaroo Point must have quickly disappeared, but the cliff on the opposite side must have acted like a retaining wall, damming the water back still more into the city, aad eventually the river seems to have risen so far as to pour over the top of Queen street. From that moment the streets of Brisbane must have been converted into canals. The depth is indicated by the fact that tho water ovei*topped the counters on the first floor of the courier buildings at the corner of Queen and Edward streets. FALL OF THE VICTORIA BRIDGE. Since 1875 Brisbane and South Brisbane have been connected by the Victoria bridge, a stupendous iron structure, being 360 yards in length. This bridge united Queen and Melbourne streets, making one coutiuous thoroughfare about one mile and a-half long. It used to be continually crowded throughout the day with trams, omnibuses, and other vehicles, and its footpaths on each side of its 30ft roadway were always crowded with pedestrians. The Victoria bridge was wrecked at 4 a.m. on Monday, at which time there was a crowd gathered on the high land at the bridge approaches. The first portion to go was the second and third span, where the flood waters were running strongest. Theie was one loud crash, which shook the earth and made the surrounding buildings tremble on their foundations, one great convulsive heave, and the wrecked portion went down into the river. Other portions followed rapidly, and before half-an-hour had elapsed fully one-half of the bridge had disappeared. The waters did their work most completely, and nothing was left standing. Jso twisted ironwork or woodwork marked the spot where the structure once stood. Of the northern half of the bridge not a vestige was left. The structure had broken off almost in the centre as sharp and clean as could have been doDe by workmen employed for the purpose. With the destruction of the bridge the telegraph and telephone wires went down, so that all communication will have to be carried on by means of boats. Seven distinct crashes were heard, and as span after span collapsed the water was thrown to a great height. As the bridge fell the telegraph lines snapped with such force as to shatter the insulators. Small portions of the bank at the north end of the bridge also fell. On Saturday, when it was seen that the flood was to eclipse all its predecessors, special efforts were taken to combat the tremendous force of water which rushed down on THE INDOOROOPILLY RAILWAY BRIDGE. A loaded train was placed upon tha bridge, and under the direction of Mr H. 0. Stanley, the Chief Engineer of Railways, the rollers on the top of some of the pier columns, which were provided for the expansion of the bridge, were blocked with steel wedges to prevent swaying. Before night-fall on Saturday i 1 was seen that the chances of the bridge standing the strain upon it were but small. The evil hour was, however, deferred until a quarter to six o'clock on Monday morning. At that time there was a great crash and a roar like thunder, and one of tho 80ft spans of the bridge canted over down stream, and then disappeared under the seething ilood. The sound of the collapse was heard distinctly nearly a mile from the site of the bridge, and very soon nearly all the residents of the locality were on the spot. Not only was the 80ft gap noticeable, but it was seen that one of the piers, 160 ft from the Chelrner side of the river, had gone. The great span of IOOf fc, with its arched back, was out of line, being forced down stream, and with tiie southern end left without the support of the pier there was an oscillation of fully 13in. Up to 1 p.m., the remainder of the bridge stood, but the spans which h:id been left were assailed by a mighty rush of water far beyond anything jiiiticipat.ed wjieu the structure was ;;._,. Right up almost to the level"of the li'jor the waters dashed, coming with a Ci-oss swoop from the south side. Occasionally down the stream would come a large log, a wrecked buildintr, or Oilier floating mass, an . r j. b a hm<led with t.erribio against the girders. From tho columns of the piers the yellow water recoiled and reared, roaring and Severing its' spray over the side rails of the doomed structure. Finally tho ends of the girders were caught by the flood and swept ; v nd at 1 j, m, tlio unsupported end of the'l6oft with 'its ■ beautifully designed arch, wiii seen to move gradually down the ,slre;iin. It had gone a few feet when there was a rtip.prt; tha H >»u i t nivprqd fo* a mqmpnt' hi Tnidstv^UU tliuii (iiiil over y,ud down in, •-'

ing water. Mr Stanley seemed to fte) tho loss very much, as one of the momi menta of his work had gone. DROWNED IN THE MINE. Another place which felt the effects of the flood greatly was Ipswich, familiarly known to old Queenslanders as " The Modern Athens," situated at the head of the navigation on the Bremer River, about twenty-three miles west of Brisbane. Here the most dreadful disaster of the floods occurred at about noon on Saturday, resulting in the death of seven miners. The scene of the fatality was the Eclipse Colliery, generally known as Mr John Wright's,"and the occurrence is unprecedented in the district. It appears that tho men went to work in the old mine to remove some rails from the roof. The mine was supported by leaving twenty square blocks of coal untouched. One of the blocks directly under a gully, which was filled with back water from the river, had either been removed or gave way, when the water rushed iu with terrific force. The men, or some of them, managed to reach the first level and pulled the signal rope to the engine-driver, asking to be hauled to the surface. The engine, however, would not work, probably through the intervening fall of earth. The water soon rose nearly to the mouth of the tunnel, completely entombing seven men. It is questionable whether if it will ever be possible to recover the bodies. Two of Mr Wright's sons have perished, with five other men. Three men escaped by rushing towards the mouth of the tunnel, the force of the tunnel, the force of the dislodged air almost driving them out. The following are the names of the men who have perished : Thos. Wright, leaving a wife aud three children ; Geo. Wright, leaving a wife and one child ; Patrick McQuade, leaving a wife and four children ; Jno. McQuade, unmarried ; a son of Patrick McQuade; Matthew Cuthbertson, leaving a wife aud eight children ; Chas. Walker, leaving a wife and seven children ; A. Smart, leaving a wife and four children. LOSS OF LIFE.

