The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1867-09-05
THE TRIBUNE.
ATAwfnh Flood In Australia.
usOn the s. dney Empire, July !.


usOn the syd ney E.npire, July l.
The steap,ship Ruahine, which leave.
the port Of Sydney this day for Panama
viii convey intelligence which must be
most shocking aud distressing, not only
to those who feet an interes. in the pros
perlty OF these colonies, but to all who
have regard for humanity This country
has Eoen visited by q more terrible food
than any that has been known since the
first white man set his foot upon the soil
and It's results have been most desolating
making whole families homeless, destoy-
Ing lite and property to an extent which
IS as yet beyond calculation. When the
kalkoura lett Sydney, on the lst of
June, it was noted that the rain had con
tlnued, almost without intermission, for
two months; bur up to that time no great
fears Of destructive floods were entertain
ed, though business was Interrupted by
the wet weather, and the continuous
down fall of water caused general incon-
venience. The Kalkoura had severe
weather on her voyage to Wellington, but
left that place for Panama on the Sth of
June, with sixty-fve passengers and a.
500 ounces of gold The weather con-
tinued bad on this coast, and on Wensday
the 9th of June eliminated in storm
which has been described as a hurricane,
and which continued four days. Great
fear was entertained III the city of sgd
ney that the low lying lands OF the coun
try most exposed to floods by reason of
the numerous water courses falling
through them, and the narrowness and
c!rcnitous course of the outlet to the sea.
would be inundated: but no one expected
that this was the beginning OF the most
disastrous food that had ever occurred
Ia New South Wales, and that the sym
pathies of the people of the country
would be tasked to a degree beyond any
thing that had ever been previously
known. Yet SO it has proved. On Fri
day, the 2lst Of June, accounts reached
Sydney which startled and alarmed the
whole of the inhabitants, but which. I'M
happily proved to be true. The whole
of the valley of the Hawkesbury River
had been flooded to height unknown
and unrecorded by tie oldest inhabitants
or by history The town of Windsor
was surrounded by water, and so sudden
had been the rush Of the flood from the
high lands IN consequence OF the preyI-
Gus saturation of the groud, the farmers
and their families had to fee for their
lives, abandoning all they possessed to
the raging waters. The incidents that
occurred were most shocking. In one
case farmer sat upon the root OF his
house with his family for twenty hours,
holding his youngest child in his arms IN
til the infant died from the effects of cold
and exposure, for the rain was still pour
ing down in torrents, and the whole of
the surrounding, land was one wide sea of
water. The father then had to throw his
dead child into the flood and take up an
other in the hope of preserving it. On
Saturday morning the 22d, the house
gave way, and was swept down with the
flood, drowning the mother and nine 9th 4
er children. The father and four others
were saved by the boats which had been
sent off TO rescue these unfortunate suffer
ers. By this time the whole Of the val
ley was inundated, and the fertile district
of Richmond presented the appearance
of great lake Fears We're felt that the
town of Windsor itself, where at this
time some thousands of persons were con-
eregated would be involved In the gen
eral devastation, but happily this did not
Occur. The food Was so sudden and so
overwhelming that all means Of escape
seemed to be cut oft, and many families,
some consisting OF weak mothers and
young children suffering from severe III
ne IS, had to remain for hours on the roofs
OF their houses, during the severeSt
weather that has ever been known on
this coast, until succor could be given.
As soon as this sad intelligence was known
the Government acted with the utmost
promptitude Boats and crews to man
them were despatched by the railway to
the nearest point to Wlnd Or. and al
though she fpo'i vas still n ,itn-s down
In torrent, and part Of the railway
WA Submerged the brave men who uan-
ned these boats succeeded at last in reach
ing the scene Of acsolation and in rescu-
ing very many who had almost given up
all hope.