Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Saturday 21 April 1906, page 40


FLOODS AT COOPER'S CREE

INNAMINCKA STATION WASHED AWAY

The flood in the Cooper in now 2 ft. higher than that of 1891. The Innamincka station has been washed clean away, and the police station is in ruins, surrounded by 4 ft. of water. Mr. Norris the manager, of Coongy, and his wife are supposed to be shut off by the floods, with no rations. 1 heir boat is known to be ju» very bad order. ? ? . . : , ,^ ?:

? __.. . *awna, April 12. „«!« ?nail winch .left , lahamincka on Maroh . 81 arrived here today and tonight, nen-s of a *ig rise in Cooper's Oreek. The wate* is now 2 ft. «bore lheJS9l flood mark and is at tie taghest level oa.reoord. At the township the water is 4 ft. above the level j-l the pohce-statjon, . -which has collapsed and is in ruinB. -The balance of i ta« township buildings are ? on much higher ground. T^he aoodwatera Ate now Within 25 varrU nf M.n^aVr.

store. When the mail left the flood had receded a little, but this is fefoed to be only temporary, as more water irom Queensland has yet to come down: At I&namincka- station « lot of damage has been done. Mi. Walker, the manager, and his men had for -weeks past been constructing big earthworks around Jie sta- -tion buildings, while the station boats had been busy conveying everything of value to the Irish sconv tablelands nnnosite tha

station. It is fortunate chat these precautions were taken, for the big rush ox water topped the embankment and made a clean sweep of all the station buildings. Grave fears are entertained for the fat« of Cooflgy station and its inhabitants, as no news of any description has been receired from them. The general opinion at Innamincka is that they are entirely cut off, and as -they are short of rations they must be having a bad time of it. The station boat is reported to be unfit for use. A'ho Murnpeowie camel teams failed in their endeavor to punt the Cordillo and Gadelgo loading across at Innamincka, and tje loading is now stacked on the 6tones thera. No more punting will be attempted until the river falls. As before reported, th?Vo is not a sufficiency of cable to Mach acrosa the stream, which is almost a mile wide opposite the township, and even if there were enough cable at the present time there is nothing to fasten it to, the tops of the enormous gum trees being almos: be- ' . neath water. Jfo farther word nas b?ca received from Nannamerrie of Nocuidra. -Mr. M. B. Oakes, who has taksn up the Tinga Tingana country, left Inn am n^ka for Tinga Tingaaa ahead of the bg water anrl '

but could not keep pace with -it. The flood reached^ his carnp before him, and h^ whole belongings are' now in the middle of a raging body of 'water. The Murnrjeowie camels passed through water up to their girths at Lake Crossing on the trip down, and the maildriyer here expresses trie opinion that this mail is the last we will receive from Innaminckd for some time, as a boat will have to be provided at 'Like Crossing to ferry the mai's ever. This had to be done in 1891 and the present flo;d is higlier. The latest news from Kopperamaima is that the Cooper would Teach there in two weeks' time, when it would bs- a cas; »f

punting any loading or teams across. The Beltana Pastoral Company are now dispatching camels with rations for' CordiMd and Cade'ato stations by that route, and probably Haddon and Arrabury lo'dinj wiU go the same road. Ac Inriamimka 'it is expected it ?will be fully two months before tbe punt will be able to work. S'learinj at Haddon siid Arrabury stations will no doubt be delayed in consequence. At Callabonna station, whence news has just arrived, over 2 in. of rain was registered . Innamincka, March SO. Matters are becoming serious here now, as Cooper s Creek is ia flood and still rising at the rate of 5 or 6 in. a day. Fears ? are entertained that it will continue to rise for EOine time. At present there is no -toubt as to whether the Barcoo and Thomson rivers have come ' down, as there has been no communication between Innamincka aud Nocundra for some time. The last news received, live weeks ago, was that at Windorah the people were surrounded by watw and were short of rations, and ifthe rise has continued they are now in imminent danger and there is do chance of doing rescue work by boat, as the distance would be too great. At Nappamerrie station, just on the border, they Are completely isolated, and have no means of receiving or dispatching mails, as it is owing to the strong current considered unsafe to attempt to cross a boat until the water has gone down. The flood is now 2 ft. higher than the 1891 flood, and is* the highest known by the white people along the creek. A consideiable amount of damage- will be uone _to buildings and fencing. The Innamincka station Jid outbuildings on Messrs. Campbell's run are a total wreck. This is a great loss, as it was one of the stone buildings which were put up before the drought set in. The flood waters rose so quickly that, despite the fact that the manager ? {Mr. Walker) had an embankment all around, up to the 1891 flood mark, the inmates had little time to escape in the boats to -a liiil toIipt-o a

temporary structure is being erected. No ?news bus been received from. Goongy station for a fortnight,, as they are completelyhemmed in by . water, ' . and cannot be ? reached. If the flood keeps up for long Cordillo and Haddon Downs stations wul have difficulty in getting stores acrosB. Only this week W. Dawes, in. charge' of the Murnepcowie camels, arrived ^ -here with loading for Cordillo, and had to stack it on high ground. An attempt; was mude to punt soitk across,' but the currents were too strong for towing even a small punt, and the big punt -with the' cable is useless 'now, as ' the ? larae treBlr

used to attach the cable to are mostly under water and the only chance is to land. a few of the -bare necessaries of life by boat All the country for 50 miles ia under water, with a few islands showing here . and there. The police-station in nearly under water; and is a total wreck, everything having been removed to higher ground. ' The Hafldon mail1; prrived yesterday, and had to. come in along the sandhills. The driver reports that Si the ]o*piying country iB under water, and jthat there las been a further fall of 9 in. ai'Cprdillb. The Farina mail has not yet arrived, an they have to kecjp out 20 miles on the old flood track. Reports come' to hand daily of mail coaches being bogged and lejt. In parts the cree'k is from SO to -90 mSlea wide; at this place ttre' creek lias risen altogether 50 ft. above 'summer level. -- : ' ;