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Goulburn Valley

MOOROOPNA EVACUATED. FLOOD WATERS IN HOSPITAL

PEOPLE REFUGE IN TREE-TOPS

(By OUR SPECIAL REPORTER).

TATURA, Wednesday.-At 9 o'clock this morning the water level at the Goul. burn weir was 13ft. 8in., or a fall of 1ft 8in. since yesterday morning, but on the lower river the water is still rising. The water has reached Undera, four miles back from the river, on the Echuca road, and when the operator rang up at 9 o'clock the water was almost up to the telephone.

The position at Mooroopna remains   about the same. Boats were engaged in bringing provisions this morning. Urgent inquiries were made whether the patients had better be removed from the hospital where the nurses' quarters are flooded and the water is up to the floors of the wards. It has been decided to hang on now that the water is falling at the weir. The pre- sident of the hospital committee (Mr. Johnson) has sent over from Tatura 100 loaves of bread, 100 lb. of meat, and other

provisions.

"Mooroopna is doing nicely," said Mr. Irvine, the water commissioners' head bailiff, to-day. The remark showed a philosophical mind, seeing that Mr Irvine's house, like every other private house m Mooroopna, is flooded out. Moo- roopna is a place of nearly 1,000 inhabit- ants, but everyone has now been driven out, except 90 patients and nurses at the hospital, about 100 people on the upper story of the flour mill, 30 at the raliway station and five families at Swallow and Ariell' s factory. All the rest have been removed to Ardmona and other places in the neighbourhood. Yesterday Ardmona orchardists, led by Councillor MacLennan and Councillor McNab, turned out to a

man with lorries, and brought the people out. The main rood was .only passable by boats for nearly a mile from the town, but, by making a wide detour, lorries managed to get up to the back of the town and to remove a large number of in- habitants, while others were brought out by boat. The drivers of the lorries had several narrow escapes from being swept away, but, except for the drowning of one horse, there were no accidents.  

Relief Station on Island.    

A relief station has been established on a small island of dry ground about a mile from the town. A telephone receiver was brought there and a temporary station   established, connected with the public telephone line. A fire was built and tea provided. The water is shallow along the road on the landward side of this island, and the spot is easily reached by vehicles. A regular boat service has been organised from the relief station to the hospital and to other points in the town, and supplies of milk and eggs for the hospital have been sent down from Tatura.

Hospital Nurses Work in Water Knee-deep.

There are 90 patients in the Mooroopna Hospital, including three cases of menin- gitis, and other serious cases. Fortunately, the water at highest never seriously in- vaded the wards, though the rest of the hospital was under water, and the nurses have to go about in water up to their knees. Their cheerfulness and devotion to  

duty under these conditions are beyond all praise. When the flood came there were several maternity cases in the Elms pri- vate hospital. These were removed to the flour mill, where one child has been born.

Down below the Mooroopna Government bridge the flood has spread over the coun- try for a width of from 8 to 15 miles. At Coomboona there have been tremendous losses of stock. Mr. Walker and his family; Mr. Nankerville, his wife, and four children; Mr J Alexander, and other settlers at Coomboona and Undera have been forced to take refuge on treetops and on house roofs. Two attempts at a rescue were made with a small boat, but each time the boat was upset, and the effort had to be abandoned. Boats have been sent over from Mooroopna to rescue these people.

Danger from tho Murray.  

Mr. Dethridge, a member of the Water Commission, who has established tempo- rary headquarters at Tatura, received ad- vice this afternoon from Madowla Park,

near the junction of the Goulburn and the Murray, that the water there was 10 in below the top of the levee bank, and was still rising. Residents were hastening to remove their families, stock, and belong- ings to places of safety. At Kotupna, near McCoy's bridge, the whole country, except one or two sandhills, is under water. Set- tlers and stock have all taken refuge on the

sandhills.

At Toolamba and Shepparton.

The main railway line to Shepparton   washed out in three places between Toolamba and Mooroopna, and the water has spread three miles along the road from Mooroopna to Tatura. The water is still rising at Toolamba. All the buildings are under water, and boats supposed to be those from Melbourne, have passed Toolamba going down the river.  

At Shepparton several people have had to leave houses in the lower part of the town, but the main portion is still safe. The Broken River is falling fast, and the Goul

burn fell 2 in. last night. The concrete bridge over the Goulburn is safe, and no damage has been done to the írrigation settlement. Telephone lines are down below Shepparton. There is no communi- cation with Loch Garry, Nathalia and other points. The roads are utterly in passable in the direction of Loch Garry.

Wyuna Partly Under Water.

Part of the Wyuna closer settlement is under water, and the flood is spreading to- wards the township at Koyuga, a settle- ment north-east of Rochester.  

The Campaspe River flood began to sub- side at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, but the Goulburn water is now spreading. The Water Commission has arranged for ac- commodation for the flooded-out settlers of

the Koyuga Estate.

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