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FLOOD AT CASSILIS.
(.From a correspondent.)
Sunday evening, Jan. 25.
Cassillis, or rather the village of Dalkeith, has been
visited by the highest flood by three feet known to
the residents, the river being fully fifteen feet above
usual level.
On the 6th instant the weather broke with a
thunderstorm, and heavy rain has fallen since then.
It has rained nearly every day more or less up to
Thursday last, when it seemed to set in for steady
rain. The fall up to Saturday morning being 34
inches, and during the 24 hours up to 9 a.m. this
day the fall was over 5 inches.
The river was a little swollen last night, and
threatening to rise. At four this am it commenced
rising fast, and at seven it was rising rapidly ; fully
3 feet per hour, and slower until it attained the above
height, at 12 pm. flooding out the families of Mr.
Byfield, Mr Dray, Mr. Kenniwell, Mr Curtis, Mr.
Hassard, Mr. Addison, Mr. Miller, and Mr. Davi-
son. The floors of the stores of Messrs
Byfield, Miller, and Davison being covered
with six inches of water, owing to the early hour
and the rapidity of the rise these people had not
time to pack away ; the consequence is heavy loss
and destruction of furniture, clothing, sugar, flour,
tar, turps, oils, and other store goods, whilst the
havoc to back premises is sad,-nearly all fencing
swept away, gardens and fruit trees destroyed. The
telegraph poles are not washed out, but are far from
the perpendicular..
The church and school, with teacher's residence,
will, we think, sustain no damage beyond the wet-
ting. There is, of course, the usual mud deposit
and damage to paper. From the manner in which
the water boiled up from foundation of Court-house
we should not be surprised to hear of a settlement
of that building.
The washed-out residents took shelter at the ho-
tels of Messrs Piper and Braggett, as well as at Mr.
Thomas Braggett's.
It is now (8 p m.) raining heavily, and looks as
gloomy as ever, the people lookimg as lugubrious as
undertakers' mutes, although the river has subsided
about twelve feet.
It was sad to see the poor people wading waist
deep in mud and water. Some of the incidents
which occurred were amusing. Little boys with
happy faces at the thought of a frolic in mud and
water; big boys doing their best to assist, and fre
quently coming to grief through holes in the road.
One poor woman was terribly afraid of being
drowned. In the midst of their own troubles one
frequently heard expressions such as " what
will become of Maitland? what will the poor people
on the Hunter do if this rain is general ?" etc.
All mail communication is stopped, and the Tele-
graph master has not been able to get Merriwa or
any station on the line from Mudgee to Murrurundi,
so we fear the lines are down. Coolah was com-
municated with-the mails had not left there for
Cassilis. The creek there had overflowed its banks,
leaving the plain a vast sheet of water. No damage
is known to have been done.
At Messrs. Busby's station, " Cassilis," the water
rose twenty inches on floor of old wool-shed, a great
deal of fencing round the wool-shed paddock washed
away, and the once beautiful garden is a complete
wreck. Grape, pumpkin, melon, and other vines,
cabbage and all kinds of vegetables are washed out
by the roots, fruit trees are smashed by floating
timber and carried away, and are replaced by deep
holes and heaps of debris. The gardener took refuge
at Mr. Charles Whitby's, but lost his furniture, the
south-east end of his cottage having been washed
out. As the homestead lies on the other side of the
river, we were unable to visit it. Doubtless the
damage is great.
Miles of fencing carried away. Destruction of
poultry, mice, and ants very great.
It is understood that the license of the " Cassilis "
Hotel is next month to be transferred from Mr. G.
Piper to Mr. Thomas Braggett.
$