THE AUSTRALIAN FLOODS

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2587, 23 August 1909, Page 5

THE AUSTRALIAN FLOODS

GENERAL INUNDATIONS IN VICTORIA. SERIOUS AND EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. United Pkkbb Association—copyright MELBOURNE, August 21. There has been a big rise in the Campaspe river. All shops in the town of Rochester were flooded. The reservoir, which supplies Maryborough, burst. The huge masonry embankment, holding a depth of 32 feet of water, collapsed and smashed the mains. The reservoir cost £55,000 to construct. Serious damage is reported at Avoca. Drowned stock and furniture are floating down the river. At Ararat a man took refuge in a tree all night. A couple in a buggy were surrounded by water. All were rescued.

The low-lying lands around Geelong were submerged and several bridges swept away. The railway embankment was destroyed. , At Charlton a family named Powell took refuge on a roof, surrounded by a wide, deep expanse of water. No boat is available to rescue them. At Ballarat the water invaded houses in the three principal streets. It is still raining. Last night on the outskirts of the town residents escaped by wading waist deep' in the water. Similar reports are to hand from various centres of the district.

Kilmore and Seymour, towns along the Goulbourn river, report a high flood and serious damage caused by the storm.

The missing dredge at Castlemaine, after being carried down for some distance, succeeded in anchoring. The four inmates escaped. The lowlands along the Saltwater river are under water, and the houses flooded. The residents have removed with their belongings. The Laanecoorie weir cost £85,000.

THE WORST FLOOD FOR THIRTYNINE YEARS. FURTHER FATALITIES REPORTED The floods have been the worst and most extensive since 1870. The rainfall was phenomenal. Passengers by the Clunes train had sensational experiences. One car lay toppled endwise, resting upon the piled up trucks below, and the other partially suspended over the broken bridge. There was water all round and no room to escape, excepting along the footboard. Holes were chopped from compartment to compartment to enable thse in the tilted carriages to get out Numerous railway washaways are reported. Several railway and other bridges have been destroyed or badly damaged. Railway and vehicular trdffic is disorganised. The express from Adelaide is held up at Murto, and the express from Melbourne held up at Stawell, owing to washouts. Two more fatalities are reported. A man named Phillips, at Learmouth, and a man named Rees, at Carugham, were drowned in attempting to cross the flooded creeks. The Lodden river swept away the Laanecoorie weir and bridge. The township of Laanecoorie has been trasformed into an island. The river at Newbridge is eight miles wide. A blacksmith’s shop and bakery have been swept away. The rise was so rapid that several residents were caught by the flood waters, and had to be rescued.

The loss of property and live stock is very heavy. Some families took refuge on a stage with three feet of water round them. Miss Hunter, postmistress, refused to leave her post, and camped on the counter, four feet of water lapping the edges. In the morning she waded out. All along the Lodden Valley large areas have been submerged and people driven from their homes. The Eddington and Bridgewater bridges have been swept away. <*: FLOODS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. HEAVY RAINS IN TASMANIA. ADELAIDE, August 21. There has been heavy general rain. The low-lying lands round Adelaide, including Morphettville racecourse, are submerged. Floods are reported in many carts of the country. - ' HOBART, August 21. Heavy general rains are falling. WATERS RECEDING. TWO MORE FALALITIES. (Received August 23, 12.30 a.m.) MELBOURNE, August 22. Telegraphic interruptions are delaying news from the flooded areas. The latest reports are that the worst is over, and the waters are receding. Two more drowning \ fatalities are reported. ,