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SEVERE THUNDER-*
STORMS.
FLOODS AM) WASEAWA* s
BREACH ON THE OVERLAND LINE.
THE TRAEFIC BLOCKED.
MORGAN TRAIN DELAYED.
There seems to be Bome prospect that the
long spell of fine weather which has been ex
perienced since the new year is about to bs
broken. During the last week or so
murmurs have come from Eoma of the agri
cultural districts that matters were keeping
too dry to be pleasant; but thougll
on' several occasions there have been
signs which to the ordinarily weather
wise seemed to portend rain, no fall has
occurred until this week. It was announced,
yesterday that in several parts of the country
thunderstorms had occurred, accompanied by
more or less heavy rains, and onTuesday further
reports of a similar nature came to hand.
This time the results have been mora serious
as some of the railways have been affected ana
traffic on the Melbourne line has been tempo
rarily stopped. In New South Wales, as will
be seen from our telegrams, heavy floods have
also occurred. .
A heavy thunderstorm was experienced!
about one and a half miles east of Murray
Bridge on Tuesday afternoon, .which carried
away a piece of embankment about 10 yards
long and 20 ft. deep on the Southern railway
lino. The waahaway ocourred about 4 o'clock
in the afternoon, and consequently the down
Melbourne express was blocked at Murray
Bridge. The passengers were, after consider
able delay, transferred into the train which
arrived at the break from Serviceton on the*
Soubh-Eastern system, while passengers by thia
train, about a "dozen in number, were tran
shipped into a portion of the express which
left on Tuesday afternoon and arrived in
Adelaide at 1.50 this morning, being four
hours and 20 minutes behind the usual time.
Our Murray Bridge correspondent wired on
Tuesday night:— .
"A terrific thunderstorm broke over the
township at 3 o'clock this afternoon, rain
falling incessantly for an hour an a half,
during which time 2J in. felL Much damage
was done to the railway embankment foraboufi
300 yards on the Tailem Bend side of the
| bridge; which made it impossible for trains to
cross over.
' "The train from Mount Gambier arrived as
15 minutes past 8 o'clock, and a gangway was
rigged over the gap so that passengers with
their luggage by the Melbourne express and
also those from the south-east could be tran
shipped from one train to the other. The
train for Melbourne left at 35 minutes past 9
o'clock this evening, and the south-east pas
sengers started for Adelaide at 15 minutes past '
10 o'clock. The overland mails will probably
leave by a special train to-morrow.
"Every exertion is being made by the
traffic and locomotive staffs to expedite
matters. It is expected that ib will take three
days before proper communication can be
restored."
Three large vans containing the mails which
arrived from England on Tuesday will ba
delayed at Murray Bridge until about 11
o'olock this morning, when suitable_ con
veyances will be provided on the other side o£
the washaway to carry them forward. The
passengers arriving by the express this morn
iDg with the mails for England will also have
to be transferred into another train before
being brought on to Adelaide, while a similar
course will be adopted with regard to the down
Bouth-eastern traffic.
The Chairman of the Railway Commis
sioners, the Engineer-in-Chief, the Locomotive
Engineer, and seven officers left Adelaide by
special train at 8.45 last night for the scene of
the washaway, the party being joined at)
Nairne by the Resident Engineer. As stated
by our correspondent it is expected that iti
will take three days to repair the damage. _
The Chairman of the Commissioners tele
graphed at 2.20 this morning:—
"An extensive waahaway has occurred one
mile from Murray Bridge. The driver of the
up goods train reported the line as unsafe,
and shortly afterwards, upon examina
tion, the rails were found to be swinging
without any support. The Melbourne pas
sengers and Adelaide mails were taken across
on planks, and transferred to the up train,
which bad been stopped. This train returned
to Serviceton, tender first, and will be about)
five hours late.
"On our arrival instructions were given to
transfer the English mails and stack them
ready for transfer to the train from Melbourne,
which will return, transferring her passengers
and mails for England to the train which will bu
waiting on the Adelaide side of, the _ wash
away. We hope to get them to Adelaide by
4 o'clook in the afternoon. The repairs
of the line are expected to occupy three
days, but we hope to, take the Melbourne
express across to-morrow afternoon over !
temporary road. The Engineer-in-Chief, the
Locomotive Engineer, and the Resident Ei><
gineer are all personally superintending opera
lions." _ _
On Tuesday evening the Railway Traffic
Inspector received a telegram from Morgan
which stated that heavy rains had fallen
between the ' 79;} and 81 milep03ts on the
Morgan line, and in consequence of the line
being flooded the down train arrived an hour
and 40 minutes late. Our Eudunda correspon
dent telegraphed on Tuesday night:—
" One of the severest thunderstorms on re
cord, causing heavy floods, passed over the
Australian Plain in our vicinity this afternoon.
The barren Bcrub seemed to be changed into
ah inland sea, and houses in the lower parts of
the plain were washed out, while bags of
wheat were taken along by the current. After
the hailstorm had ceased the quietude of the
scrub was broken by the bellowing of the rush
ing waters.
" The fall of rain was the heaviest known in
the locality, as about two and a half inches was
registered in one and a half hours. The creeks
came down bankers, the railway line was sub
merged for a distance of one and a half miles.
The train was delayed two hours and thousands:
of drayloads of ballast besides, fences were
washed away.
"The ganger in testing one part of the line
was almost lifted bodily off the line, tricycle
and all. The water is 3 ft. high over part of
the line. More rain is threatening."
Reports are also to hand from several other
districts, which are appended :—
Sedan, March 5.
To-day a very heavy thunderstorm broke
over Rhine Villa, and the rain eame down in
torrents for a time, accompanied by hailstones.
Goolwa, March 5.
A very heavy storm of hail and rain passed
over this township this evening between 6 and
7 o'clock. The hailstones were very large.
Yanyarrie, March 5.
Heavy thunder and lightning ocourred here
this afternoon, but no rain. It must have
rained heavily on the Oladdie hills and a few
mile3 east of Carrieton, a9 about 9 o'clock to
night a flood came down the Yanyarrie Creek.
This will be a boon to many farmers who were
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