AUSTRALIAN FLOODS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2470, 28 February 1893, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN FLOODS.

Brisbane, Feb. 24. The floods relief fund amounts to £16,000.

Great distress is sure to prevail in Gympie, whore six hundred miners have been thrown out of employment. It will be fully three mouths before the miners can resume work. Quite two hundred houses were washed away.

Feb. 27.

An official cable to London, announces that the damage caused by the floods amounts to £1,000,000.

London, Feb. 23. The Eastern Extension Cable Company have subscribed £IOO, and the Duke of York £lO, to the sufferers by the Queensland floods.

On Sunday afternoon the Temuka brats band, under the leadership of Mr D. Bryan, gave a sacred concert in the Victoria Park, in aid of the Relief Funds. The day was fine and there was a good attendance of the public who appeared to thoroughly enjoy the music and promenade. The collection amounted to £6 ss. Collections were made at both services in the Catholic Church, Temuka, last Sunday, but the result will not be made known until the Pleasant Point collection comes in next Monday. At at. Mary's Anglican Church, Geraldine, on Sunday the collections in aid of relief fund amounted to close on £l2. Iu the evening the Rev. Mr Preston chose for his text Luke, xiii., 3—" Except ye repent ye shall all likewise Perish," and pointed out the need of giving from theheart as though giving to Christ. People had now an opportunity to exercise charity, and he hoped they would do so manfully. He did not question why the Almighty had visited Queensland with such a dreadful affliction, but he said that if there was less evil in the world there would be less trouble and affliction; and he then applied his text in a very appropriate manner.

At St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Geraldine, the collections as near as can be estimated at the present time come to about £l6, but as there is other money to come in yet, the amount will no doubt be slighly increased. The Rev. Father Treacy spoke a few words calling upon his congregation to give as the Lord had prospered them.

At the Primitive Methodist Church, Geraldine, the collection came to £2 15s. The collection at Peel Forest Anglican Church amounted to £2lßs.

Collections have yet to be taken at Woodbury Anglican Church, and Geraldine Presbyterian Church. These will be made next Sunday. The children attending the Rangitata Island school are collecting money anion» themselves to assist sufferers in Brisbane. The sum will be placed in the hands of the Temuka Committee for that purpose. Pity that all schools should not do a little as they can assist materially, so laudable on object.

At Rangitata last Sunday a collection was taken up at the Wesleyan Church services, with the result that £1 10s was collected towards the Queensland fund. The amount collected at the Roman Catholic Church, Timaru, on Sunday, for the relief fund was between £ls and £l6.

Collections were made at St. Mary's Church, Timaru, on Sunday, in aid of the Queensland floods relief fund. At the morning service £G, and at the evening service £6 15s 4d, were contributed, and the Sunday School added 18s; making a total of £l3 13s 4d. The usual offertories were also collected for the support of the church. The Wanganui committee of the Queensland relief fund have collected £4OO in cash besides gifts of provisions. The lists have not yet closed. Mr G. F. Tendall's organ recital in the Christchurch Cathedral, in aid of Queensland relief fand, realised £3l. The cash and £3OO in kind on Saturday morncentral relief fund amounted to £463 in morning. A promenade concert at Ashburton realised nearly £SO. Subscriptions amount to about £7O, besides a considerable quantity of produce. A lecture by Mr Worfchington produced £3l. The canvass of Dunedia, for the Queensland relief fund, has now commenced. Without anything received in this way, £262 19s 3d has been received by the hon. secretary. On Monday the mayor of Westport cabled £IOO to tha Premier of Queensland for the relief of sufferers by the flood. Probably another £SO will be raised.

The' following account of the drowning of a family is condensed from a graphic description of the sad fatality published in the Toowoomba Chronicle:— The residence of Mr Peter Jackson, a well known engine driver, is situated in the steep bank of the Brisbane river, at Blackwall, about five miles distant from Ipswich. On Friday afternoon, 3rd inst. about three o'clock, Mr Jackson left for his work. The waters, although rising rapidly, were nob anywhere near the house ; aud it was not .thought the house was in danger. Even though it were, there was the apparent consolation of certain safety on the summit of an immense hill a short distanca to the east. Mr Jackson should have returned from* Sandgate with the midnight train, but the floods intervened, and all communication being out off, his location is unknown, nor can he be aware of tho terrible calamity that has befallen his family. * THE HOUSE ABANDONED. Some time after Jackson had left home the water rapidly advanced to the house, and at day dawn on Saturday Miss Katie Jackson and John li>we, a labourer on the farm, urged Mrs Jackson to quit the house and seek safety on tho hill. Howver, Mrs Jackson lingered on until exit became compulsory, when, having a boat near by, she with Katie Jackson, eighteen years of age, a son Harry, nine years of age, and two other daughters, Elizabeth Beatrice, and Ada, aged seven years and five years respectively, left in it for the shore (the house then being completely surrounded), whilst Mary Jackson the eldest daughter and Howe remained in the house, it being arranged that the young woman Katie should return for them, she being a good rower and a splendid swimmer. Unhappily, when within a few feet of the bank, the craft struck against a woody projection and capsized, depositing the occupants in the water. The mother and the daughter Beatrice succeeded in reaching a tree, and were subsequently rescuced, the former in an old dingy and tho latter by a man who swam out and brought her in. A GIKD AND THREE CHILDREN DROWNED. On tho boat upsetting the three children clung to Katie, and their screams are said to have been almost heartrending. The four must have gono uudei' together. About two hours after' tho boat had left the wator was getting so high in tho hou.se that those inside agreed that the roof of the house must be reached somehow. Accordingly Rowe from one window threw a rope across the house. " Miss ' JacWu caught it at i, window on thu uppusito side, tind hejd i[