Another sad fatality occurred on Saturday, resulting in the drowning of four children of Peter Jackson, a wellknown engine-driver on the southern and western railway. They had a boat at their house on the bank of the Brisbane River, and were preparing to shift their quarters, as the waters were rising, when, on leaving, a log struck tho boat, which capsized, throwing the occupants,; seven in all into the water. Those who were drowned were Katie Jackson, aged eighteen ; her brother, aged ten; and her two sisters, aged respectively eight and five. Mrs Jackson and the eldest daughter Mary got into a tree. Mrs Jackson was rescued from her perilous position. The daughter is stated to have been in the tree for three days, and in trying to rescue her Constable Sangster was drowned. At Swan Hill a bus driver named George Keogh went in a dingy with four others to rescue some clothing belonging to a friend. When in deep water they capsized the overloaded boat. Four of the party were saved, but Keogh lost his life. A young man, the driver of a tram, lost his life near the Palace Hotel, Stanley street. The body has been recovered. Altogether tho loss of life is put down at thirty persons. INCIDENTS OF THE FLOOD. The passengers by the Sydney mail train, which was stuck up at Redbank on Friday night, had to camp in the State school, and food ran rather short. They had a calf roased, and ate it half-cooked. Provisions were sent to them by boat next afternoon. A most serious incident in connection with the shipping is the accident to the Queensland gunboat Palmah, which was moored in the Garden Reach undergoing repairs to her machinery, and therefore quite helpless. She drifted on to the Botanic Gardens, and all efforts to got her off proved futile. She is now lying high and dry on one of the principal walks in the gardens. A similar fate befel- the A.U.S.S. steamer Blamang, .which was laid up alongside the river bank in the Garden Reach, and also the hulk Mary Evans, which was moored there. All three vessels are now lying side by side in the gardens. Among the more serious damage done by the floods in the Maryborough district is the destruction of the bridge across th e Mary river at Maryborough, a wooden structure of great length, also the steel railway bridge across the Mary at Antigua over which the Maryborough and Gympie line crossed. TBMUKA. A special meeting of the Temuka Town Board was held on Tuesday af tern ion last. Present—Messrs J. Blyth (chairman), Mason, and Storey. Apologies were received from Messrs Coira and Miles, who were unavoidably absent, expressing their sympathy with and approval of, the charitable object in view. The chairman explained that he had convened the meeting to consider the desirability of calling a public meeting to discuss the best steps to be taken to relieve the Queensland* sufferers. It was proposed by Mr Storey, seconded by Mr Mason, and carried—" That a public meeting of those interested in and desirous to contribute to the relief of the Queensland sufferers from the late disastrous floods, be called by the chairman, the same to be held in the Town Board Office at 8 pm. on Monday next, the 20th inst." The clerk was instructed to advertise the meeting in the Temuka Leader. The board then adjourned. At the weekly meeting of the Good Hope Lodge of Good Templars, Temuka, on Tuesday night, it was unanimously agreed to devote £2 of the Lodge funds to the relief of the sufferers by the floods in Queensland, and many membors expressed themselves willing to subscribe personally should steps be taken in Temuka to raise a publio subscription. Mr James Blyth, as chairman of the Town Board, is to be asked to forward the amount to the proper authorities. We congratulate the Good Templars upon setting such a charitable example. At the meeting of the Band of Hope in tho Presbyterian Church to-night, a collection will be taken up in aid of tho Queensland sufferers. It is ' hoped there will be a 7 ~;. fi ." ' XI ~JI •, fmrvi . - iar S° attendance aud a collectioni

At Timaru and Oamaru tlio brass bauds are going to give sacred concerts ] to raise funds, At a public; meeting in Auckland £2BO Was subscribed in the room, and canvassers for subscriptions were appointed. It was also decided to ask the Government of New Zealand to send a sum out of the colonial revenue in aid <*f the sufferers, if a majority of tbe Hwusse agreed to such ft course. Ah Mr Hallenstem i»ss headed the list with a donation v,'i £o'o and the Jockey Club \TtYI hold - . ' meeting on M*V<'h Uth i» fti(l J f sutler ?.\^. has received the following C<\ HQ x ' r n t j lQ of Queensland in -~l"y to a message sent by the New Zea- [ land Government : —".The Government

is very gratified for your kind expression of sympathy Much destitution is caused by the total destruction of houses, and much help will be required." The Colonial Secretary has sent a circular to municipal bodies asking to have contributions towards the Queensrelief fund (if any) sent without delay to the Government, also stating that arrangements will be made for freight over the railways of any produce offered. £25 was collected at Wellington at a lecture in aid of the Queensland sufferers. The Premier has received the following message from the manager of the Union Company :—-" We have not a steamer loading for Brisbaiie direct, but we will, i however, be glad to take one hundred tons of gifts of supplies by the Hauroto to Sydney, free of freight, and we have no doubt that similar favourable arrangements can be made with the companies on the other side, as regards freights from Sydney to Brisbane. The Hauroto loads at Timaru on Thursday, and Lyttelton on Monday.