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WIND AT INNISFAIL. j
INNISFAIL, Jan. 18. !
Innisfail had 14 inches 18 points, of
[ rain for the 48 hours to 9 o'clock tfiis^i
morning; . but after- the reading was
taken some colossal downpours were
experienced- Train services to Cairns
and Townsville were cancelled.
Fierce winds blew early this morn-
ing until daybreak, and then rose again
later with considerable intensity. Many
trees lost some of their branches, in-
cluding some of those in the main
street. At, Flying Fish Point Pilot
Station, seven inches of rain were re-
corded during the week-end. There
were also very rough seas and no
beats are venturing outside Flying
Fisn Point to-day.
INUNDATED.
Much of. the flat country around In-
nisfail is under water whilst in East
Innisfail certain streets are submerged.
The wind daring the forenoon created
some alarm to householders.
OVER THE BANKS.
The Johnstone River broke fcr
ther over its banks at East Innisfail
toemcmiand a number of i isiiUnti
near, the river, foreseeinç what waa
going, to happen, quilled their
dwellings for higher .ground. À
big ,herd of cattle was also re-
moved. ' ,
A number of additional people
from other areas which have since
been surrounded hy die flood
waters have, gone to the Shire Hall
for shelter for. the eight.
The .wind about the town had
? dropped conaideiably to-night but
the steady- nun. continnse . "
The Johnstone River ans still
ii sing at 8 o'clock- to-night and the
flocked: area looksükery to extend.
SEARCH FOR SHELTER
The Chairman of the Johnstone
Shire Council (Gr. S. K. Page) has
been co-operating with the police
in alt measures Tor. the shelter of
inhabitants where homes have been
t hi ea tened. Howard Smith's wharf
is awash to-night.
Hurricane lama», were sold
r. eely at Innisfail torday
It is estimated that the river, this
afternoon rose at the rate of one
fnot per houri
A member oi people, who weat to
Czircs yesterday by rai1 motor
I and left for home ht the evenaag
ate anni np at Babinda,
BOATS RIAD Y.
Some homes between Innisfail and
Goondi hill were surrounded by water
tia* afternoon and were quitted .hy
lije occupants. . Senior-Sergeant'Heg-
arty had further rowing, boats placed
in s tr age tic positions this afternoon
to assist people- whose tenements were
threatened. The river overflowed .the
bank near the cemetery this after
nbon.and crossed the road, thus block-
ing, vehicular traffic between Innisfail ,
and South Johnstone, whilst the water
was well over the bridge oh the road
at Stockton. ,
PROjkPT ADVICES.
Satisfaction was expressed- .at thc
prompt advices, from thc back country
of rains there, cnab'ing those in thc
threatened zone on the coast to pre-
pare for flood conditions.
The "shelter shed for the unemployed
built on the river bank near thc
cemetery .was this afternoon .rendered
uninhabitable,- being surrounded by.
river flood waters.
EXCITING INCIDENT.
An exciting incident -occurred inj
frb»t of Mr. El Venables' residence i
where the river had overflowed the 1
banks". A little boy named White, .
on horseback, was driving cattle
through the Jood waters when, com
ing suddenly to a deep poftipn,~iie I
became unseated. His clothing was '
heavy and the boy was in difficulties "
when a man noticed the lad's plight,
dashed in and rescued him.
Constable F. P. Scanlan, who. arriv- !
ed from Mourilyan this afternoon,'
said that flood conditions were pre- I
vailing there, the water extending.
from Gallant's Hotel in the direction j
of the police station. Constable Scan- f
lan has been transferred to Tully. I
SOUTH JOHNSTONE AND
MOURILYAN.
The water was over the road'be-
tween Currajah and South Johnstone
this morning at one or two places to
the extent bf several feet and some ;
icars from Innisfail were, unable to j
make South Johnstone and had to re- .
turn to Innisfail. In man* sections of i
the South Johnstone area, traffic was
held up. The South Johnstone Sugar .
Experiment Station experienced strong
blows this "morning and torrential
rain throughout the dijy.
. Advices froin ' Mourilyan to-day (
stated that 15 inches of ram were re- i
corded there during the week-end
whilst further torrential downpours j
were experienced this afternoon, ac^
companied by fierce gusts. Mourilyan
Harbor received the full force of hur- I
ricane blows and Outside on the main
beach a big sea thundered in all day. j
Such places as the Bar lard Islafids
were in the thick of the tempestuous
conditions. The elements have driven
many birds from the Barrier. Reef and
the islands to the coast for shelter,'
but great flocks of seagulls have flown,
further inland in the direction of the
.Tableland^an infallible sign of very
dirty weather, at sea.
j Great sheets of water lay around
the Moresby district, whilst the Mor-
esby River, which .flows into Mourilyan
Harbor, has increased in volume.
Other watercourses-south of Innisfail
are also running strongly.
¡Cane'farmers are extremely fortun
! ate that all cane has been crushed,
as such operations conducted in
weather like the present would pe at
- tended by severe loss.'
: The poKce are watching the posi-
tion closely and should flood condi
? tions supervene ali essential rescue
work will be promptly carried put
However, sas people in lowlying
places have been warned it is not an-
ticipated that any wül be cut off.
The Ambulance, which received a
call to Garradunga, sent a car bût,
..on the way back tb Innisfail, it was
bogged and was finally extricated by
a tractor.
' THE JOHNSTONE RIVER. j
. The launch Olive, which is a strong-
ly powered boat, came up from Flying
Fish Point at 1 p.m. to-day, and when
just near Innisfail encountered the. full
force of the ebb tide and also rough
water. After a stiff fight she
made. to thc . landing " near
Howard Smith's wharf. More debris
came down the river this afternoon
and some carcases of beasts were also
washed from the upper reaches.
The söutii branch of the Johnstone
River this afternoon completely sub-
merged both the public wharf and the
private wharf alongside. Boats moored
to them were removed to safety. The
Johnstone Shire Council has placed a
boat on the Flat to remove people
in the event of the flood becoming
worse, whilst the police have a boat
secured to the river bank, ready foi
-emergency. The river backs up Barn,
boo Creek and the water thence god
to Sweeney's Creek, thence to ¡th«
Flats, causing floods. The Conner
ferries have been temporarily place<
out of commission and safely secure*
to withstand the flood.
The main volume of the Táblelani
water is expected at Innisfail thi
evening and there is a heavy souli
east wind blowing to back it np. Tb
launch Mandalay left for Flying Fis
Point this afternoon to bring back t
Innisfail a number of people holiday
iñg there, who are anxious to get hort
m view of the weather prevailing. '
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