while the former climbed on to the roof, on reaching which he in his turn held the rope fast while his companion gained the roof. A rescue party made desperate efforts to reach them, but the current was running with such terrific force that it was utterly impossible to do so. Soon afterwards the building was lifted off its supports, and, getting into the stream, was carried at a fearful speed down the river for between two and three miles, when it

CRASHED AGAINST A TREE,

and broke into hundreds of pieces, the noise being like the report of a gun. Miss Jackson and Mr Rowe succeeded in reaching ilia iree, and clambered up to a couple of forks some four or live feet above the rushing water. The position was a somewhat uncomfortable one, especially for Miss Jackson, who was unable to sit down. The tree in which the two poor unfortunates were was not more than 30 yards distant from the bank, and a boat having been secured, H. Mills, G. Graham, and S. Webb, went towards the tree and threw a rope to those upon it, which Miss Jackson caught, and fastened round a limb, but the force of the stream was so terrific that as soon as the full length of the line had been reached it snapped like a piece of cotton. Constables Murray and Sangster then succeeded in getting a rope to the occupants of the tree, but it again snapped. In doing this those in the boat had to start about a mile up the river, as the current was so strong. Presently the boat in which the rescue party were struck against a tree and swamped, Constable Sangster and Sydney Webb theu being the only occupants. Sangster clambered on to a tree, whilst Webb, clinging to the boat, was carried into calm water, and succeeded in gaining the bank. Constable Sangster's perch was a very slender one, and swayed to and fro so much by the current that it threatened every minute to give way. Many attempts were made to rescue him by those on the bank, but proved futile. About six o'clock the limb on which he was located broke, and he sank quickly below the surface, before the eyes of dozens who were powerless to save him. Another boat was procured, but it proved to be such a light one and in sucti bad repair that nothing could be done, especially at that hour, G p.m., and further attempts had to be postponed until morning. With the object of keeping up the spirits of those in the tree large hres were kept up all night. Miss Jackson and Rowe lashed themselves to the tree with the rope they had caught from the rescue boats. Almost before daybreak on Sunday morning a good substantial boat was obtained, and about seven o'clock Messrs Stirling and Yaldwyn made an unsuccessful attempt to rescue those in the tree. Messrs Stirling and Harris then endeavoured to reach the tree, having fastened a rope to the bank, but when they got to the length of the line the boat commenced to swamp, and the rope was let go by those on shore. This, dragging behind, presently caught on a limb, and the boat then completely swamped. The rope was cut, and the boat and its occupants, who could barely L keep their hold, drifted down the stream, and after a time reached the bank. The boat having been emptied, the two started on their errand again, and this time Harris succeeded in lassoing the limb of the tree where the two sufferers were, but it was impossible to hold the boat against the stream. About this time another large boat was brought and was manned "» by Messrs Jeffrey, Brosnan, Kingston, and Graham. Having crossed the river, a rope was made fast, to the bank some distance above the tree, which was the object of all these endeavors. The rope was then let out by those in the boat as they proceeded down the stream, and after a while the occupants succeeded by encircling the tree with the rope in getting underneath Miss Jackson and Rowe, who were theu some sixteen feet above the boat, the waters having in the meantime fallen some fourteen feet. The boat was also held fast by a rope which Harris had some time previously thrown over the tree. Miss Jackson lowered herself by means of a rope, and was caught and placed safely in the boat. Rowe then let himself down similarly, and he and Miss Jackson were taken to the bank, and provided with dry clothing and refreshments. The feet and legs of the two, more especially those of the plucky girl, were in a terrible state from exposure, and they could only walk with assistance, but the dootor stated that they would be all right in a day or two.