NOVEMBER
Heavy Storm. Gulgong Flooded Out.
Rain fell in torrents at Gulgong on Tuesday night, flooding the streets and gutters, and filling cellars and houses on the low-lying ground. The gauge at the P.O. registered 330 points on Wednesday morning. Heavy clouds banked up along the eastern horizon late in the afternoon. By half-past six the sky overhead was black with slowly moving clouds. Simultaneously there sprang up an easterly breeze in which could be smelt the rain, the full force of which few had bargained for.
It fell slowly, steadily, in large draps that splashed sparsely on the iron roofs at first. But not for long. Soon it was falling down as if being poured out of a great bucket. And it just kept on doing that for the best part of an hour. It simply pelted down, filling the gutters in no time. The streets were soon awash. At the intersection of Mayne and Herbert streets the blinding was reefed from that part of the thoroughfare and the stones sat up on end.
The cellar at Woodcock's Belmore Hotel and Thame's Post Office Hotel were partly flooded; Messrs. Campbell's, Saunders', Ryan's and Mrs. Cicognani's private residences were flooded.
The full force of the rushing storm waters, which converge at Loneragan's mill, was felt at the latter place. Great pieces of timber were lifted up on the mill siding line, the ballast of which was washed away, as was also the case about half a mile on the Dunedoo side of the Gulgong station. Here the fettlers worked all through the night to make the line trafficable.
In the yard at the rear of Loneragan's big store some lime was exposed to the damp and rain and caught fire. Mr. W. Saunders was about to retire shortly after 11 o'clock when he noticed the blaze, and, with several others, extinguished the fire.
The town itself seems to have felt the full force of the downpour, as on inquiry, it was learned that the fall was not nearly so heavy even a short distance out of the town. Hilton's shaft on the Old Parramatta was flooded, and there is now 90 feet of water in the shaft. Large pieces of timber were lifted by the water and carried 200 yards away.
The basement under the silos at Loneragan's mill was flooded. Hands who were working through the night state that a second and even heavier fall occurred at the mill later in the night. So far no news has come to hand that any of the wheat crops have suffered.
Source: Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954) Thu 19 Nov 1914 Page 20
